The Gods of Ancient Egypt

London: B. T. Batsford Ltd. Very Good/Very Good. 1984. First Edition. Hard Cover. 8vo 0713445238 Dust jacket complete, unclipped. Maroon cloth with bright gilt titling on spine. Ownership stamp on ffep. Photographs / Illustrations / Plates. 208 pages clean and tight. The religious artefacts of Ancient Egypt - from the largest temples to the smallest amulets - have been universally admired for their beauty and workmanship. But the purpose or significance of such works of art has largely eluded modern Europeans, just as it did the ancient Greeks and Romans. For the basis of religion in ancient Egypt was not belief but cult, particularly the local cult, and the main characteristics were animism, fetishism and magic. The chief stumbling block has been the Egyptian gods themselves. One with the body of a man and a head of a hawk; another with the head of ajackal; yet another with a beetle in place of a head and, standing next to him, a woman with the head of a lioness - how can such creations be taken seriously? In assembling this gazetteer of the most important Egyptian gods and goddesses, Barbara Watterson has concentrated on the mythological stories relating to each. Through the folklore and fairy stories, of a kind that are produced by all civilisations, we can discern the hopes, fears and preoccupations of ordinary Egyptian men and women. While not attempting to produce a general work on Egyptian religion, Dr Watterson says enough about the theological context to make these stories about the gods as intelligible as they are fascinating. In particular she draws attention to the form, time and place in which each particular myth grew up and developed. Complementing the author's evocative text is a welcome range of illustrations (often drawn from unfamiliar sources) which portray every god or goddess discussed. Equally helpful are the extensive chronological table, the map of the principal cult-centres, the glossary and the note on Egyptian transliteration. Dr Barbara Watterson, the author of Introducing Egyptian Hieroglyphs, is an experienced extramural lecturer. The jacket illustration, taken from the tomb of Nefertari, shows Hathor and Re-Harakhte .