elite classes, but the typical men and women who composed this magnificent civilization. Exceptional for his range, the volume portrays Egyptian life from birth and childhood through education, love and marriage, occupations, war, and finally the soul’s journey to the netherworld. A particular strength is the coverage of anatomical material and medical texts. Other topics include the role of women, fashion, dance and music, agriculture, crafts, and construction of the pyramids and tombs. This in-depth portrait draws on the complete spectrum of sources: artifacts from tombs and settlement sites; inscribed potsherds and ostraca as well as papyri; material from the excavation of homes, shrines, and tomb chapels; reliefs and wall-paintings.

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