Egyptomania
Subtitle: a history of fascination, obsession and fantasy
By: Ronald H. Fritze
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 444
ISBN-13: 9781780236391
Subjects: Egyptology; History; Civilization; Description and travel; Antiquities
Description: Ancient Egypt has been a focus of awe and fascination from the age of the Pyramids to the present day. In 'Egyptomania' Ronald H. Fritze takes us on a historical journey to unearth the Egypt of the imagination, a land of weird gods, murky magic, secret knowledge, marvellous pyramids, enigmatic sphinxes, monumental obelisks, immense wealth and mystifying mummies. Egypt has always exerted a powerful attraction in popular and high culture, and an array of personalities have been attracted to and repelled by the idea of Egypt. Medieval Christians considered Egypt a land with many connections to the Bible, while medieval Muslims were intrigued by its massive monuments, esoteric learning and hidden treasures. Scholars of the Renaissance, the Baroque and the Enlightenment pondered the mysteries of hieroglyphs and Hermes Trismegistus. Even the practical-minded Napoleon dreamed of Egyptian glory and helped open that antique land to the West. Fritze goes beyond the examination of Egyptomania in art and architecture to reveal its impact on religion, philosophy, historical study, literature, travel, science and popular culture. All those who remain captivated by the ongoing phenomenon of Egyptomania will revel in the mysteries uncovered in this book.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 379-429) and index.
Table of contents: title: Egyptomania through the ages. The real Egypt ; Ancient Egyptomania : Hebrews, pharaohs, and plagues ; Classical Egyptomania : the Greeks and Romans ; Medieval Egyptomania : from St Augustine to the Renaissance ; Egyptomania from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment ; Napoleon's expedition to Egypt and the birth of modern Egyptomania ; Nineteenth-century Egyptomania and the discovery of King Tut ; The rise of mass Egyptomania : Tutankhamun, Tutmania, and the curse of the mummy; title: Varieties of modern Egyptomania. Occult Egyptomania ; Egyptomania on the fringe of history ; African American Egyptomania ; Egyptomania and fiction.