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Conservation of Egyptian artifacts:

We have amassed a mini-library of books and articles on this topic since starting this project. I will list some of the books we often refer to here. If you have anything to add, please let us know!

  • Brown, C.E., F. Macalister and M.M. Wright, eds. 1995. Conservation in ancient Egyptian collections. London: Archetype Publications Ltd.
  • Dawson J., C. Rozeik and M. M. Wright, eds. 2010. Decorated surfaces on ancient Egyptian objects: technology, deterioration and conservation. London: Archetype Publications Ltd.
  • Ikram, S. and A. Dodson. 1998. The Mummy in Ancient Egypt: Equipping the Dead for Eternity. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd.
  • Nicholson, P. T. and I. Shaw, eds. 2000. Ancient Egyptian materials and technology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Watkins, S. C. and C. E. Brown, eds. 1988. Conservation of ancient Egyptian materials. London: UKIC Archaeology Section.
  • Serpico, M. and R. White. 2001. “The use and identification of varnish on New Kingdom funerary equipment.” In: Davies, W.V. (Ed.) Color and Painting in Ancient Egypt. London: The British Museum Press.

 Conservation:

American Institute for Conservation (AIC) website. AIC is the national professional organization for conservators in the United States. There are resources on their website about conservation terminology, how to become a conservator, as well as a useful series for the public on caring for personal heritage entitled Caring For Your Treasures. AIC’s Objects Specialty Group also has a page with information on archaeological conservation.

Scientific Analysis/Chemistry:

Mummy mania by Emma Davies. In Chemistry World, February 2011. This article discusses how chemical analysis can aid researchers in identifying materials used in the mummification process, and also discusses complications of doing this analysis on museum artifacts.

General Ancient Egypt:

Egypt: A New Look @ an Ancient Culture.  Penn Museum’s website devoted to Ancient Egypt.

AnthroNotes: Special Issue Celebrating Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt at the National Museum of Natural History. Vol. 33, No. 1, Spring 2012.

Smarthistory is a free, multi-media web-book designed to be an enhancement to or substitute for the traditional art history textbook. The site includes several lessons about Ancient Egypt.

Fleming, S. (1980). The Egyptian mummy: Secrets and science. University of Pennsylvania.

Taylor, John H. (2001). Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt. The University of Chicago Press.

Animal mummies:

Creatures of the Gods: Animal Mummies from Ancient Egypt by Salima Ikram. AnthroNotes: Museum of Natural History Publication for Educators, vol 33, no. 1. Spring 2012. Part of a special issue of AnthroNotes celebrating Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt, an exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History.

Falcons, and Rats, or Shrews, Oh My!  by Angela M.H. Schuster. A brief article about a recent discovery of an animal cemetery at Abydos.

Egypt Dig Reveals Animal Mummies and Possible Hatshepsut Statue. History.com. Another article about animal mummies unearthed during recent excavations at Abydos.

Feathers:

The Feather Atlas: Flight feathers of North American Birds  A website designed to assist in feather identification.

The Cornell Lab’s All About Feathers

Smithsonian Institution, Feather Identification Lab and How to Identify a Bird from a Single Feather

NativeTech: Feather Identification