In the summer of 1972, TV news featured huge crowds queuing patiently on the pavements outside the British Museum to see the Tutankhamun Exhibition. So great was the clamour to see the exhibition that it had to be extended from the planned six months to nine months to accommodate total visitors of almost 1.7 million. But the world's interest in Ancient Egypt long pre-dates the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. Egypt's hot, dry climate has preserved almost perfectly the evidence of an ancient civilisation: the pyramids, massive stone statues and tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Most Egyptologists agree that simple antiquity is a major part of Ancient Egypt's appeal: there is a mysterious nature to anything that is thousands of years old and mystery intrigues us all. This very accessible introduction to Ancient Egypt explores those mysteries, providing details of the ancient civilisation's temples, tombs, kings and culture. And as a handy reference work there are tables listing all the Dynasties of Ancient Egypt and all the Pharaohs of each Dynasty.
