Review

General Books

Gods of Ancient Egypt, by Barbara Watterson. London: Sutton, 1996 [1984]. 227 pages. $22.95, paper.

Both of these works are excellent introductions to the religious life of the ancient Egyptians, albeit in different ways. Neither is intended to be more than a quick reference for any established student of ancient Egypt. The first, written by an eminent German scholar and translated into English by David Lorton, summarizes the contents of a range of texts dealing with the cyclical activities of several important deities and, as the title denotes, Egyptian views of life after death. An emphasis upon the notion of summary here is important, for translations of the texts are not provided. It should also be noted that the better-known texts are given less consideration than those less familiar, as the author openly acknowledges (p. xviii). Nevertheless, this book will be a valuable asset for any course that devotes a considerable amount of attention to Egyptian views of the afterlife and the role of the gods in that realm. Hornung's effort is lucid and learned. It is also systematic, for each of the texts examined is put into a historical and scholarly context in an identical way (with but a couple of exceptions). Hornung begins his discussion of each text with a section devoted to the sources for the text, including a description of where it was found and how it was laid out. He then proceeds to present a history of pertinent research on the text in question, to comment on its structure and language, and to summarize its content. Black and while photographs and artistic representations of many hieroglyphs accompany the texts. Also included is a list of English translations of the texts (where these exist), making it easy in most cases to get access to full versions of the originals. Further, a brief chronology of Egyptian history, a map of ancient Egypt, a glossary, and a bibliography (including a list of manuscript editions) are included. Hornung's organization is generally chronological, from the oldest to the most recent texts. The texts included are: The Pyramid Texts, The Coffin Texts, The Book of the Dead, The Amduat, The Spell of the Twelve Caves, The Book of Gates, The Enigmatic Book of the Netherworld, The Book of Caverns, The Book of the Earth, The Book of Nut, The Book of the Day, The Book of the Night, The Litany of Re, The Book of the Heavenly Cow, and The Book of Traversing Eternity. Pulling these texts together into one volume does not allow one to trace the evolution of Egyptian attitudes about the afterlife per se – too many lacunae and historical variables exist to imagine that these texts alone define what an entire population or even its elite believed about the afterlife over more than 3000 years – but Hornung's efforts allow one to appreciate the significant differences in belief that developed over time.	1
Watterson's book is divided into three main parts including a general introduction to the land of Egypt and its influence on religion, a review of the major gods of Egypt, and a brief review of personal piety and popular religion. Other elements included are a more extensive chronological table than is to be found in Hornung, a primer of place names and cult centers, an informative map among its many beautiful full-color illustrations and photographs, a glossary, and a brief bibliography. Watterson's main contribution comes in her review of gods where she provides a mythological context for her subjects, while not neglecting to review what is known about the location of their main temples, festivals, priesthoods and rituals. This part of the work is broken down god by god, not alphabetically, but by the mythological age and importance of the god, generally oldest to youngest. The gods with their own headings are: Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Re Khepri, Osiris, Isis, Horus, Seth, Nephtys, Hathor, Wadjet, Nekhbet, Amun, Mut, Khonsu, Aten, Ptah, Sokar, Sekhmet, Anubis, Neit, Thoth, Khnum, Min, Montu, and Bastet. These are the deities with their own entries, but it should be noted that Watterson discusses many others in the context of her main entries, so the reader will have to make use of the index to see if and where a deity not listed above might be considered.	2
Hornung's and Watterson's compilations may overlap a bit, but they are intended to be very different books: one focusing essentially on the next life, the other on this one. Both are useful in their own way, but even considering their differences (and leaving relative costs out of the equation), Watterson's effort will be more appreciated by most students for the simple reason that it is a prettier book. Although Hornung's work is well illustrated, there is a general drabness to the illustrations provided, being included (one supposes) more for edification than for marketing. Watterson's book, on the other hand, comes alive in the reader's lap. I am not here suggesting that there is anything gratuitous about the illustrations included, but merely noting that they have been included for both edification and marketing. Although this may appear a silly point to make when planning a syllabus, I have come to appreciate the difference between a good scholarly publication and one that students will actually read and take pleasure in exploiting.	3
Santa Clara University   William Greenwalt

Content in the History Cooperative database is intended for personal, noncommercial use only. You may not reproduce, publish, distribute, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale of, modify, create derivative works from, display, or in any way exploit the History Cooperative database in whole or in part without the written permission of the copyright holder.