Pharaoh's flowers: the botanical treasures of Tutankhamun - Softcover

F Nigel Hepper

9780112500407: Pharaoh's flowers: the botanical treasures of Tutankhamun

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0112500404 ISBN 13: 9780112500407

Publisher: Stationery Office Books, 1990

The golden face of Tutankhamun was garlanded with fresh flowers, exquisitely preserved in his innermost coffin after 3000 years. In the tomb were 116 baskets, most containing offerings of seeds and food, left there for use in the afterlife. Wine jars and beautiful alabaster perfume vases contained products fit for a king; thrones and stools were made of ebony and cedar of Lebanon, while model ships were equipped with linen sails. A delightful model of a granary was found full to the brim with seeds - emmer wheat, fenugreek and chick-pea - and brooms of reed and grass used to tidy up after the burial remain intact. All these botanical treasures can help us to unravel the civilization of Ancient Egypt. The author describes the items found in Tutankhamun's tomb - such as willow, papyrus, mandrake, waterlilies, oils and resins, and many more - as well as their use in botanical designs. Fully illustrated, each chapter carries detailed descriptions of the plant species found or represented in the tomb, including aspects of their history and cultivation.

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