Ancient Architecture: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Crete, Greece (History of World Architecture) Review

Ancient Architecture: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Crete, Greece (History of World Architecture)
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A part of the series History of World Architecture originally published by Electa in Italian in 1971-7 under a general editorship of Pier Luigi Nervi, it was translated to English and published by Abrams in 1971-80 in b&w only, but at 10 x 11 1/4 inches. Subsequently, the series was reedited, shrunk to 8 5/7 x 9 1/2 inches, and published by Electa / Rizzoli in 1985-9 with a few color photos added including each front cover. In the early 2000's, the series was reissued by Phaidon unchanged except for the front cover photo. It is a pictorial "Ferrari" of history of architecture books. Almost every page contains one or - usually - more than one illustration as photo, plan, section, elevation, axonometric view, etc. of the highest quality. They depict the best examples of topical architecture covering the most significant ones. The text was written by one of the best experts in the field. While relatively concise, it is still comprehensive and complete enough even for students of architecture.
The Abrams' edition combines Ancient and Greek Architectures and contains 525 black & white illustrations, including 179 diagrams and reconstructions.
PUBLISHER'S SYNOPSIS:
*ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE*:
(24 color and 249 black & white illustrations in non-Abrams' editions.)
Seton Lloyd and Hans Wolfgang Muller describe the beginnings of architecture in the Ancient Near Middle East and Egypt, the brithplace of Western civilisation, where the newly born science of construction merged with an emerging aesthetic practice. This book examines sites and structures from neolithic temples in Anatolia to the royal tombs of Egypt. Each page combines reconstruction drawings of site plans, building perspectives, and decorative elements with photographs of archeological sites including aerial views and details. An extensive section is devoted to Egyptian architecture from its origins to the first century AC. Also included are the first dwellings on a circular plan, dating from the 8th millenium BC in Jordan, the famous site of Catal Hayuk, the ziggurat towers of the Neo-Assyrians and Neo -Babylonians, and the Achaemenids. The book examines the theological requirements, organization, and hierarchies in the architectural practices of the era.
*GREEK ARCHITECTURE*:
(24 color and 276 black and white illustrations in non-Abrams' editions.)
This volume presents an extraordinary collection of images and covers the whole range of Greek architecture, from a thorough analysis of Minoan Crete - which marked the beginning of the history of Western architecture - through Mycenae, to the magnificence of the Doric places of worship: from the temples of Corinth, Delphi and the Acropolis to those of Magna Graecia. The book covers the birth and evolution of the doric and ionic orders, religious architecture, and the temples and structures of Classical Greece. There is a substantial section on civic architecture, which closely reflects the formation and evolution of the political community, the most original aspect of ancient Greece. Important centres outside Greece are discussed, including Agrigento and Segesta in Sicily. The final section documents the Hellenic phase, with its unparalleled innovations and its influence on the greater Mediterranean.

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This book traces the earliest history of architecture at its birthplace in the ancient Middle East (primarily the current Iran and Iraq) and ancient Egypt, and covers archeological sites, temples, tombs, and early dwellings - several of which have been the subject of recent news coverage on sites and treasures threatened by the Iraq war and political instability. The History of World Architecture is one of Electa's most popular architecture series, with each book in the series providing a comprehensive overview of its subject by a world-renowned expert in the field, accompanied by 200-300 black-and-white photographs, plans, and drawings and 24 colour plates. First published in the 1970s and 1980s, the Italian editions of these books remain standard reference works in architecture history and continue to sell well due to the authority of their authors, their judicious combination of text and illustrations, and careful use of accurate yet accessible terms. The English editions, after being out of print for several years, are now available again exclusively through Phaidon. The books are ideal for college-level students of architecture history, and for anyone who seeks one basic and i--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Akhenaten: The Heretic King Review

Akhenaten: The Heretic King
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The author portrays Akhenaten more as an atheist than a monotheist. A striking portrait is an outline of this fascinating 'worshiper of the sun', who is also one of the best known pharaohs. A good overview is provided of the Akhenaten Temple Project. Some of the author's comments are amusing which makes the book more enjoyable especially through the 'dry' moments. The book contains a short glossary, suggested readings, and many black and white illustrations and drawings. It is recommended for the open-minded lay person.

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Describes the world of Akhenaten, a ruler of ancient Egypt who attempted to introduce monotheism through worship of thesun.

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The Egyptian Tarot deck Review

The Egyptian Tarot deck
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The other reviewer was right about this not being a deck for beginners, but for me, as a student of Egyptian Wiccan ways and an avid Egyptophile, this has been a very useful deck. I've never gotten clearer, more accurate readings than I do with this deck.

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Amazingly detailed and gracefully beautiful, Alasia's tempera-on-papyrus paintings meld the stunning style of ancient Egyptian art with the mysteries of the Tarot. To shape the interpretations, Alasia relied on the conceptions of Jean-Baptiste Pitois, who linked the Tarot tradition to the legendary Book of Thoth. Replete with ancient and exotic symbols, these cards speak to the soul. Inlcudes booklet.



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One of the first books I read when I began studying occultism was The History and Practice of Magic by Paul Christian. This was the Anglicized name of Jean Baptiste Pitois for a book first published in France in 1870, seven years before his death. The reason I liked it was because of the dramatic and imaginative writing style, part of which included a fascinating, fantastic, and almost phantasmagorical story of initiation in ancient Egypt that merged...read more.


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The Horus Killings Review

The Horus Killings
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In 1478 BC, Hatusu solidifies her position as Pharaoh-Queen by defeating her country's enemies and supporters of the Grand Vizier Rahimere. His successor is Senenmut, Hatusu's lover and first minister. Though the people, the army, and the government support her, she wants more, needing the High Priests to sanctify her rule. The priests refuse unless they find proof in their library that a woman once ruled the country in the past.

They launch an investigation to see if the scholars can prove that Hatusu's rule as Pharaoh-Queen has a precedent. However, someone murders two of the sleuths. The Chief Judge of Egypt, Amerotke goes to the Temple of Horus to ferret out the identity of a killer. He is almost killed too, which leads him to conclude a record exists but someone wants it to remain hidden.

The magic, lures, and glory of Ancient Egypt come vividly alive in the masterly storytelling skills of Paul Doherty. THE HORUS KILLINGS takes readers on an exotic journey into the heart of a Pharaoh's reign. Readers learn the mindset, customs, and daily intrigues of those who hold power. The who-done-it is cleverly designed so that the killer is in plain sight, but still difficult to detect amidst a large number of viable suspects. Though the enlightened Amerotke feels like an anachronism when compared to those surrounding him, he and the other characters appear genuine and provide the audience insight into the era. Ancient historical fiction/mystery readers, especially Egyptologists, will cherish this novel.

Harriet Klausner

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Theurgia or the Egyptian Mysteries Review

Theurgia or the Egyptian Mysteries
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This is the 1911 edition of Iamblichus' famous work, Theurgia or De Mysteriis Aegyptiorum ("Sacremental Rites or On the Mysteries of the Egyptians") translated from the Greek by Alexander Wilder, M.D. F.A.S.
There still is not published a competent edited Greek text and commentary which pays special attention to its manuscript transmission. A more recent translation into English, "Iamblichus: De Mysteriis" edited by Clarke, Dillon, Hershbell (Atlanta, 2003) should be compared. These three scholars do not have sufficient linguistic competence in Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Old-Middle Babylonian and Old Persian to edit this text competently.
Perchance a scholar will produce a competent scholarly edition, criticus apparatus, testimonia, fragmenta and textual transmission with its scholia for the Cambridge orange series.
Iamblicus Chalcidensis (c. 245--325 A.D.) was a brilliant Syrian Neoplatonist philosopher. His Syrian name was Syrio-Aramaic, ya-mlku ("He is King"). Some scholars of ancient and late ancient Greek philosophy hold Iamblichus to be next to Plotinus in philosophical importance. It should not be forgotten that this philosopher changed the course of Western thought, and brought into Christianity competing doctines of Egyptian, Babylonian and Persian religious systems. His importance cannot be under-estimated. Proclus and Pseudo-Dionysius, the Aereopagite are endebted to his immense learning.
What is important in this treatise is that you will learn how the Temple Learning of Egypt and Babylon were organized, and how their instruction even influenced Plato's highest philosophical Truths and Aristotle's more prosaic judgments. This is no mean achievement for the average student and Teacher in a modern university philosophy curriculum.
We forget in reading the rubbish of modern theosophical societies that these arcane religious notions of the Egyptians and Babylonians were predicated on immeasurably lucid concrete details. Much of the spiritual dryness and aridity of religious tracts in the last five centuries is due by an incompetence to master these very ancient tongues, and transmit truthfully to our post-modern age readers their belief systems and organizing priesthood activities in these Temple schools.
Until a proper text is produced, Dr. Alexander Wilder must suffice.
I should add that I am competently trained in the usual ancient classical languages: Classical Latin, Classical Greek, Classical Hebrew & Classical Sanskrit. Furthermore, I have lectured on Egyptian Hieroglyphics (18th Dynasty or Classical Egyptian Grammar & Language) and Babylonian Cuneiform at university level. Old & Middle Persian is a rare delicacy in my working intelligence.
I cannot stress enough in this Review that we must have philological competence in Babylonian cuneiform, Old & Middle Persian, Egyptian Hieroglyphics (18th Dynasty preferred), Classical Latin, Classical Greek (especially) and Classical Hebrew by an editor, if he is to do justice to this treatise! Why is this? Just a whiff of a few words in a collocation go directly back to very ancient monumental inscriptions [Egypt & Babylon & Persia], cuneiform tablets [Babylon & Persia] and the manuscript traditions of the West and North Africa.
For an example: See how our knowledge of Plato's 'real' wisdom of mathematics has as source mathematical Temple school instructions written on cuneiform around 2500 BCE; these survived as clusters of problems to be solved, each centered around a particular trade (surveying, merchantile coinage & weighing problems, architecture, etc.).
Until there is lucid insight imposed on the Babylonian & Persian (itself a fusion of Elamite, Babylonian & Median learning) Temple instruction of the scribes before their entry into the higher religious offices of their State Religion, the post-modern scholar-student/teacher will be baffled by nebulosity in the mind.
A good example of nebulosity in the mind is the notion of 'Not-Being' [Greek, meontic] containing the 'One' that gives rise to Being, Life & Intellect Proper. Observe how in our Hebew Genesis text it is the dark gloomy Deep that gives birth to the physical cosmos of knowable Creation.
Start learning these languages, so you can produce the definitive text of this ancient polymath learning!Respectfully,John E.D.P. Malin,
Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer
Informatica Corporation
Cecilia, Louisiana USA

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1911. Reply of Abammon, the Teacher to The Letter of Porphyry to Anebo together with Solutions of the Questions Therein Contained.

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Fun with Beads: Ancient Egypt Review

Fun with Beads: Ancient Egypt
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This is a good piece to start with if your interested learning about Ancient Egyptian bead and necklace making. The pieces are mock ups of the real thing and suffer from size distorsions, but other than that a nobel attempt to duplicate in its own way the items of Ancient Egypt. A small booklet that comes with it is packed full of information and the how-tos.

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Egyptisk Mobelkunst Fra Faraotiden/Egyptian Furniture Making in the Age of the Pharaohs Review

Egyptisk Mobelkunst Fra Faraotiden/Egyptian Furniture Making in the Age of the Pharaohs
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As a bibliophile, I was elated to receive this book as a present a couple of years ago. I have the hard cover edition and it is one of the finest books in my collection for both content and the actual book itself (binding, cover, quality of paper, typography, layout). I build reproductions of Egyptian furniture from the Pharaoic age and have found the illustrations and descriptions very helpful for my craft. I highly reccomend this fine book. ...B.

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