The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt. Richard H. Wilkinson. Thames & Hudson, 2000. Hardcover ISBN 0-500-05100-3. 256 pages.

reviewed by Denise Thomas for Cup of Wonder, Issue No. Four

Photos! Drawings! Diagrams! Pages packed with information! All this and more!

Yes, I love this book, despite its inevitable shortcomings. A moderately priced volume, it suffers from the fact it must reduce the size of some illustrations so much my old eyes need some magnification, and of course it cannot cover absolutely every known temple. The beginning sections are quite packed with information; it is only when we get to the final section, the overview of temples, that we find the limits of 'complete'. There's no earthly way, in a single volume, to even briefly discuss every temple, large and small known to date. But the selection is vast, nonetheless.

The book is divided into large, logical, and chronological sections: Houses of Eternity; Development, Glory and Decline; Buildings Fit for Gods: Construction, Growth and Change; World Within Worlds: The Parts of the Temple and their Meaning; Between Heaven and Earth: The Religious Functions of the Temple; and finally, Temples of Gods and Kings: A Journey up the Nile. Each section is composed of chapters varying from two to eight or more pages, composed of text, photos, illustrations, sidebars, and the like.

I find the symbolism, the artwork, and the explanations of the day-to-day temple routine most valuable, but appreciate being able to reference the construction methods, rites, and the changes in style over the long history of ancient Egypt.

There is a multi-page Further Reading section, with texts suggested for each section and chapter, and a full index.

A most worthy addition to any library!

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