Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)One of the more interesting and important exhibitions from the Metropolitan Museum is richly illustrated in this catalogue from THE ART OF MEDICINE IN ANCIENT EGYPT. The exhibition was organized to highlight many of the artifacts owned by the museum, works that show the very close relationship between the practice of medicine and the need for artifacts to represent science.
The Egyptian obsession with death and the afterlife is well known: the secrets of preservation of bodies as mummies and the intricate, complex manner in which the tombs were created and decorated have long mesmerized us. But in this fine catalogue it is demonstrated how the 'art of medicine' as we use the term (meaning the sensitive manner in which healing and succor are delivered) is not the only manner in which the Egyptians employed the concept. Ritual and art objects were an important part of the delivery of healing, preservation and restoration of health. Included in the catalogue are some sixty images of art: pomegranate jars, a statue of Yumy, a bowl with human feet, Isis nursing horus, a portrait of a mummy, the Metternich Stela, and the sole borrowed piece for the exhibition - the Edwin Smith Papyrus (with translation) which is one of the oldest documents of ancient medical arts.
The contributing essays are well written, easily digestible, and serve to enhance the appreciation of the art illustrated. They emphasize the Egyptian preoccupation with understanding the world of this life as well as the afterlife. The medicine aspects of the exhibition contain both scientific and magical solutions to healing and repairing. This book is one that should appeal to those fascinated by Egypt, by the history of medicine, and by the ritualistic art that accompanies the cultures of the universe in both past and present times. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, April 06
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Art of Medicine in Ancient Egypt (Metropolitan Museum of Art Series)
Get 10% OFF
0 comments:
Post a Comment