Wonderful Things: A History of Egyptology 2: The Golden Age: 1881–1914

"A well written, informed, and at times exciting account" (Choice) of the field of Egyptology, part two of Thompson's bestselling monumental history, new in paperback The discovery of ancient Egypt and the development of Egyptology are momentous events in intellectual and cultural history. The history of Egyptology is the story of the people, famous and obscure, who constructed the picture of ancient Egypt that we have today, recovered the Egyptian past while inventing it anew, and made a lost civilization comprehensible to generations of enchanted readers and viewers thousands of years later. This, the second of a three-volume survey of the history of Egyptology, explores the years 1881-1914, a period marked by the institutionalization of Egyptology amid an ever increasing pace of discovery and the opening of vast new vistas into the Egyptian past. Wonderful Things affirms that the history of ancient Egypt has proved continually fascinating, but it also demonstrates that the history of Egyptology is no less so. Only by understanding how Egyptology has developed can we truly understand ancient Egypt.

Table of Contents:
Chronological Outline of Ancient Egyptian History ix Maps x Preface xiii 1. The Golden Age 1 2. Akhenaten Lives! 25 3. The Seven Hathors 49 4. New Horizons 65 5. Greco-Roman Egypt 83 6. Loret’s Interlude 101 7. The Return of Maspero 111 8. New Players in the Game 131 9. The Berlin School and Its Rivals 151 10. Egyptology Comes to America 193 11. The United States Enters the Field 227 12. Attention Turns South 257 13. The Twilight of the Golden Age 281 Notes 293 Bibliography 325 Index 355

About the Author :
Jason Thompson is the editor of Edward William Lane’s Description of Egypt (AUC Press, 2000) and An Account of the Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians (AUC Press, 2003), and the author of Sir Gardiner Wilkinson and His Circle, A History of Egypt: From Earliest Times to the Present (AUC Press, 2008), and Edward William Lane, 1801–1876 (AUC Press, 2010).

Review :
"Thompson offers a well written, informed, and at times exciting account of the exceptional accomplishments of the individuals and institutions that pioneered the field of Egyptology. Jaromir Malek's informed foreword offers a critical context for unfolding the Egyptological undertaking."—Choice "Wonderful Things is a remarkable achievement: a scholarly work packed with facts but one which is also genuinely readable. It is ambitious in its scope and detail. To follow the growth of an arcane but also a highly romantic branch of learning becomes in Thompson's book something close to an adventure. The author successfully conveys his infectious enthusiasm for the subject but writes with a degree of detachment that allows him to be refreshingly and occasionally almost ruthlessly trenchant and critical."— Jaromir Malek, from the foreword "An incisive anatomy of a discipline that challenges our all too familiar assumptions about how Egyptology came to be."— Stephanie Moser "[A] monumental achievement"—Donald M. Reid, Journal of the American Oriental Society "The definitive reference tool for anyone interested in the development of this academic discipline. "— Morris Bierbrier "Jason Thompson has written what is by far the best history of Egyptology yet. Filled with fascinating facts and characters, Thompson's book is comprehensive and eminently readable and certain to become the standard history of the field for many years to come."— Kent Weeks "At last a definitive history, which does justice not only to the major players but to lesser lights as well…immensely valuable."— Brian Fagan, author of The Rape of the Nile "Remarkably thorough and yet refreshingly readable, this action-packed history of Egyptology is driven by some extraordinary characters—mostly men but some notable women—who needed to learn everything they could about the culture, land, and language of ancient Egypt. As much a study of European colonialism in Egypt as a historiography of seventeenth- to nineteenth-century scholarship, this volume is an absolute necessity for anybody with an interest in pharaonic Egypt."— Kara Cooney "Wonderful Things is not only a definitive study of the early history of Egyptology, but an entrancing read. . . He wears his scholarship lightly, which makes this beautifully crafted book a joy for the general reader."— Current World Archaeology "By any standards, this book is a remarkable achievement."— Antiquity "It's not often that I find a book in which I can confidently state that I found something interesting on nearly every page. And as one who likes to consider himself an historian of archaeology, I learned much. Anyone with a serious interest in Egyptology surely will benefit from reading Wonderful Things.” — Donald P. Ryan, KMT "A book that the Egyptological world and, surely, the world at large was waiting for for a long time. It fills a gap that was getting bigger as time passed by."— André J. Veldmeijer, PalArch "A comprehensive and thoroughly-researched work, in which a huge quantity of data has been synthesized and expounded. . . . The book is a mine of information and succeeds in being both authoritative and highly readable."— John H. Taylor, ASTENE Bulletin "Wonderful Things deserves to become the essential resource for decades to come."— Rosalind Janssen, Egyptian Archaeology "While Wonderful Things would be an entertaining and informative read for any interested person, it should be considered essential reading for every Egyptologist and aspiring Egyptologist."— Melinda Nelson-Hurst, JARCE "An essential and very worthy addition to the shelves of every Egyptologist, professional or dedicated amateur."— Peter A. Clayton, Ancient Egypt