"A World Beneath the Sands," by Toby A. Wilkinson
In the middle of the last century my teenage self was Egypt-obsessed. I had a tattered paperback edition of "Gods, Graves and Scholars: The Story of Archaeology," which fascinated me, especially the parts about Egypt. I'm sure I read that book more than once, so enthralled was I by those stories of ancient civilizations, buried wonders and, of course, mummies.
So a few weeks ago my old-guy self was thrilled to discover Toby Wilkinson's fine history of Egyptian archaeology, which, besides being a splendid survey of real-life Egyptian civilization, provides answers to interesting archaeological questions such as: Why is the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum? How did Nefertiti end up in Berlin? And why is King Tutankhamen still in his Egyptian homeland?
The people engaged in the discoveries are a compelling study, an eclectic array of scholars, dilettantes, adventurers and more, some of whom were less than sincere in their motivations.
As might be expected, the specters of theft, greed, racism, colonialism, nationalism and the like all play a big part in this history. This is a fine book in every respect; it has lots of photos, plenty of notes and excellent recommendations for more reading. If you're looking for something beyond a magazine article or TV documentary, this is a satisfying deep dive into a world that continues to capture our imaginations.
L.K. Hanson, Minneapolis
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