The Animals of Ancient Egypt: Then and Now

by Richard Hoath, Salima Ikram

Overview

A beautifully illustrated full-color guide to more than 60 wildlife species recorded in modern Egypt and also portrayed in ancient Egypt, by two leading experts in their fields

Illustrated with contemporary photographs and tomb carvings or paintings, this fascinating book provides a simultaneous guide to some 60 species of mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, and invertebrate recorded in modern Egypt and also portrayed in tombs and temples or as mummies and gods in ancient Egypt—or even earlier in the case of the cave art from the Gilf el-Kebir.

· Each species is described in terms of its current characteristics (size, habits and habitats, and range in modern Egypt) and the animal’s relevance and religious and practical significance in ancient Egypt

· Provides information about where the animal portrayed may be viewed in Egypt’s tombs and temples

· Relevant gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt are listed and described

· The introduction covers biogeography, ancient Egypt and its wildlife, modern developments, a chronology of ancient Egypt, and a glossary

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781649033505
Publisher:	American University in Cairo Press, The
Publication date:	03/03/2026
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Richard Hoath is a leading naturalist based in Egypt, having traveled extensively throughout the Middle East. He is the author and illustrator of The Birds of Egypt and the Middle East (2021), A Field Guide to the Mammals of Egypt (pbk edition, 2009), and many other books and articles on the wildlife of the region. He is a founder member and serves on the Egyptian Ornithological Rarities Committee, is a long-time member of the Ornithological Society of the Middle East (OSME), and is currently on the faculty of the American Universityin Cairo.

Salima Ikram is distinguished university professor of Egyptology at the American Universityin Cairo. She has directed the Animal Mummy Project and the North Kharga Darb Ain Amur Survey, among other truly exciting projects and excavations, throughout Egypt and in Turkey, Sudan, and Greece. She has worked in museums around the world, including the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. She has published extensively, for both scholarly and general audiences, including Death and Burial in Ancient Egypt (AUC Press, 2015) and Divine Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt (AUC Press, pbk edition, 2015).

Table of Contents

General Introduction
Biogeography of Egypt
Human Development
Ancient Egypt and Its Wildlife
Modern Developments Affecting Wildlife
Egypt's Bird Migrations
Chronology of Ancient Egypt
Using This Book
Glossary

Modern & Ancient Species Descriptions

Further Reading
Acknowledgements
Index