According to Egyptian mythology, when the ancient Egyptian sun god Re cried, his tears turned into honey bees upon touching the ground. For this reason, the honey bee was sacrosanct in ancient Egyptian culture. From the art depicting bees on temple walls to the usage of beeswax as a healing ointment, the honey bee was a pervasive cultural motif in ancient Egypt because of its connection to the sun god Re.
Gene Kritsky delivers the first book to examine the relationship between the honey bee and ancient Egyptian culture, through the lenses of linguistics, archeology, religion, health, and economics. Kritsky delves into ancient Egypt's multifaceted society, and traces the importance of the honey bee in everything from death rituals to trade. In doing so, Kritsky brings new evidence to light of how advanced and fascinating the ancient Egyptians were.This richly illustrated work appeals to a broad range of interests. For archeology lovers, Kritsky delves into the archeological evidence of Egyptian beekeeping and discusses newly discovered tombs, as well as evidence of manmade hives. Linguists will be fascinated by Kritsky's discussion of the first documented written evidence of the honeybee hieroglyph. And anyone interested in ancient Egypt or ancient cultures in general will be intrigued by Kritsky's treatment of the first documented beekeepers.
This book provides a unique social commentary of a community so far removed from modern humans chronologically speaking, and yet so fascinating because of the stunning advances their society made. Beekeeping is the latest evidence of how ahead of their times the Egyptians were, and the ensuing narrative is as captivating as every other aspect of ancient Egyptian culture.
By:
Gene Kritsky
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 157mm,
Width: 239mm,
Spine: 15mm
Weight: 412g
ISBN: 9780199361380
ISBN 10: 019936138X
Pages: 176
Publication Date: 05 November 2015
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
1. Beekeeping Begins ; 2. The Delight of Re: Beekeeping During the Old Kingdom ; 3. Instability and Reunification: Beekeeping During the Middle Kingdom ; 4. The Age of Empire: Beekeeping During the New Kingdom ; 5. The Saite Period ; 6. The Greco-Roman Period ; 7. The Honey Bee Hieroglyph ; 8. The Administration and Economics of Egyptian Beekeeping ; 9. Bees and Food ; 10. Honey and Healing ; 11. Bees, Gods, and Feasts ; 12. The Magic of Beeswax ; 13. The Afterlife of Ancient Egyptian Beekeeping
Gene Kritsky holds a PhD in Entomology and specialized in the history of biology. He was a Fulbright Scholar to Egypt in 1981-2, where he began his research in Egyptology. He has published several papers on Egyptian beekeeping, mythology, Egyptological history, and archaeology. Kritsky is now the Chair of Biology at Mount St. Joseph University.
Reviews for The Tears of Re: Beekeeping in Ancient Egypt
Kritsky marshals [the material for this book] with a simple, supple prose ... Readable in a few hours, the book is the sort of unexpected delight one hopes to find in an old hotel, and it deserves to do well. Lets hope the, er, buzz spreads (sorry). Richard Benson, The Independent
