The marriage of Rameses II and Nefertari is often presented as one of the ancient world's great romances. Although, in fact, it is almost impossible to separate fact from propaganda, when you look at the tomb Rameses gave to his Great Wife it is hard not to believe the popular story. Nefertari's tomb is an absolute gem, a masterwork of ancient Egyptian art. Sadly it is also in great danger and parts of it are already lost for ever. Since before its discovery in 1904 the tomb is been decaying; salt crystals drawn out of the rock, perhaps by water in the original plaster, have been slowly growing and forcing the plaster away. Between 1986 and 1992 and Egyptian Antiquities Organization and the Getty Conservation Institute made a major effort to conserve the tomb and preserve it for the future. This beautiful book comes from that work. Stunningly illustrated it places the tomb in it's historical context and takes the reader on a journey into the tomb. The text is well written, extremely informative and never dry. Through clever use of sidebars the tomb's complex images are explained without becoming over burdened with technical terms and much of the translated inscriptions are included. My only criticism is that the chapter dealing with the burial chamber is a bit too short, rather as if the tour guide were hurrying up the party to make way for the next group!
Thames and Hudson, 116 pages