"If all the portable artifacts of Ancient Egypt were kept in a single location, the lives of students, historians, and connoisseurs would be immeasurably simpler -- but the masterpieces are scattered in museums all over the world. This book identifies nearly 200 of the most important of these works, and describes them vividly and informatively in ways that reveal how each is a key object in its own right -- a creation that commemorates a great event, heralds the start of a new era or offers an unparalleled insight into daily life in Ancient Egypt. From a 5,000-year-old Predynasitc pottery bowl adorned with model hippopotamuses, to a miraculously preserved pair of sandals woven from grass, reeds, and papyrus, this is a compelling and beautifully illustrated overview of three millennia of civilization on the banks of the Nile."--Front cover flap.