Publisher's Synopsis
According to Karol Mysliwiec in this fascinating book, daily life in ancient Egypt was saturated with eroticism and much influenced by cult and magic. Ancient Egyptian religion, with its variety of gods all living, feeling and reacting like mortals, provides valuable insight into the human lifestyles of the day. Eros on the Nile looks at the erotic concepts and practices of the ancient Egyptians as recorded in art and literature, examining the cult of the king and his relationship with the gods as reflected in a legend depicting the royal child as the fruit of a relationship between a god and an earthly women. The book discusses in detail the special religious and political role of royal women, which found expression in the institution of the 'god's wife', and describes and illustrates sexual episodes depicted in the Turin Papyrus, a unique document dating from the time of the New Kingdom. Contrasting with the somewhat brutal naturalism of these scenes is the subtle sensuality of Ancient Egyptian love poetry, excerpts from which are quoted in the book. This book, illustrated with over 100 photographs including 19 in colour, includes some recent archaeological discoveries by the aut
