Books published by publisher BRITISH MUSEUM PRESS

For some 3,000 years, the great civilization of the Nile Valley produced some of the finest works of art the world has ever known, whether exquisitely painted on tomb walls, carved in stone or wood, or cast in metal. Illustrated with over 250 remarkable objects from the British Museum and other collections in Egypt, the United States and Europe, this book traces the course of Egyptian art from its sudden initial flowering to its final resurgence during the rule of the Ptolemies. The author explains how the ancient artists developed a system that was perfectly adapted to expressing the Egyptians' world view, encapsulated in their religious and funerary beliefs. She explores the different functions of artistic products in temples, tombs and everyday life, and stresses the importance of understanding them within the context for which they were originally designed.

Scaled down for children to wear, this cut-out model is based on a helmet found in the grave of an Anglo-Saxon king who was buried at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk. The helmet was made from hammered iron sheeting in five main parts; a crested cap covered the skull, the face was masked, cheeks and ears were protected by hinged flaps tying under the chin, while the neck was protected behind by a deep and wide neck guard. As the helmet of a king it was richly decorated with designs of scroll, dragons and birds, all of which are represented on the cut-out model.