REVIEW BY SG
Being able to identify the kings by name can unlock the mysteries of monumental inscriptions and scenes. Thus a handy reference to help the beginner identify kings by their cartouches would be really useful. There are such books already – and a growing number of apps for mobile phones – but none are completely comprehensive, and they often miss out the most complicated names from the Graeco-Roman Period.
This new guide by John R Sharp almost suceeds, and it refers to previous work by Quirke, Clayton, Tyldesley, Johnson & Petty, von Beckerath, and Gardiner throughout. The author provides an easy-to-read, humorous survey, and takes pleasure in these perfectly proportioned, highly detailed miniature works of art.
Sharp’s guidebook covers the entire pharaonic period, from the earliest use of cartouches (by Sneferu of the Fourth Dynasty) to the Roman emperors – more than 120 cartouches identified – although this is still not a completely comprehensive list. For example, he explains that, as the rulers of the Seventh to Tenth Dynasties are not well attested, ‘the Field Guide will ignore them’, although he does include a few of the better known kings from the Thirteenth Dynasty.
The Pilgrimage of Hadrian’s Wall 2009