The Egyptian Revival

Completely updated and much expanded, Professor Curl’s magisterial survey is now in its third edition. Beautifully illustrated and drawing on a wealth of sources, this pioneering work covers over two thousand years and analyzes the astonishing and persistent influence that the ancient Egyptian culture has had on the West. From the colossal temples of the Renaissance and neo-classical architecture, through to the Egyptian Rooms in Piccadilly and the prisons of New York, Curl argues that the civilization of Ancient Egypt was central, not peripheral, to much of western architecture, art, design and religion. He traces the persistence of Egyptian motifs through the Medieval, Baroque and Neo-Classical periods right up to the rise of Egyptology in the nineteenth and twentieth century Art Deco style and beyond. For students of classical studies, history, art history, architectural history and Western European culture, this will prove an absolutely inspiring and invaluable addition to their reading lists.

Author Biography

Professor Emeritus James Stevens Curl, has held Chairs in Architectural History at The Queen’s University of Belfast and The School of Architecture, De Montfort University, Leicester. His many book include The Oxford Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (2006), Classical Architecture (1992, 2002), and The Victorian Celebration of Death (2000, 2004).