Nefertari, the favorite queen of Rameses II, was buried about 3200 years ago in the most exquisitely decorated tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Queens.

Discovered in 1904, the tomb had deteriorated to a disastrous extent when emergency consolidation began in 1986. The six-year conservation project was completed in 1992 and in November 1995 the tomb was reopened to visitors.

In this fascinating exploration of the tomb, McDonald takes the reader through each chamber, describing the hieroglyphic messages depicted in the brilliant wall paintings, and discussing the images within the context of the Egyptian belief system.

The study also offers insights into the life of Nefertari, the development and symbolism of royal tombs, construction and decoration of the tombs, and the Getty Conservation Institute's role in restoring and stabilizing the wall paintings.

This premier volume in the Culture and Conservation series is punctuated with historic black-and-white and more recent color photographs that illustrate the vibrant beauty of the wall paintings and the extent of their restoration.

Visitors to the tomb and the armchair traveler will find this an excellent resource for understanding Nefertari's journey to the afterlife.

Visit House of Eternity: The Tomb of Nefertari Download Page

You can download House of Eternity: The Tomb of Nefertari in PDF format.

Paperback: 120 pages
Author: John McDonald
Publisher: Getty Publications (November 28, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0892364157
ISBN-13: 978-0892364152

FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In 1904, the tomb of Nefertari, great wife of Rameses II, was discovered in the Valley of the Queens at Thebes. It is widely considered one of the most beautiful Egyptian tombs, in large part because of its complex and finely crafted program of wall paintings.

Between 1986 and 1992, the Egyptian Antiquities Organization and the Getty Conservation Institute worked together to halt the destruction that occurred since the tomb's opening. Now, in House of Eternity: The Tomb of Nefertari, Egyptologist John K. McDonald describes the tomb's construction and offers a chamber-by-chamber guide to its iconography.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John McDonald is an Egyptologist and art historian and former associate director of the Yale University Art Gallery.

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