They also bear eloquent witness to how concern for the preservation and restoration of health influenced many aspects of Egyptian life and creative activity. In many ways these works actually bring us closer to their anonymous creators than do the recognized 'masterpieces' of Egyptian art.
Of the more than sixty objects beautifully illustrated in the catalogue, most are humble representatives of the everyday material culture of ancient Egypt. This volume, published in conjunction with the exhibition 'The Art of Medicine in Ancient Egypt,' held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, examines the expression of medical concerns in the art of ancient Egypt as well as the practice of ancient Egyptian medicine as an art form in its own right. Although these hazards certainly loomed large in the minds of most ancient Egyptians, the role they played in the creation of Egyptian art has been largely overlooked. Soldiers and men who worked in the stone quarries risked crippling injuries, and women often died in childbirth. The river Nile and the surrounding deserts teemed with dangerous animals such as crocodiles, scorpions, and snakes, and diseases carried by flies and parasites threatened blindness, disability, and death.
Life in ancient Egypt was advanced and sophisticated by the standards of the time, but it was also perilous.
