The art of ancient Egypt that has been handed down to us bears no names of its creators, and yet we value the creations of these unknown masters no less than the works of later centuries, such as statues by Michelangelo or the paintings by Leonardo da Vinci. This book introduces some of the most important masterpieces, ranging from the Old Kingdom during the Third millennium BC to the Roman Period.The works encompass sculptures, reliefs, sarcophagi, murals, masks, and decorative items, most of them now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, but some occupying places of honor as part of the World Cultural Heritage in museums such as the Louvre in Paris, the British Museum in London, the Egyptian Museum in Berlin, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York.Featured works include: Seated statue of King DjoserWood relief of Hesire on a dining tableStatue of a scribe made of various materialsFunerary relief of AschaitSphinx of Sesostris IIIRobed statue of CherihotepReliefs from the Temple at CarnacSarcophagus of Queen HatshepsutMurals from ThebesSeated figure of the goddess SachmetStatue of Queen TejeHead of Akhenaten (Amenophis IV)Queen NefertitiGolden mask of TutankhamunRamses II from Abu SimbelHorus falcon made of graniteStone relief from the temple ambulatory at EdfuAbout the seriesBorn back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art History series features: approximately 100 color illustrations with explanatory captionsa detailed, illustrated introductiona selection of the most important works of the epoch, each presented on a two-page spread with a full-page image and accompanying interpretation, as well as a portrait and brief biography of the artist