The haunting funerary paintings on wood coffins found in Roman Egypt still represent some of the most vivid images that come to us from the ancient world. Acting as a reference for scholars and general audiences, this title presents an authoritative presentation of the restored collection.

The haunting funerary paintings on wood coffins found in Roman Egypt still represent some of the most vivid images that come to us from the ancient world. These paintings were first discovered by Flinders Petrie, father of modern archaeology, in his excavations in the Egyptian Fayum during the 1880s and have rested at University College London for over 100 years. Now, the Petrie Museum is bringing this corpus of paintings to the public in a stunning catalog.

"The portraits themselves are truly fascinating, providing a rare glimpse of the appearance of ordinary people from the ancient world, but the story of their discovery and the work of conserving them and understanding how and why they were made is equally remarkable. This book, written by specialists and experts, will be an essential reference for both scholars and general readers alike." - Ancient Egypt, August/September 2008