Bücher veröffentlicht von British Museum Press

Tracing the final 30 years of Michelangelös career, this book examines how the great master used art and faith to explore the common human experience of ageing in a rapidly changing world. Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475¿1564) was one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance. He was not the isolated, tortured genius of artistic myth, but a man who maintained a close circle of friends and associates into old age. He developed collaborative working relationships with younger artists, thereby maintaining his fame and reputation even as he aged, relinquishing the hardest physical work to others. His late drawings offer a powerful insight into his psychology, reflecting his Catholic faith, his commanding intellectual engagement, and his hope for eternal life. Michelangelo reimagined the iconography of religious art to create hugely influential compositions of key moments in Christian faith, such as the Crucifixion, the Last Judgement and the Pietà (or Lamentation). He was involved in designing several significant sites in Rome at this time ¿ including his key architectural project, the immense challenge of rebuilding St Peter¿s, at the very heart of Christianity. His role as an architect is explored through beautiful drawings, highlighting his range as a designer. Alongside his major commissions he created deeply personal drawings ¿ revisiting earlier compositions to explore intensely moving Crucifixions that served as spiritual meditations on Christ¿s death and offered the hope of salvation for an elderly man facing the end of his own long life. Built on the firm foundations of the British Museum¿s extraordinary collection of drawings, his work is explored alongside his personal relationships to consider the transformation of Michelangelo into the towering figure of artistic genius known today.

Explores the ideals, symbolism and ideology of Egyptian kingship and uncovers the stories behind the objects and images left as a legacy by this ancient civilisation. The rulers of ancient Egypt were not always male, nor always Egyptian. At times, Egypt was divided by civil war, conquered by foreign powers or ruled by competing kings. While some kings were revered ¿ such as Thutmose III who expanded Egypt¿s empire to its largest extent ¿ the memory of others was officially erased. Many of the objects surviving from ancient Egypt project the image the pharaoh wanted us to see ¿ however this book explores the reality and the many challenges of ruling one of the greatest civilisations the world has ever seen. After an introduction into the historic and geographic timeframe of the ancient Pharaohs, the book explores royal iconography, decoding the insignia worn and held by the king, or the names and titles covering most royal monuments. The core of the book investigates the main roles of the king, as high priest, as the head of the royal family, as the administrative ruler of the country and as the leader of the army and diplomat. Following an investigation into the preparation for the king¿s eternal life, from the rituals to the building of a tomb, the book closes on a contemporary perspective from Egypt and how the notion of the Pharaoh still resonates today. The book covers 3,000 years of history ¿ highlighting research on key pieces from the British Museum¿s outstanding collection of Egyptian antiquities.

The scale and organisation of the Roman army was unprecedented in the ancient Western world. This book tells the story of everyday aspects of the army in the heyday of the Roman Empire ¿ from life in a tent to the food soldiers consumed ¿ and explains its hierarchy, roles, equipment and place in a vast multi-ethnic society divided between citizens and subjects. Through this social evolution, the army gradually transformed the state it was established to protect. Innovations in military training and technology, including medicine, allowed common Roman soldiers to be as well-equipped as their generals and to have realistic prospects of surviving the 25 years of military service. This book dispels preconceived notions about the Roman army ¿ for example, that forts were exclusively the domain of male soldiers ¿ and addresses the violence committed by soldiers towards women, conquered subjects and enslaved peoples. The risks of becoming a soldier are also explored, especially the consequences for convicted soldiers (decimation, crucifixion or becoming amphitheatre entertainment). Most importantly, readers will discover a vivid picture of what life was really like in the Roman army, including how soldiers signed up and were trained; what life was like in tents, forts, and on the battlefield; and soldiers¿ dress, diets, health and relationships.