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Any attempt to understand ancient Egypt’s Late Period – or any period in ancient Egyptian history for that matter – will fall short if the textual/historiographical evidence is not considered along with the art historical, and archaeological evidence. This volume is a collection of many Late Period sculptures, some are considered “masterpieces,” by one of the leading ancient Egyptian art historians of the time – Bernard Bothmer. The art historian argues in the introduction that far from being “degenerate” or “provincial,” Late Period sculpture was actually very skilled and refined and in many ways anticipated and influenced later Greek portraiture sculpture.

Any careful examination of a pre-modern culture or period should include a historiographical analysis. Understanding ancient historical texts can tell modern scholars a lot, not just about chronology, but more importantly, as Gozzoli argues, historiographical texts can give us a window into what these people were <i>thinking</i>. This book analyzes most of the important, published historiographical texts from ancient Egypt’s Late Period: the first part includes royal inscriptions, while the second part examines histories, folk tales, and eschatological texts.