Arachne

Name: Arachne
Rating: 2.5 (5 reviews)

by Georg Ebers Book 1 in the Ptolemaic and Hellenistic Egypt series.

First published 1898

Amazon Gutenberg EPUB

2.5(5)

Egypt in 274 BCE provides the setting for a story of artists, patrons and lovers under Ptolemy II Philadelphus. The sculptor Hermon’s ambitions and rivalries bring questions of artistic truth, reputation and desire into conflict, while court favour can alter the prospects of both artists and merchants.

The novel gives unusual prominence to the working world of ancient art: sculpture, commissions, workshops and the expectations placed on creators. Ebers sets that artistic drama within the wealth and cultural exchange of early Ptolemaic Egypt, where Greek and Egyptian traditions meet under royal patronage.