‘Brilliant! A remarkable work of detailed and painstaking research, integrative thinking, and original insight. The Temples’ reinterpretation of some of Egypt’s abiding mysteries is more than thought-provoking: it is inspiring.’ - Dr. Rupert Sheldrake
‘I was swept straight into this marvellous book. It’s brilliant, original, occasionally delightfully malicious, and it showed me just how little I really knew about the Sphinx.’ - Colin Wilson
'The true mysteries of the Sphinx, both hidden and forgotten, are brilliantly exposed in this compelling book by Robert and Olivia Temple. They have uncovered hard data revealing the manipulation and misinterpretation that dominate this area of Egyptology. Their use of solid evidence, textual and photographic, make their case unarguable .' - Michael Baigent
PROFESSOR ROBERT TEMPLE is author of a dozen challenging and provocative books, commencing with the international best-seller, The Sirius Mystery. His books have been translated into a total of 44 foreign languages. He combines solid academic scholarship with an ability to communicate with the mass public.
He is Visiting Professor of the History and Philosophy of Science at
Tsinghua University in Beijing, and previously held a similar position at an
American university. For many years he was a science writer for the Sunday Times,
the Guardian, and a science reporter for Time-Life, as well as a frequent reviewer
for Nature and profile writer for The New Scientist. He is a Fellow of the Royal
Astronomical Society, and has been a member of the Egypt Exploration Society
since the 1970s, as well as a member of numerous other academic societies. He has
produced, written and presented a documentary for Channel Four and National
Geographic Channels on his archaeological discoveries in Greece and Italy, and he
was at one time an arts reviewer on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Kaleidoscope’. In 1993, his
translation of the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh was performed at the Royal
National Theatre in London. With his wife, Olivia, he is co-author and translator of
the first complete English version of Aesop’s Fables, which attracted a great deal of
international press attention at the time of its release, as the earlier translations had
suppressed some of the fables because of Victorian prudery.
Temple was a
colleague of the late Dr. Joseph Needham of Cambridge, in association with whom
he wrote The Genius of China, which has been approved as an official reference
book (in Chinese) for the Chinese secondary school system, and which won five
national awards in the USA. He has done archaeometric dating work and intensive
exploration of closed sites in Egypt with the permission of the Egyptian Supreme
Council of Antiquities. His research into historical accounts of the Sphinx is the
first comprehensive survey ever undertaken.
with Olivia Temple, Inner Traditions, Rochester, 2009.
Revealing that the Sphinx was originally a monumental Anubis, the Egyptian jackal god, and that its face is that of a Middle Kingdom Pharaoh, Amenemhet II, which was a later re-carving. In addition, photographic evidence of ancient sluice gate traces to demonstrate that, during the Old Kingdom, the Sphinx as Anubis sat surrounded by a moat filled with water--called Jackal Lake in the ancient Pyramid Texts--where religious ceremonies were held. Robert Temple provides evidence that the exact size and position of the Sphinx were geometrically determined in relation to the pyramids of Cheops and Chephren and that it was part of a pharaonic resurrection cult.
For more information on The Sphinx Mystery visit the dedicated site at www.sphinxmystery.info
The Genius of China
Andre Deutsch, February 2007.
The new revised and expanded edition of The Genius of China. The book has much additional information and 50 new photographs.
Oracles of the Dead
Destiny Books, 2005.
The book examines ancient methods of foretelling the future and discovering the physical location of the Greek Underworld (Hades), and explores the mysteries associated with Delphi and other oracles of the ancient world. Drawing evidence from a range of sources within orthodox scholarship, physics and biology, Robert Temple shows how the latest developments in science may validate the system of the I Ching. The book also includes a theory of change based upon recent scientific work in a variety of fields.
The Crystal Sun
Century Books, London, 2000.
A German edition is also now available (Die Kristall Sonne). This is a survey of ancient optical and light technology. RT reports on his examination of more than 450 ancient lenses in museums around the world, and explains the accompanying mythological and religious lore and many unusual ancient scientific insights and capabilities. The winter solstice sunrise shadow cast upon the Great Pyramid at Giza is one of the many original discoveries presented in this book. The book has an Introduction by Sir Arthur C. Clarke.
Aesop. The Complete Fables
With Olivia Temple, Penguin Books, London, 1998.
This is the first translation into English of the complete 358 fables of the edition of Professor Émile Chambry, over 100 of which had never been translated before. The fables in this translation have been performed by the Classic Stage Company in New York.
The Sirius Mystery
Originally published by Sidgwick & Jackson, London, and St. Martins Press, New York, 1976. Translated into nearly two dozen languages. Revised edition (expanded by a further 50%) published by Century Books, London, 1998. Click below to see the bestseller list from the Saturday Telegraph, 24th January 1998. The Sirius mystery featured at number 10: Bestseller list (PDF, 0.3MB)
American edition published by Inner Traditions International. Featured favourably in a BBC Television Horizon documentary in 1977 (shown in America as a Nova progam). Reviewed favourably in Nature. Estonian, Bulgarian, and Turkish editions have also been printed.
The Illustrated Golden Bough
by Sir James Frazer, Batsford, London, 1996.
I was originally commissioned to write an introduction for this book but to my dissatisfaction my work was changed without my consent and the book was still published. To read more about this, and to see my introduction as it was oringinally intended, please click here.
Personal
For the few people who have made it down to the bottom of the page and may be interested in things of a more personal nature here is a collection writtings, photographs and memories under the folowing headings:
