Arachne is a historical novel set in ancient Egypt depicting the fate of the Greek sculptor Hermon. Hermon takes young Egyptian Ledscha, daughter of a rich ship-owner, to be the model for his next sculpture. Young and restless Ledscha falls in love with the flourishing artist, so when Harmon eventually chooses another model, she makes a shattering decision in distress.

Georg Ebers (1837-1898) was a German Egyptologist and novelist. He is best known for his discovery of the Ebers Papyrus, one of the oldest medical documents in the world. Ebers early conceived the idea of popularizing Egyptian lore by means of historical romances. His first novel, An Egyptian Princess, obtained a great success. His subsequent works of the same kind were also well received, and did much to make the public familiar with the discoveries of Egyptologists. Ebers also turned his attention to other fields of historical fiction – especially the 16th century.