The Book of the Pharaohs (Hardcover)

by Pascal Vernus (Author), Jean Yoyotte (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This compact reference work attempts to answer the questions "What if we tore off King Tut's gold mask? What lies behind the formalism, the hierarchism, and the majesty of the pharaonic monuments?" In response, Vernus, director of studies at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, and Yoyotte, chair of Egyptology at the College de France, present brief biographical sketches of each of the pharaohs, with highlights of their lives and reigns, such as military achievements and monuments built. There are also entries for historically relevant peoples and places, such as the Hittites, whose empire competed with that of the pharaohs, and the city of Memphis, strategically located at the juncture of Upper and Lower Egypt. Maps and a chronology of ancient Egyptian history are useful additions, but illustrations, which could have further enlivened this resource, are few and far between.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"Vernus... presents biographical sketches of each of the pharaohs... Maps and a chronology of ancient history are useful editions. . ." -- Publishers Weekly, June 15, 2003

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Cornell University Press (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801440505
• ISBN-13: 978-0801440502
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,395,420 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Examples of corruption in Ancient Egypt, April 30, 2009

By	Miron Ciho (Bucharest, Romania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Affairs and Scandals in Ancient Egypt (Hardcover)

In Egypt, after the dead of Ramsses II began a period of slowly, but continuous political and economical decay. P. Vernus, one of the best trained philologists of the present day Egyptology, in his book try to offer answers relating above all to the troubled ages between the reigns of Ramsses III and XI. Notwithstanding in time of Ramsses III we can speak about an active foreign policy, with positive results in the battlefield against the "Sea people", and about an apparent economical growing, however appears the first signs of a profound economic crisis. The workmen from Deir el-Medina began a strike in the 19th year of the sovereign , action due to the nonpayment of the daily rations needed by the workers. From this moment onwards, documents reports constantly on tomb robberies and pillage from temples in the area of the west bank of Thebes. Worth of note is Paneb's story. He acted much before the reign of Ramsses III. The reader will get acquaintance with this chief-workman from Deir el-Medina, a "certified expert in bribery", brutality, and even theft from royal tombs. For his "crimes" he was convicted, but he is attested again in the year 5 of Ramsses III, however according to the new investigations, Paneb was not rehabilitated! Vernus describe and analyze other scandals, this time in the southern Egypt, from the temple of Khnum at Elephantine, events happened between the reigns of Ramsses IV and V. The persons involved was priests. There were and in the future will be much debating around the question of the so-called "Harem Conspiracy". I consider that P. Vernus is perfectly right when he asserts:" the sources at our disposal yield no irrefutable indication regarding the outcome of the conspiracy". In the last chapter of the book, the author treated the "crisis of values" of the Ramesside Period, culminating with the advent of the theocracy of the Theban priests. The book contains also a short useful list of Egyptian terms for bribe, pertinent notes, and helpful indexes. All over of his work, Professor P. Vernus present accurate translations needed for the understanding of the events narrated by the ancient Egyptian documents. Well-translated by the Egyptologist D. Lorton, this book is an attractive, scientifically basic lecture for everyone inquire about Ramesside Egypt.