The Encyclopedia of the Egyptian Pharaohs, Volume I: Predynastic to the Twentieth Dynasty (3300-1069 BC) [Hardcover]

Darrell D. Baker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 30, 2009

A comprehensive guide to the known rulers of ancient Egypt from 3300-1069 B.C. Includes an alphabetized list of all known pharaohs through the Twentieth Dynasty. Each entry includes: a brief biography of the reign; tomb location and number (if known); location of known mummies; chief consorts (if known); hieroglyphs and transliterations of each form of the pharaoh's name; pertinent biographical references. In addition, encyclopedia contains a glossary of commonly-used terms, an index of Grecianized names and variant spellings, a list of apocryphal kings of the Fourteenth Dynasty, the royal titulary, and a chronological king list by dynasty.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Darrell Baker studied ancient Egyptian history, archaeology, and language with Professor Alexander Badawy at the University of California, Los Angeles. His experiences in field archaeology include work on the Early Man Site in Calico, California, the La Brea Tar Pits, two seasons at the Piramides de Guimar in the Canary Islands for Thor Heyerdahl and Donald P. Ryan, and the Pennsylvania State University Mendes excavations with Donald B. Redford in the Nile Delta. He served as a board member and officer of the Southern California branch of the American Research Center in Egypt. He is also the author of The Sir Harry Lauder Discography (1991).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 587 pages
• Publisher: Bannerstone Press (January 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977409449
• ISBN-13: 978-0977409440
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,163,660 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Monumental Accomplishment, March 15, 2009

By 

William Suddaby (Sugarloaf Key, Fl USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Encyclopedia of the Egyptian Pharaohs, Volume I: Predynastic to the Twentieth Dynasty (3300-1069 BC) (Hardcover)

A volume of inestimable value to those with more than a passing interest in Ancient Egypt. From almost a lifetime of painstaking research, Darrell Baker has collated all the bits and pieces of information from obscure specialist journals, museum archives, and current archeology and scholarship into an imminently usable treasure trove of information on all the ancient Egyptian kings through the XX Dynasty. Included are Pharaonic names beautifully rendered in hieroglyphs, the location of each king's tomb and mummy, his consort, and his length of reign and place in Egyptian history. Helpful references conclude each entry for those who want to go further. It is difficult to praise Baker's achievement too much. He has given an extraordinary gift to Egyptophiles and ancient history buffs alike.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable and Enlightening, September 20, 2009

By 

Egypt Fan (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of the Egyptian Pharaohs, Volume I: Predynastic to the Twentieth Dynasty (3300-1069 BC) (Hardcover)

Baker's "Encyclopedia" is a crucial addition to Egyptological literature, and it is surprising such a work has not previously been created in the 200+ years of scholarship on the subject. By including literally all the kings from the first 20 dynasties, this work provides insight into the tremendous range of ancient Egyptian history and provides as much reliable information on each king as has been learned to date. Since the entries are in alphabetical order, the lack of page numbers in the "index" is irrelevant; the listing, not apparently intended as an index, is a useful tool in accessing the entries. The cartouches for each king (the hieroglyphic version of the names)are crucial to identifying the monarchs in inscriptional contexts, and the inclusion of articles in the bibliography written in a few cases by "non-specialists" allows for the fullest and most up to date bibliography on the Pharoahs that currently exists in one source. The book is a major triumph and sure to be a standard reference for many years to come.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid Reference Work, March 12, 2010

By 

Bruce Trinque (Amston, CT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Encyclopedia of the Egyptian Pharaohs, Volume I: Predynastic to the Twentieth Dynasty (3300-1069 BC) (Hardcover)

"The Encyclopedia of Egyptian Pharaohs" is a solid reference book with a great deal of information on Egyptian kings over a span of more than two thousand years, from early pre-dynastic times (including some pharaohs who are know only from inscriptions never translated) through the Twentieth Dynasty. This extended period of course includes the most significant eras of Egyptian history, including the Age of the Pyramids and the Amarna Period. The entry for each pharaoh is accompanied by a listing of all that man's (and occasional woman's) various names, including hieroglyphic transliterations, along with (when known) dates of rule and even where the mummy is now to be found, plus detailed accounts of the pharaoh's reigns. The listings are arranged alphabetically which aids in rapidly finding particular individuals, altough perhaps a chronological arrangement (such as in Peter Clayton's "Chronicle of the Pharaohs" would have made the Encyclopedia more appealing for casual browsers. But the author does provide a chronological list of the pharaohs, so readers interested in following the kings in order of succession can do so if they desire.

I could have wished that the Encyclopedia contained photographs of the statues of various pharaohs so as to enhance a sense of their individuality, but that is a very small quibble about a very good book.