Judgement of the Pharaoh: Crime and Punishment in Ancient Egypt [Hardcover]

Joyce Tyldesley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2000

This book unmasks Ancient Egyptian crimes and criminals, meticulously recreating a series of crimes, from grave robbing, false embalming, necrophilia, and bestiality to a re-creation of the murder of Tutankhamun, reassessing and rejecting the evidence for his murder. It also introduces readers to some of the inhabitants of Deir el Medina, the dwelling place of the craftsmen who constructed the tombs of the Valleys of the Kings and Queens.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British Egyptologist Tyldesley (Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen; Hatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh; etc.), the prolific author of acclaimed books for a general audience, here has all the makings of a bestseller--passion, sex and murder--but she squanders the opportunity with a treatment that is neither comprehensive nor gripping. In the first, and most satisfying, third of the book, Tyldesley aptly examines the administrative structure of the Egyptian judicial system, focusing on the roles of the pharaoh, the vizier and other officers of the law. However, the rest of the book, in which she explores various crimes--from regicide (particularly the murder of Tutankhamen) to adultery to petty theft--does not live up to its potential. Exceptions are chapters on the long-standing Egyptian tradition of tomb-robbing, which she calls "Egypt's second oldest profession," and on sex and sex crimes. (Tyldesley effectively dismisses the notion that ancient Egypt was rife with incest and polygamy, although she affirms that prostitution "was a legitimate trade.") But Tyldesley, an expert at the concise account, this time around is perhaps too concise. For example, her discussion on homosexuality is a scanty paragraph with one example that raises more questions than it answers. The most likely audience for this book consists of readers well versed in ancient Egypt, looking to expand their knowledge. Unfortunately, Tyldesley adds little that's new for such readers, and those avid to read about human misdeeds will be similarly disappointed.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"[Tyldesley] organizes her narrative in a way that focuses on the juridical process, while remaining lively, lucid, and thoughtful." -- Choice

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 199 pages
• Publisher: Orion Publishing (July 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0297646699
• ISBN-13: 978-0297646693
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,966,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, February 28, 2010

By 

S. Miller - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Judgement of the Pharaoh: Crime and Punishment in Ancient Egypt (Hardcover)

Excellent overview of crime and punishment in ancient Egypt. Well documented. Probably of more interest to scholars.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Put It Down!, March 10, 2002

By 

Sherry Payton (Canton, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Judgement of the Pharaoh: Crime and Punishment in Ancient Egypt (Hardcover)

This book was given to me as a Christmas present and I consider it one of the best books I've read lately. Ms. Tyldesley covered all aspects of ancient Egyptian justice, not just the Pharaohs. If you are a beginner to ancient civilizations as I am, you will really enjoy this book.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Judgement of the Pharaoh, March 4, 2001

By 

Standing In Motion - See all my reviews

This review is from: Judgement of the Pharaoh: Crime and Punishment in Ancient Egypt (Hardcover)

Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley has an enviable string of best-selling books to her credit; her demonstrated strong suits being the biographies of pharaonic queens, and the societal aspects/conditions of non-royal women in ancient Egypt. All of these previous efforts are informative, insightful, and can probably be classified as references on these topics. The Judgement of the Pharaoh however, is a departure from her previous efforts and in my opinion does not achieve the majestic heights of her lofty classics. The initial third of this book is the most interesting and informative aspect. After that, things begin to tumble downhill. To all who are even casual readers aquainted with ancient Egyptian historicity, this book rehashes selected historical events, requotes dynastic literature, and in essence adds nothing that has not been theorized or quoted previously. By far the weakest section of this well traveled recitation of ancient Egyptian crime sprees, is the treatment afforded the death/murder of the 18th dynasty pharaoh Tutankhamun. Ms. Tylsesley inexplicably equates the postulated assassination theory of Tutankhamun with the Hollywoodesque "Curse of the Mummy" story. This is sheer nonsense. Playing crime detective, she sets out to punch gaping holes in the Tutankhamun murder theory as it was so eloquently and persuasively covered in Bob Brier's best-selling book "The Murder of Tutankhamun". In the final analysis, Ms. Tyldesley has to settle for mere pin-pricks and, in closing, leaves us wondering why she even attempted to tackle this subject in the first place. All in all, this book is very readable and does an excellent job of explaining the concept of ma'at, the ancient Egyptian justice/penal system, and the penalties incurred by those who commit criminal acts and embrace chaos. In my opinion, borrow this book from a friend and then pass it along. It does not fit snugly next to her other cherished books in your personal library.