From Publishers Weekly
The title is a bit misleading, as this is a social, rather than a spiritual, history; Canadian Egyptologist Ruiz's 33 short chapters deal with different aspects of ancient Egyptian life (e.g., "Dress and Jewelry," "Wigs and Cosmetics," "Festivals"). Although the range of topics is exhaustive, the detail of discussion is not the book boasts neither index nor footnotes, and Ruiz's "Further Readings" section contains only nine items. And yet this lack of deep scholarly considerations is a strength, as it permits the author's fascinating narrative to flow unimpeded. Her account of the processes of mummification, for example, is clear and accurate, without needless complication. Her retelling of creation myths, her time line of the long-ago queens and her explanation of the fundamentals of Egyptian symbolism make this an excellent resource for those who know little about the ancient nation and want to begin to learn. Readers with a working knowledge of the culture will likely be surprised to see that the chapter on architecture is a mere eight pages or that the rich tradition of Egyptian art is dispatched in six. But they might also be surprised by some of the facts Ruiz offers up: an American Civil War-era paper manufacturer imported mummies to make paper inexpensively from the linen wrappings, and a gilded horsefly was a symbol of bravery in battle. Ruiz has made an extremely interesting culture accessible to the extremely casual reader. (Jan.)Forecast: A stream of books on ancient Egypt are due this season (see, e.g., Decoding Egyptian Hieroglyphs, Forecasts, Oct. 29), no doubt thanks to the arrival of "Eternal Egypt," from the British Museum, which is in New York now and will later tour the country. This comprehensive primer should see solid sales.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Library Journal
Though most of the information in this general introduction to Ancient Egyptian civilization is accurate and the effort well intended, Ruiz (a member of the Staffordshire Egyptology Society and Canada's Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities) has failed to do justice to that culture. She insists on using "Egyptianized" versions of the gods' names rather than their common English forms (Ausar for Osiris, Auset for Isis), which makes the Ancient Egyptian stories she retells confusing. The sparse illustrations are amateurish line drawings, and there are major omissions and factual errors. In the "Kings and Conquerors" chapter, Ruiz omits such important empire builders and preservers as Tuthmose III, Amenhotep III, and Ramses III. In her discussion of language, she includes reference to such faulty etymology as the English word sir, which in fact derives from the Latin sen(ex) ("old," "old man") via Old French not from Osiris or the Egyptian word for official, ser. She states that "approximately ten percent of the Egyptian population is currently fluent in Coptic," whereas though roughly ten percent of Egypt's population is Coptic Christian, Coptic ceased to be a spoken language by the 15th century. A superior choice for all libraries in need of a solid overview of Ancient Egyptian civilization is Ancient Egypt (Oxford Univ., 1997), edited by University of Pennsylvania Egyptologist David Silverman. Edward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Pierce, FL
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
