Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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58 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A useful reference book for the layperson., October 1, 1999
"The Complete Pyramids" is a gorgeous book, resplendent with photographs, diagrams and computer-generated images, and serves well as a near-comprehensive reference work on the pyramids of Egypt (that is, _all_ of them, not simply the Giza complex) for the layperson. The writing is less than inspiring but still serviceable, and the presentation will most definitely satisfy the "USA Today"-style at-a-glance needs of many people. For example, Lehner includes a rendered-to-scale figure of all of the pyramids of Egypt in cross-section, to give an idea of the chronology and scope of pyramid-building throughout Egyptian history. As a compendium of the conclusions and currently predominant ideas of modern Egyptology, this book probably has few peers.Lehner often fails, however, to convey a real sense of the methodology involved in reaching these conclusions. Too often, we are told of the likely functions of specific features of the pyramids or their surrounding complexes without being told of the basis by which Egyptologists assign these functions. One notable exception to this is Lehner's treatment of recent attempts to elucidate the methods by which the pyramids were built. Perhaps this is due to Lehner's direct participation in such projects, but the relative care taken to explain the current state of knowledge regarding ancient Egyptian pyramid-building techniques stands in contrast to the lack of explication given to far too many other subjects. Thus, by comparison Paul Jordan's "Riddles of the Sphinx" is a superior work in this regard, if less focused on the pyramids. The inclusion of such reasoning is necessary if only because the popular literature is so littered with "alternative" (most often, crank) views in which the pyramids are constructed by aliens or lost "Atlantean" civilizations of greater antiquity than Egypt. It would seem reasonable in such an atmosphere to provide the reader with the rationale for the modern archaeological view in addition to an exposition of it. Along these lines, Robert Bauval's "Orion" hypothesis for the alignment of the Giza pyramids merits a few sentences, but no substantive discussion is given to it. Perhaps my recent reading material has given me a particular bias, but even without having to answer the claims of "alternative" cranks, "The Complete Pyramids" would have benefited from more discussion of method along with the conclusions. Still, this is a fine book, and I recommend it.
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30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
very comprehensive, May 17, 2000
I have read many books on the pyramids, many of the alien/atlantis ilk and these were always high on theory and very low on facts. This book however was exceptional because it present facts, diagrams, site plans, cross sections and measurements and entire histories and photographs, of just about every pyramid in Egypt, which comes to about 70. There are no fanciful theories, just plain facts and information and plenty of it. It also gives a very useful section on the history of the discovery and excavations of the pyramid sites and like many of the previous reviewers, I too regret not having known about this book before I went to Egypt, as it would have been invaluable, and I think I would have visited several other sites, as a result.I give this 5 stars, because although some extra information could have been provided, the amount of data that has been included far surpasses anything else available, and I feel that this should be reflected in the rating.
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38 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This text sets a new standard for archaeological literature., October 23, 2000
Like its author, this book is completely devoted to the Pyramids of Egypt. The major premise - that the archaeological record bears witness to an evolution of pyramid design, construction and function from beginning to end of the Pyramid Age - is demonstrated brilliantly and completely. It explains without exhausting the religious significance of the conceptual Pyramid Complex, then concentrates on the `brick and mortar' aspects of its subject. An informative review of explorations at the pyramid sites throughout the ages is equally as interesting as the detailed descriptions of the pyramids themselves that follows in a section fittingly titled "The Whole Pyramid Catalogue". This catalogue, comprising fully half the volume, is a description of each individual Egyptian Pyramid Complex presented (chronologically) with such clarity of detail that it dispels all ambiguity created by several lifetimes of sensationalist and speculative journalism surrounding its subject. In its latter pages the author discusses the role of the Pyramid Complex as administrative center and landlord in later antiquity, and gracefully addresses the more controversial of topics, including the ubiquitous "how did they do it" question, along with his own speculations on some unanswered sociological questions - the size of the work force and logistics. Quite reasoned and well-informed estimates lead him to conclusions that will in their own right prove controversial. One notable unintended consequence of this volume is that many artifacts, presented elsewhere as "Art", assume their appropriate contextual venue and so now hold much more meaning for this reader. The Narmer Palate as declarative stellae in a walled courtyard at Nekhen is one example, the gilded yet austere canopied boudoir of Hetepheres is another. The text is very well written and easily read. Heavily illustrated, the photographs are appropriate, of excellent quality and are well placed; line drawings are used throughout to clarify and supplement photographs. With this volume Dr. Mark Lehner joins the ranks of Egypt's most celebrated archaeologists, and surpasses them all in understanding and presentation of the facts concerning the Pyramids.
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