The Pyramids: The Mystery, Culture, and Science of Egypt's Great Monuments (Hardcover)

by Miroslav Verner (Author), Steven Rendall (Translator) "Among the oldest and most important extant Egyptian historical documents ranks a palette commemorating King Narmer's victory over a rebellious principality in the Nile Delta..." (more)
Key Phrases: small pyramid complex, cult pyramid, quartzite monolith, Old Kingdom, Fifth Dynasty, Lower Egypt (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Director of the Egyptology Institute of Charles University in Prague and leader of the Czech excavations at Abusir's Fifth Dynasty pyramid field, Verner has assembled the first comprehensive study of Egypt's pyramids since the revised edition of the late I.E.S. Edwards's classic The Pyramids of Egypt and Ahmed Fakhry's The Pyramids (both o.p.). This completely revised English-language edition is based on the German translation of the original 1997 Czech publication. The organization of the authoritative text is chronological, tracing the cultural and architectural evolution of the Egyptian pyramids from the mastaba tombs of the Archaic Period, through the step pyramids of the Third Dynasty, to the "true pyramids" of the later Old Kingdom and the subsequent decline in their structure and size in later periods. "Pyramidology" and mystic lore are covered in a brief epilog titled "The Secrets of the Pyramids." In addition to a solid bibliography, useful appendixes include "Basic Dimensions of the Pyramids," "Egyptologists and Pyramid Scholars," a glossary, and a "Chronological List of Rulers and Dynasties." The illustrations are clear and directly related to the text. Recommended for all libraries. Edward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Pierce, FL
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Professor Verner of Prague's distinguished Charles University discusses current research into the pyramids of ancient Egypt. His book focuses on research of the last decade and excavations over the past 20 years. Verner divides his book into chapters according to pharaonic dynasty, spotlighting individual pharaohs' pyramids. He not only explains the layout of each pyramid but also presents various theories on how each pyramid was built and tells stories about the people that were buried there. The author's stated goal was to make discussions and research surrounding these gigantic ancient monuments accessible to the general public, and he certainly has succeeded. Julia Glynn
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Grove/Atlantic; 1st edition (October 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802117031
• ISBN-13: 978-0802117038
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,741,407 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Did the pyramid builders have block parties?
, November 1, 2001

By	Holy Olio "holy_olio" (Grand Rapids, MI USA) - See all my reviews

Verner notes that the name "sphinx" is our transliteration of the Greek transliteration of shesep-ankh or "living image". He also recounts how "[t]he ship Beatrice... in 1838, shipwrecked and sank between Malta and Spain." (p 246) Aboard was the sarcophagus from the Menkaure / Mycerinus pyramid (the smallest of the three large pyramids at Giza). That would be a salvage job for the ages, and a great way for a museum to add to its collection. I do however wonder if that's really where the ship went down. Some even dispute that the ship ever existed per se, or that it went down, or that it went down in that year, or that it had the sarcophagus onboard.

The author rejects the high age of the Great Sphinx that was proved by the water erosion -- a point on which most geologists (the overwhelming majority) who have studied the evidence agree. His rejection is on the flimsiest basis, especially since the Sphinx itself is not aligned with the so called cardinal points while most stuff at Giza is -- but that the also predynastic temple near the Sphinx has the same alignment. Verner insists that the consensus is that Khafre carved the Sphinx, but later writes "(Khufu?)" and nowhere that I saw mentions Stadelman's establishment that the Sphinx was probably carved by Khufu.

I read chunks of this book last night, and recommend it as a pretty good overview of the known pyramids, including those which barely survive (foundations only, or literary references with little else). The author also gives brief information about the pharaohs and others for whom many of these (surviving or not) were built.

5.0 out of 5 stars The pyramids of The Ancient Egypt, February 18, 2002

By	Rucsandescu Silvian (Bacau,Romania) - See all my reviews

It's the definitive book on the subject.Great text,clear illustrations.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, April 10, 2003

By A Customer

This was exactly what I was looking for in a book about the Egyptian pyramids. This book is the perfect starting point for anyone to begin learning about Egyptian pyramids and ancient Egypt in general.