Before the Pharaohs: Egypt's Mysterious Prehistory (Paperback)

by Edward F. Malkowski (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
“Contains a wealth of data and invaluable references not easily encountered elsewhere. Malkowski makes otherwise daunting technical information accessible and readable. I enjoyed this book thoroughly.”
( John Anthony West, author of Serpent in the Sky: The High Wisdom of Ancient Egypt )

“Ed Malkowski has presented a concise digest of modern research on the early origins of human civilization. His insights regarding the emergence of Cro-Magnon man alone are worth the price of the book!”
( Christopher Dunn, author of The Giza Power Plant: Technologies of Ancient Egypt )

". . . a fascinating look at the secrets of the pyramids, the Sphinx, and Egypt in the time before recorded history."
(Dave Roy, Curled Up with a Good Book, May 2006 )

"An absorbing, big-picture study."
(Ruth Parnell, Nexus, Nov-Dec 2006 )

Product Description

Presents conclusive evidence that ancient Egypt was originally the remnant of an earlier, highly sophisticated civilization

• Supports earlier speculations based on myth and esoteric sources with scientific proof from the fields of genetics, engineering, and geology

• Provides further proof of the connection between the Mayans and ancient Egyptians

• Links the mystery of Cro-Magnon man to the rise and fall of this ancient civilization

In the late nineteenth century, French explorer Augustus Le Plongeon, after years of research in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, concluded that the Mayan and Egyptian civilizations were related--as remnants of a once greater and highly sophisticated culture. The discoveries of modern researchers over the last two decades now support this once derided speculation with evidence revealing that the Sphinx is thousands of years older than Egyptologists have claimed, that the pyramids were not tombs but geomechanical power plants, and that the megaliths of the Nabta Playa reveal complex astronomical star maps that existed 4,000 years before conventional historians deemed such knowledge possible.

Much of the past support for prehistoric civilization has relied on esoteric traditions and mythic narrative. Using hard scientific evidence from the fields of archaeology, genetics, engineering, and geology, as well as sacred and religious texts, Malkowski shows that these mythic narratives are based on actual events and that a highly sophisticated civilization did once exist prior to those of Egypt and Sumer. Tying its cataclysmic fall to the mysterious disappearance of Cro-Magnon culture, Before the Pharaohs offers a compelling new view of humanity’s past.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bear & Company (December 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591430488
• ISBN-13: 978-1591430483
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #177,804 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

153 of 154 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Where did the Sphinx come from? And other mysteries, May 15, 2006

By	David Roy (Vancouver, BC) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Theories that change what we know of as history are often interesting, if outlandish. Sometimes, they're just too incredible to believe; other times, they have a pretty good whiff of plausibility, making the book presenting these theories just that much more intriguing. Before the Pharaohs is an example of the latter. Almost fatally hindered by an extremely slow and boring first sixty pages, the book picks up steam and becomes a fascinating look at the secrets of the pyramids, the Sphinx, and Egypt in the time before recorded history begins. Malkowski takes a wide array of theories and ties them all together. He never hides what current theory is, instead presenting his own (or, quite often, others that he agrees with) in a way that makes the reader think about this all in a new light. With a couple of missteps, the book continues on this high level, never quite losing me once it had worked to reel me in.

Malkowski begins the book by looking at the Sphinx. "Aha!" I thought. "Starting at the top and then working his way down." No, actually, he didn't. Instead, we get several pages of in depth analysis of erosion and how the differing levels of such indicate that the Sphinx must be older than is currently claimed. There is no way that the erosion the Sphinx has suffered, both via wind and water, could have happened in the period of time estimated. This is fine in itself, but half-way through the chapter I just wanted to grab him by the throat and say "we get it! Get on with it!" Instead, we get diagrams showing the different levels of the Sphinx and how far the erosion would go. What's even worse, one of the two experts that Malkowski spends a lot of time detailing actually claims that rainfall runoff could account for the Sphinx being built from 3000 B.C.E to 2500 B.C.E. This dating, of course, falls within the current projections. So what was the point of this? The other scientist that Malkowski heavily details claims that erosion and weathering on the Sphinx would mean that it must have been built between 7000 B.C.E and 5000 B.C.E. This could be an important point, but to begin the book with it?

The next chapter is on climate change, as he tells us that the Sahara desert went through three cycles of climate change, getting wetter and then more arid and then back again, between 10,000 B.C.E. and 2800 B.C.E. He gives us much more than we could ever want to know about this, and then goes back to erosion rates, this time with graphs and tables! He uses all of this information to disprove the 3000-2500 dating for the Sphinx, stating that the other theory must be correct. He may very well be right, but by this time, I was ready to close my eyes. This was the most difficult beginning of a book I've had to get through in a while.

Then, however, everything turned around. Malkowski begins talking about astronomy, time, and the various cultures in the Sahara desert area. He claims that ancient timekeeping was a lot more advanced than currently believed, with information on a circle of stones and various monoliths at a place called Nabta Playa, and he says that these could easily be star charts, based on the study of where the stars would have been positioned back then. It's fascinating stuff, but what's even better is the extensive theory (and acoustical testing to "prove" it) that the pyramids were actually an ancient power source using the Earth's vibrations, channeled through mechanisms within the pyramids to produce electrical power. He states that none of the Great Pyramids have ever been found to contain funerary items, despite the fact that they are widely considered to be tombs. All tombs have actually been elsewhere, and thus they must be something else. It's an extremely interesting theory, and one that he supports well. He also, later on in the book, connects the Maya and the Egyptians, but not in the normal way. Instead, he uses a theory that some of the Mayans actually came to Egypt and settled down there, a trio of the great royal family actually ending up being represented by the three main Egyptian gods (Osiris, Isis, and Seth).

Some might see one of the problems with Before the Pharaohs being that all of the theories in the book are actually somebody else's. Malkowski spends a great deal of time on each one, which makes the "Notes" pages interesting, with lots of "ibid" notations as he uses the same source. Thus, he doesn't provide a lot of corroborating evidence. For example, the Great Pyramid as electrical generator theory is all put forth by Christopher Dunn, a machinist who has studied Egyptian ruins for a great many years (he even has his own book, which is Malkowski's source for most of this, called The Giza Power Plant). His Mayan theories are based on a somewhat discredited archeologist named Le Plongeon, though he goes to great lengths to show that Le Plongeon's work was wildly misinterpreted and Malkowski tries to rehabilitate him. This does hurt the credibility of the book in my eyes, as it would have been nice to have a few more people actually agreeing with the theories he's presenting.

Despite all that, the book really kept my attention once I got through the beginning, with Malkowski tying it all together at the end. For a while, I thought he was giving us divergent theories and asking us to pick one, as they didn't seem to go together, but he does succeed in making them mesh. He tells an interesting tale, and if you like this sort of thing, Before the Pharaohs will definitely be your cup of tea. Just don't give up on it. I probably would have, but I soldiered through and was rewarded.

David Roy

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating read!, May 12, 2007

By	S. D. de Kock "Out of Africa" (Republic of South Africa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had just come back from a trip to Egypt when I ordered this book. This book is for those genuinely interested in delving into the roots of an ancient civilisation. Its not a novel - so please don't insult the author by judging it as "slow" as has been stated in another review. Its an oustandingly well-researched, fascinating and thought-provoking study for those who have so often wondered about the origins and amazing feats of engineering of the ancient Egyptians. Malkowski is a meticulous writer who takes enormous trouble to try to clarify the origins our human history and the links between ancient civilisations and gives us the chance to make up our own minds. He forces nothing upon the reader - but dangles fascinating and seductive pieces of information which will leave you wishing for more.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting but slow, January 9, 2007

By	Carrie Czerwinski (Waterford, CT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

this book has an incredible amount of fascinating information, but it is not organized well. The writing does not grab your attention, but rather, you have to force yourself to find the interesting material. It can get a bit "Von Daniken" at times-- especially the chapter about the pyramid being a power plant, but overall it is a good, solid, informative book that challenges the typical archeological canon we are all handed. If you are willing to wade through it, you will find info that is worth while.