Ancient Egypt First Edition

by David P. Silverman (Editor)

220 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0195212709

ISBN-10: 9780195212709

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The ancient Egyptians lived in a remarkable culture that created some of the world's most beautiful art and architecture. It was a land where Pharaoh was the monarch of the entire world, the living emodiment on Earth of the god Horus, son of Osiris, ruler of the underworld. It was a culture
that relied on the rising and falling of the Nile, but resided next to the Great Sahara, one of the hottest and driest deserts on the planet. Even today, the ancient civilization of Egypt--which produced the great pyramids, the riddle of the Sphinx, and the riches of Tutankhamum--exerts a strong
hold on our imaginations.
Now, in Ancient Egypt, eminent Egyptologist David P. Silverman and a team of leading scholars explore the cultural wealth of this civilization in a series of intriguing and authoritative essays based on the latest theories and discoveries. Illustrated with more than 200 superb color photographs,
maps, and charts, Ancient Egypt illuminates the vivid and powerful symbolic images of this fascinating culture--from pyramids and temples to priests and rituals; from hieroglyphic writing to daily life by the Nile; and from temple carvings to the cult of the dead. Correcting the popular
misconception of the Egyptians as a death-obsessed people, the book uses the most recent historical research and archaeological finds to illuminate the routines of daily life in royal, élite, and priestly circles, as well as at lower levels of society.
We learn, for example, that despite the monochromatic appearance of most temple ruins today, in ancient times they would have been colorful, even gleaming structures; that the title "Pharaoh" derives from the Egyptian phrase per aa, which means "great house" and was originally a reference to the
royal palace; that temples employed all manner of part-time and full-time personnel, from farmers and carpenters to scribes, jewellers, and keepers of livestock; and that Egyptian law viewed women as equal to men, and they could, in some cases, wield considerable influence.
Lavishly illustrated with beautiful color artwork, Ancient Egypt is an authoritative and accessible guide to the many dimensions of the ancient Egyptian world.

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Twelve contributing scholars have joined Silverman in writing this lavishly illustrated book that contains 200 color photographs, maps, and charts. Their essays cover such broad subjects as history, geography, legends, archaeology, religion, economy, art, architecture, and language. There are pieces on international trade and travel, farming, hunting, fishing, mining, capital cities, palaces, fortresses, gender and society, mathematics, medicine, magic, the pharaohs, the cosmos, the cult of the dead, ritual games, the pyramids, tombs, temples, the solar cycle, and hieroglyphs. The writing is based on the latest historical research and archaeological finds, offering readers a penetrating look at the daily life of both royalty and commoner. George Cohen

Review

"The writing is based on the latest historical research and archaeological finds, offering readers a penetrating look at the daily life of both royalty and commoner."―Booklist

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0195212703
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; First Edition (May 1, 1997)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780195212709
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195212709
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.42 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 11.31 x 0.96 x 8.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #400,542 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #62 in Middle Eastern History (Books)
- #111 in Egyptian History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
220 ratings

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doc peterson

Its thematic organization provides a unique perspective on Ancient Egypt

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 22, 2015

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Organized by theme, Silverman's _Ancient Egypt_ provides an unusual approach to the topic. Divided into three parts (The Egyptian World, Belief and Ritual, Art, Architecture and Language), the subsequent chapters are written by a variety of scholars, each an expert in their fields (to name a few: Fekri Hassan a geo-archeologist formerly of Washington State, more recently at the Egyptian Ministry of Culture writing on commerce; Gay Robbins of Emory University on Women in Ancient Egypt, Ian Shaw of University of Liverpool on urban centers, Zahi Hawass - former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities on the Pyramids). These scholars provide a fresh take on Egyptian history.

I was particularly struck by the chapters on "The Celestial Realm" and "Tombs and Temples" as both provided unique details about Egyptian cosmology and the evolution of funerary architecture. The number of color plates and maps are also helpful and illustrative in connecting details to the larger historical narrative. However, I had problems with the historical narrative itself; in a few words, it was simply too brief. The opening chapter, "Three Kingdoms and Thirty-four Dynasties" covered the entirety of Ancient Egyptian history in 20 pages. While the ebbed flow of history was discussed well, one cannot adequately write a political history of the 2000 + years of Ancient Egyptian history in so few pages.

Further, the thematic nature of the book also meant that events or issues would be repeated in chapter after chapter. For example, the reign of Akhenaten is discussed several times: in the political history of the 18th dynasty, again in a chapter about cities and capitals, yet again in the discussion of art and architecture, and still again in the chapter about temples and tombs. While events and individuals like Akhenaten are repeatedly highlighted, other significant facets are overlooked or given short shrift (the Naqada period or the Second Intermediate Period).

While _The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt_ remains unrivaled in terms of its scholarship and depth, the strength of Silverman's thematic approach is the variety of perspectives is provides beyond the exclusively political. For those who already have a passing familiarity with Ancient Egypt but are searching for interesting details and a more social history approach to the time, this would be my recommendation.

16 people found this helpful

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gilly8

If you can buy only one book on the entire history of ancient Egypt this is it!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 11, 2007

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This is a very thorough book, delving deep into the entire histoy of Egypt, starting with their earliest history as a nation, and going through all of the aspects of their history up through the Roman conquest.

It covers the various dynasties, an overview of the entire history (4000+ years of it) and special sections on religious belief, the importance of the belief in the afterlife, their language, written (hieroglyphs and demotic (demotic is more like short hand and almost looks like our cursive writing...much easier and simpler than hieroglyphs!) Mathematics, astronomy, medicine, the building of the pyramids--- every aspect is thoroughly discussed by an expert in the field of Egyptology.

Each chapter (there are 15) is written by a different specialist in the field of Egyptology. Their credentials are listed in the dust jacket cover. They hold many different titles, are professors, university and museum curators, and all are experts in their given field. (Such as Dr Ian Shaw, editor of the Oxford History of Ancint Egypt who wrote the chapter called "The Settled World".) Or Dr Zahi Hawass, the head of the Cairo Museum and of Egyptian antiquities in Egypt, who wrote the chapter on the Pyramids.

The chapter headings include "The Celestial Realm", "Egyptian Art", "Women in Egypt", "Egypt and the World Beyond", and many more. Aside from the wealth of knowledge, every single page two or more beautful illustrations and photographs of the best of the artwork, tomb painting, statuary, jewelry, etc to illustrate what is being discussed.

This may be the one book on ancient Egypt to have if you have to have just one.

This book is NOT just a pretty coffee table book of the typical type, with more photographs than writing, and litle or no explanation of what you're seeing.

Professor Silverman as well as being the editor is also one of contributors, and wrote the chapters on "Belief and Ritual" and "Signs, Symbols and Language".

I can't recommend this book more highly. Highly accessable and readable. There is a glossary at the end and a good index. Useful for the interested amateur like myself, or someone already involved in the study of ancient Egypt.

21 people found this helpful

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Starwoman33

Excellent resource packed with information and art

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 20, 2021

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Ancient Egypt, David P. Silverman, General Editor, is a truly great resource. This volume is a recommended text for a Coursera online offering of the same name. (Anyone can take these classes online free). The book has far broader coverage than the course - crammed with art and photographs and very interesting. The authors bring an ancient civilization to life in a highly accessible way. It is history, but it almost feels like a travelogue through the window of time travel. If you have been dreaming of a trip to Egypt - now or to ancient times - this book does a great job of explaining the context of many mysteries as well as daily life. If it should be reprinted, please enlarge the pages and the print size. The compilation of art and photographs is exceptionally curated.

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Anthony Robert Savarese

A wonderful insight into Ancient Egypt

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 17, 2021

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This book was exactly what I was looking for. I learned a great deal about Ancient Egypt and enjoyed every minute of the book.

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Top reviews from other countries

Mancuimum

This would be a good study companion but I wanted a more descriptive book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 17, 2017

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This book is a reference book that wouldn't look out of place in a library, in fact the copy I received had been in a library if the check out card in the front of the book was anything to go by and the name stamp of the library underneath and on a couple of pages. Full of colour but not as comprehensive as I expected with very short descriptions that barely covered the events of the period. This would be a good study companion but I wanted a more descriptive book, with more information on the various gods and what they were representative of.

Great Ayton

an excellent book consisting of a series of fascinating essays

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 9, 2017

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an excellent book consisting of a series of fascinating essays on various aspects of Ancient Egypt. The book is very well illustrated and I highly recommend it if you are looking to further your knowledge of this subject. But if you are new to the subject of Ancient Egypt then you would be better off with "The Story of Egypt" by Pro. Joann Fletcher which is written in a chronological sequence.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Great Reference Book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 24, 2017

Verified Purchase

Bought as a gift and the recipient loved it. Chosen because it's not just written by one person, therefore not just one persons viewpoint throughout. Indexed at the back so great for dipping into, and the cover is really nice quality for paperback. Not flimsy at all.

One person found this helpful

Jac

Great book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 5, 2018

Verified Purchase

Lovely book, I lost my copy that I bought years ago, and was very surprised to find it again. Couldn't find a good description of the quality of that particular book though, which has now appeared on my review request email. I'm not sure if I just missed it on the original entry or not. Good, speedy delivery.

Dawn Johnson

good images, I will enjoy reading it

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

Interesting book, well laid out, good images, I will enjoy reading it.

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