Reference
- Egypt, Ancient: ChronologyThe relative chronology of ancient Egypt is centered on a structure of dynasties, or royal houses, akin to the European Windsors, Hohenzollerns. Bourbons, or Habsburgs. These dynasties are taken from a history of Egypt, the Aegyptiaka, written in Greek by the Egyptian priest, Manetho, for the Macedonian king of Egypt. Ptolemy III, around 300BCE. This work is now lost, but excerpts survive in the works of later antique authors. Manetho divided the royal succession into thirty dynasties, and although there are numerous problems with his system, it is retained by Egyptologists to this day as the most straightforward way of delineating the progress of ancient Egyptian civilization.
These dynasties are usually grouped into periods and kingdoms corresponding to distinct phases in the country's political or cultural evolution. Thus, the Old Kingdom embraces the third through sixth dynasties, the time occupied by the great pyramid builders, while the Middle Kingdom, comprising the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth dynasties, represents a reunification of the country, consolidation and cultural development, and its decline. The New Kingdom (the eighteenth through the twentieth dynasties) is the era of Egypt's imperial power in Asia, seeing the construction of an empire that extended from the Sudan to the Euphrates. The three Intermediate Periods, following each of the Kingdoms' periods, highlight centuries during which central authority was eroded, accompanied in some cases by foreign rule of parts of the country...
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Perspectives
Ancient Egypt
In Ancient Egypt: State and Society, Alan B. Lloyd attempts to define, analyze, and evaluate the institutional and ideological systems which empowered and sustained one of the most successful civilizations of the ancient world for a period in excess of three and a half millennia. The volume adopts the premise that all societies are the product of a continuous dialogue with their physical context -- understood in the broadest sense -- and that, in order to achieve a successful symbiosis with this context, they develop an interlocking set of systems, defined by historians, archaeologists, and anthropologists as culture. Culture, therefore, can be described as the sum total of the methods employed by a group of human beings to achieve some measure of control over their environment. Covering the entirety of the civilization, and featuring a large number of up-to-date translations of original Egyptian texts, Ancient Egypt focuses on the main aspects of Egyptian culture which gave the society its particular character, and endeavours to establish what allowed the Egyptians to maintain that character for an extraordinary length of time, despite enduring cultural shock of many different kinds.
The Art of Ancient Egypt
From the awesome grandeur of the Great Pyramids to the delicacy of a face etched on an amulet, the spellbinding power of ancient Egyptian art persists to this day. Spanning three thousand years, this beautifully illustrated history offers a thorough and delightfully readable introduction to the artwork even as it provides insight into questions that have long engaged experts and amateurs alike. In its scope, its detail, and its eloquent reproduction of over 250 objects, Gay Robins's classic book is without parallel as a guide to the art of ancient Egypt. And her eagerly awaited new edition includes many new color photographs and a fully revised and updated bibliography.
Everyday Life in Ancient Egypt
A comprehensive introduction to the people of Ancient Egypt. It describes the structure of Egyptian society - including the levels from peasant to pharaoh, the nature of the family, and the role of women. Lionel Casson reviews the professions, from the lowliest scribes to the architects and engineers who built the pyramids, and examines the work of sculptors, painters, cabinetmakers, jewellers and smiths whose hands turned out the sculptures, murals and objects of beauty that are so prized today. He deals with that key factor in Egyptian life, religion: the nature of the gods; the powerful role played by belief in the afterlife; and the career of one pharaoh, Akhenaten, who attempted to put heretical views into practice.
The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt
The lives of pharaohs and commoners alike were dominated by the need to honor, worship, and pacify the huge pantheon of deities. From lavish tomb paintings and imposing temple reliefs to humble household shrines, countless tributes throughout Egypt reflect the richness and complexity of their mythology. This book examines the evolution, worship, and eventual decline of the numerous gods and goddesses--from minor household figures such as Bes and Taweret to the all-powerful deities Amun and Rethat made Egypt the most completely theocratic society of the ancient world, and made Egyptians, according to Herodotus, "more religious than any other people." * "Rise and Fall of the Gods" considers the origins of Egypt's deities, their struggles to control cosmic forces, and their eventual decline. * "Nature of the Gods" examines the forms, appearances, and manifestations of the deities, as well as the transcendence of preeminent deities such as Amun. * "Worship of the Gods" introduces the rituals and mysteries of formal Egyptian worship, including the importance of temples and festivals. * "Kingship and the Gods" discusses the all-important position of the king, who served as a bridge between the gods and humanity. * "The Many Faces of the Divine" is a unique catalogue of Egypt's gods and goddesses grouped according to their primary forms, discussing their iconography, mythology, and worship, and their influence over time.With hundreds of illustrations and specially commissioned drawings, this is a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the deities that lay at the heart of Egyptian religion and society.
The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egyptian Architecture
The definitive reference on the diverse monuments built by the ancient Egyptians across three millennia, this generously illustrated volume surveys the ancient world's most remarkable architecture. Dieter Arnold--a leading expert on Egyptian building and design--includes more than 300 illustrations and 600 alphabetically arranged entries spanning every type of building and every aspect of construction and design. He provides separate entries for each of the major Egyptian sites, from Abu Simbel in the south to Cleopatra's palaces in Alexandria. These document ordinary towns and houses as well as monuments as varied as the Step Pyramid of Djoser (the world's first significant stone building), the tombs of the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari, and the great temples that line the Upper Nile. Other entries cover materials (from reed and mud-brick to sandstone and granite) and construction techniques (including pyramid building and the erection of obelisks). The accessible text also addresses the symbolic meanings of various types of building, the importance of building orientation, and myriad architectural features, such as columns and false doors. Destined to be the standard reference for years to come, this comprehensive encyclopedia offers a welcome overview of the magnificent structures that continue to lure pilgrims and tourists, impress architects, and inspire awe. It will be enjoyed by serious devotees of architecture and archaeology as well as by armchair travelers and all who have wondered how the great pyramids were built.
When Women Ruled the World
This riveting narrative explores the lives of six remarkable female pharaohs, from Hatshepsut to Cleopatra--women who ruled with real power--and shines a piercing light on our own perceptions of women in power today. Female rulers are a rare phenomenon--but thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt, women reigned supreme. Regularly, repeatedly, and with impunity, queens like Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, and Cleopatra controlled the totalitarian state as power-brokers and rulers. But throughout human history, women in positions of power were more often used as political pawns in a male-dominated society. What was so special about ancient Egypt that provided women this kind of access to the highest political office? What was it about these women that allowed them to transcend patriarchal obstacles? What did Egypt gain from its liberal reliance on female leadership, and could today's world learn from its example? Celebrated Egyptologist Kara Cooney delivers a fascinating tale of female power, exploring the reasons why it has seldom been allowed through the ages, and why we should care.
Ancient Egypt
Completely revised and updated to reflect the latest developments in the field, this second edition of Barry J. Kemp's popular text presents a compelling reassessment of what gave ancient Egypt its distinctive and enduring characteristics. Ranging across Ancient Egyptian material culture, social and economic experiences, and the mindset of its people, the book also includes two new chapters exploring the last ten centuries of Ancient Egyptian civilization and who, in ethnic terms, the ancients were. Fully illustrated, the book draws on both ancient written materials and decades of excavation evidence, transforming our understanding of this remarkable civilization. Broad ranging yet impressively detailed, Kemp¿s work is an indispensable text for all students of Ancient Egypt.
Ancient Egypt in Africa
The discipline of Egyptology has been criticised for being too insular,with little awareness of the development of archaeologies elsewhere. It has remained theoretically underdeveloped. For example the role of Ancient Egypt within Africa has rarely been considered jointly by Egyptologists and Africanists. Egypt's own view of itself has been neglected; views of it in the ancient past, in more recent times and today have remained underexposed. Encounters with Ancient Egyptis a series of eight books which addresses these issues. The books interrelate, inform and illuminate one another and will appeal to a wide market including academics, students and the general public interested in Archaeology, Egyptology, Anthropology, Architecture, Design and History. Geographically, Egypt is clearly on the African continent, yet Ancient Egypt is routinely regarded as a non-African cultural form. The significance of Ancient Egypt for the rest of Africa is a hotly debated issue with complex ramifications. This book considers how Ancient Egypt was dislocated from Africa, drawing on a wide range of sources. It examines key issues such as the evidence for actual contacts between Egypt and other early African cultures, and how influential, or not, Egypt was on them. Some scholars argue that to its north Egypt's influence on Mediterranean civilization was downplayed by western scholarship. Further afield, on the African continent perceptions of Ancient Egypt were coloured by biblical sources, emphasizing the persecution of the Israelites. An extensive selection of fresh insights are provided, several focusing on cultural interactions between Egypt and Nubia from 1000 BCE to 500 CE, developing a nuanced picture of these interactions and describing the limitations of an 'Egyptological' approach to them.
The Beginning of the New Kingdom - The Fabulous XVIIIth Dynasty
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Practices we think of as defining ancient Egypt - including the use of a standing army to exact foreign tribute and the burial of the pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings - have their origins in this seminal period. We will also take a detailed look at what warfare was like in the ancient world.
The First Nation in History
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowHow did Egypt become history's first nation? Once King Narmer unified Upper and Lower Egypt, it took only a few hundred years to build a power that would dominate the Near East for millennia. Learn why the political structure of ancient Egypt made this possible and how the "Narmer Palette" tells this story.
Ancient Egypt: The Gift of the Nile
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowYour introduction to Egypt reveals a civilization irrevocably shaped by geography. You learn how the Nile's predictable annual flooding of its banks, though creating a fertile strip amounting to only 3% of Egypt, permitted civilization to thrive in what was otherwise an uninhabitable desert.
Learn More
- Egypt, Ancient: AgricultureThe earliest evidence for agricultural practice in Egypt, in the form of crops and livestock remains, found at sites in the Fayum Depression and the Delta dates to approximately 5,000BCE...
- Egypt, Ancient: ArchitectureThe basic building material of ancient Egypt was the alluvial mud of the river Nile. Mixed with some straw or other organic material, it could be shaped in moulds into bricks, which could be hardened in the heat of the sun...
- Egypt, Ancient: Funeral Practices and MummificationThe continued existence of the body on earth formed an important part of the ancient Egyptian view of the necessities for the afterlife, and seems to have been the dead person's link with earth...
- Egypt, Ancient: LiteracyLiteracy was highly prized in ancient Egypt and was a sure guarantee of a significant position in the state administration...
- Egypt, Ancient: Predynastic Egypt and NubiaEarly cultural and historical development in the Nile Valley is strongly dictated by its immediate environment...
- Egypt, Ancient: ReligionIn order to understand ancient Egyptian religion, it is important to take two points into account....
- Egypt, Ancient: Roman Conquest and Occupation: Historical OutlineWhen Rome annexed Egypt in 30BCE, it was assuming control of an area with a coherent complex culture already 3,000 years old-far older than Rome itself...
Egypt Old Kingdom
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowThe Old Kingdom was the first of the three great Pharaonic eras of Ancient Egypt. The pharaoh was all-powerful, with supreme control over Egypt's politics, religion and military. The River Nile, with its annual inundation, was the life-blood of Egypt. Religion was central to the lives of all Egyptians. Death and burial observances were highly ritualised, and enormous pyramids were constructed for the pharaohs to ascend into the afterlife. The Old Kingdom has been described as "the golden age of achievement and wisdom" Baines & Malek - Atlas of Ancient Egypt. This is the perfect introduction to the Geography, Religion, Culture, Art, Technology, Everyday Lives and Funeral Rites of the Ancient Egyptians.