The Handbook to Life in Ancient Egypt

By Rosalie David

Book Overview

Spanning the years from c. 5000 B.C. to the early centuries A.D., the Nile Valley civilization was one of the earliest created by humankind. It remains one of the most fascinating and influential. This handy yet encyclopedic reference work offers a comprehensive overview of ancient Egyptian history, from Predynastic times to the Old and New Kingdoms to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Accessible, authoritative, and clearly organized, the Handbook to Life in Ancient Egypt affords an engaging look at a culture whose art, architecture, religion, and medicine came to form the basis of Western Civilization.

The thematically arranged chapters allow readers easy access to several key topics, including historical background, geography, government, religion, funerary customs, architecture, literature, the military, the economy, and everyday life. Drawing on written sources dating from c. 3100 B.C. and such widespread archaeological evidence as monuments, artifacts, inscriptions, and preserved human remains, noted Egyptologist Rosalie David covers everything from the Sun Cult and the pyramids to the arrival and dispersal of Christianity. Her useful Handbook also features:

* 112 maps, photographs, and original line drawings

* suggestions for further reading at the conclusion of each chapter

* a chronological table of over five millennia of Egyptian history

* an appendix listing museums with Egyptian collections

* a timely and extensive overall bibliography as well as a thorough index

Combining archaeological and historical sources, this Handbook provides all the essential data required by anyone interested in Egyptian history, archaeology, religion, or culture.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195132157
• ISBN13: 9780195132151
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.3" x 0.9" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Book

The book is very thorough in the information it provides. Pretty much self explanatory.

Plenty of info

This book gives a good overview of what we know about the Ancient Egyptian culture. This was a book I had to purchase for a class on the subject and I found it quite interesting.

Great survey!

This book basically follows the same format for the "Handbook to life in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome" books of Adkins and Adkins. That's a good thing, since I enjoyed those books. I have significant interest in Ancient Egypt but know very little about it. Most texts simply concentrate on the pyramids and other monumental architecture. This text gives you a much more balanced introduction and includes sections on history, religion, the military, geography, trade and economy, and daily life. It's organized very well. It has plenty of pictures, illustrations, chronologies, etc. There is a suggested bibliography at the end of each section to encourage research in greater depth. Overall this is a very affordable and user friendly survey of Ancient Egypt that will service students as well as adults with no prior background to the subject.

Helpful Reference or Beginner's Guide

HANDBOOK TO LIFE IN ANCIENT EGYPT is a very helpful reference and the revised edition gives the most up-to-date information. It really is more like an encyclopedia. It is not necessary to be read cover to cover as such, although the reader can do so. It is divided up into 12 chapters covering 12 different topics. Some of the information, if pertinent, overlaps in the chapters, but is put there for completeness. The chapters are: 1 - Egyptology, Archaeology and Scientific Mummy Studies in Egypt; 2 - Historical Background; 3-Geography of Ancient Egypt; 4 - Society and Government; 5 - Religion of the Living; 6-- Funerary Beliefs and Customs; 7 - Architecture and Building; 8-- Written Evidence; 9-- The Army and Navy; 10 -- Foreign Trade and Transport; 11 - Economy and Industry; and 12 -- Everyday Life. There are also a Chronological Table, a List of Museums with Egyptian Collections, a Bibliography and an Index included. This is a helpful reference for anyone and is especially useful to the person just beginning to learn about Ancient Egypt.

Kemet.org Book Review Posted!

A wonderful book to replace the very outdated and patently racist "Life in Ancient Egypt" by Erman, David's coffee-table book about the worldview and culture of the ancient Egyptians is quite nice. Be aware of a tendency to read certain portions of Egyptian life as "coming from an outside source" (an oblique reference to the outdated "Dynastic Race Theory" that, sadly, still seems to be held to by some British archaeologists). Otherwise factual, useful, and filled with an excellent bibliography.