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Loading... The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (original 2000; edition 2004)by Ian Shaw (Editor)
Work InformationThe Oxford History of Ancient Egypt by Ian Shaw (Editor) (2000)
![]() No current Talk conversations about this book. ![]() ![]() A survey of Egyptian history from prehistory until the supremacy of Christianity in the middle 300s. A lot of archaeological detail is given for the discoveries of prehistory and for the Second Intermediate Period in the north. Otherwise the narrative focuses primarily on what is known from funerary and temple monuments, a bit from Manetho, and whatever may exist from parallel records from other lands. To this end a lot of the story is about kings and the things they built. It's a bit disappointing that more was not made of the Deir el-Medina community and what could be known about the life of the artisan class based on these resources. One chapter focuses on the relationships with other nations. But it's mostly rulers and what large-scale developments can be perceived through material remains. This is a very accessible introduction to the history of ancient Egypt. A good resource, and well-written in its way. While I wouldn't call it an "encyclopedia," as many here have, it is almost overloaded with facts and factoids to the point that it is difficult to digest the whole thing if you try to read it straight through (which I did in preparation for a trip to Egypt). Some of the writing is dry and academic, especially in the first few chapters: okay, we don't know many things for sure, but the authors of those early chapters (and some later ones too) seem more concerned with being called out by colleagues for not ultra-qualifying every single statement than they are with making sense to a lay person and just giving us something to go on. Yet, I got a lot out of it and plan to keep it as a reference. The edition I read dates from the year 2000 or so, and I wonder if there haven't been DNA studies that tell us more about how the many bodies found in the royal tombs were truly related to each other and who some of the general populace were- did the first Egyptians to put down permanent roots come from the East, West, or South, or were thy there all along? And who were the Hyksos? This is a really excellent collaborative history of Ancient Egypt—though dense and detailed enough that it's probably only for the serious Egyptophile or the aspiring student. It runs from the Palaeolithic era right through to the post-Ptolemaic period, which is an enormous time frame, but Shaw and the other contributors do a good job of addressing all the main developments and key events—the only real disappointment is the chapter on the Amarna period, which fails to be as comprehensive as the others. Aesthetically, it's well put together, with plenty of black-and-white and coloured plates, maps, time lines and genealogical charts. Definitely recommended. no reviews | add a review
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![]() GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)932History and Geography Ancient World Ancient Egypt to 640LC ClassificationRatingAverage:![]()
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