Donald P. Ryan

Finally a book about ancient Egypt I enjoyed. It's short, relatable, has humor and seems accurate. Egypt has so many cliches associated it's hard to write with a fresh perspective. His approach is to humanize the subjects, they are people first with universal traits, then layer in the specific cultural elements and context. The exotic dancing girls with their wrists at angles and heads bopping back and forth, are really just cheap labor for the night trying to get a free meal who then get show more drunk and are thrown out of the party. Each chapter is a little story, drama in the daily lives of fishermen, tomb raiders, artisans, farmers etc.. a bag of chips. It feels like time travel. I'd read more from this series. show less

Beneath the Sands of Egypt is more than a memoir. It touches on Egyptian and archaeological history, highlighting pioneers in the industry and important finds already uncovered. Dr. Ryan also presents a cautionary tale about the field, the risks required to be successful, and the demanding physical and scholarly work required. Rather than becoming a lecture, Dr. Ryan presents his story with flair, highlighting the pros and cons of his chosen profession with an ardor that does not exist in show more most people about their own career paths. His engagement and passion for the field creates a memoir that is enjoyable for anyone interested in science, in history and in taking risks.

Dr. Ryan admits that archaeology is a tough field in which to find success. He admits that it sometimes requires more luck than skill, requires working in harsh, almost punishing conditions, while balancing the local government's beauracratic requirements for permission to dig. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work for sometimes little reward. This does not include the time spent wining and dining prospective benefactors, the time spent researching and cataloging finds, and the time required writing papers and journal articles. Yet, in spite of all the negative aspects of the field, the reader cannot help but being attracted to it. One cannot help but imagine working alongside Dr. Ryan in the Valley of the Kings, sifting through dirt and ruble excavated from a recently re-opened tomb. While Dr. Ryan works hard to share the work behind a successful dig, his love of his profession also creates a child-like sense of wonder in the reader.

Memoirs are highly dependent on whether the reader relates to the author. Dr. Ryan is immensely likable. While he loves his profession, he is also in awe of the history he is excavating and those giants of the field in whose footsteps he is following. He remains humble at his good fortune and knows how lucky he is to have been able to accomplish everything he has done. Dr. Ryan's main goal is to share the love he has for archaeology, and he accomplishes this goal extremely well.

I have a secret. My secret childhood dream, and one that does continue to fill me with longing to this day, is to become an archaeologist. I have always wanted to experience the profound joy of uncovering pieces of history. When I was approached about reviewing Dr. Ryan's Beneath the Sands of Egypt, I knew that it was a novel I had to read, if only to glean better insight into the field of which I have always wanted to be a part. After finishing it, I remain convinced that archaeology is an amazing field. While Dr. Ryan's cautions have convinced me that it is not necessarily the profession of choice for me, I am more eager than ever to find a way to get involved as a volunteer, perhaps by finding a local dig with which to get some experience. If anything, Dr. Ryan has inspired me to take more risks about those things for which I am truly passionate.

Beneath the Sands of Egypt is a fun, inside look at the world of archaeology. Dr. Ryan does much to debunk the mystique caused by the Indiana Jones series while still keeping the subject matter interesting, and to this reader, appealing. His stories are fascinating and give the reader a greater appreciation for the artifacts already discovered. He does not shy away from describing the tedious, hard work required to be a successful archaeologist, and yet his enthusiasm for his chosen career path flows through the pages. Dr. Ryan loves what he does, and his memoir showcases this perfectly. show less

An excellent little book by American Egyptologist Donald Ryan. Ryan is something of a polymath; I met him at an ARCE convention in Toronto (1993, I think; not sure) and we had a discussion about the taxonomy of pachycephalosaurid dinosaurs, not something you’d expect an Egyptologist to know about. I thought they were related to hadrosaurs; Ryan said ceratopsians; he was right and I was wrong. At any rate this book is reminiscent of Leonard Cottrell’s Everyday Life in Ancient Egypt, but show more updated. Ryan choses the reign of Amenhotep II for his 24 hours, and each chapter profiles a different Egyptian at successive hours; a midwife, the Pharaoh himself, a farmer, a fisherman, a dancing girl, and so on. Some of the people are linked – the pharaoh, his fanbearer, his vizier, his tomb architect, and his Great Royal Wife each get a chapter, and an embalmer, a coffin maker, and a professional mourner all work with the same deceased. The writing is informative without being overly scholarly, with a main narrative following the hourly subject and details explained in side boxes. There are plenty of relevant illustrations incorporated into the text. No footnotes, but both a detailed bibliography and a more general “suggestions for further reading”. Recommended as a pleasant introduction to Egyptology. show less

This is part of the 24 Hours in Ancient History series, and arguably, the most difficult to write, because it is the oldest of the featured civilizations and there is less source material to use. Like the others in the series, the book is in 24 chapters, each detailing an hour in a particular person's life. This installment takes place during the reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep II (1426–1400 B.C.E.), and using archeological remains including papyrus scrolls, clay tablet fragments, and the work show more of modern scholars, the reader spends an authentic hour with both average and important Egyptians of the era. Dancing girls, tomb raiders, brick makers, priests, doctors, royal fan holders, and the Pharaoh himself, are but a few of the highlighted members of society. While the thoughts and conversations of the individuals are invented, they are based on well-researched facts. Source material is included. If you're a fan of ancient history but prefer texts that are more accessible than traditional scholarly fare, this is a wonderful introduction to Ancient Egypt. show less