Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs: A Popular History of Ancient Egypt

Probably the most readable history of ancient Egypt available (especially when coupled with the parallel Red Land, Black Land). Barbara Mertz graduated from the University of Chicago with a PhD in Egyptology in the 1950s and promptly discovered the market for female Egyptologists was not exactly bullish (there is a rumor that, In sort of a sad tradition, she helped her husband get his degree and he turned around and dumped her. I have no idea if that’s true). She tried to make a living as a writer – probably for every 1000 people who try to make it as writers, 999 end up as waitstaff. She’s the 1000th, writing romance/mystery novels under the name Barbara Michaels, and mystery/romance novels under the name Elizabeth Peters. (The show more novels, by the way, are very erudite, historically accurate, and highly recommended).


Her writing talent is part of the reason this is a good book – the other part is it’s highly idiosyncratic; she admittedly and unabashedly writes about those parts of Egyptian history that interest her and skims over – but with references – those that don’t. Thus the Predynastic, the pyramids, Hatshepsut, and the Amarna period get a lot of coverage. I especially liked her explanation of how William Flinders Petrie did pottery sequence dating – every other Egyptian history mentions pottery sequence dating, but this is the only one that actually explains how it works.


Conventional histories usually gloss over uncertain topics – I suspect because the authors stick to their own opinions. Mertz is happy to point out that Egyptologists don’t agree on a lot of things – the exact classification of Predynastic cultures, who was Menes, Kurt Sethe’s theories about Hapshesut (and the question of who started chiseling Hatshepsut off monuments), how many Montuhoteps and Osorkons there were, and so on. Unfortunately, she had a very strong opinion on one of the controversies – who’s buried in KV55 – and, according to recent DNA evidence, she was wrong (to be fair, she was taking the view supported by almost all the evidence – that it was Smenkhkare – while the contrary position, that it was Ahkenaton, was only held by armwaving fringe Egyptologists). The armwaving fringe turned out to be right, and it’s doubling unfortunate because this is a revised edition of a book published 40 years ago and if she had waited just a little longer the DNA data would have been in.


It’s especially unfortunate because otherwise Mertz’s handling of the Amarna period is outstanding. You might expect a romance novelist to go a little overboard – Amarna, after all, is the only period in Egyptian history where there is any hint of royal romance. Perhaps because of that Mertz does a terrific job of summarizing the facts (at least as known at the time of her writing). Fun to read, informative, gives a real feel for “warts and all” Egyptology, and recommended. show less

Charmingly written history of Egypt’s ancient rulers from what we can and can’t know from their artifacts. Not very much about ordinary life or details of how pyramids were built, but gossipy discussion of various rulers and of the nature of knowledge of/speculation about the distant past.

Though I had heard of Elizabeth Peters the mystery writer, I never knew that Peters was only the pen name for a woman whose first vocation was as an academic Egyptologist. In fact, this was her first published book. Mertz's fascinating introduction to Egypt and the people who study it, first written in 1964 and revised 2007, was like reading Carl Sagan's Cosmos. Yes, it may be somewhat dated in terms of current finds, but the basic info is there, and presented so appealingly that I want to read more.

Mertz is a joy to listen to, whether she is describing ancient Egyptian science and architecture, the imposing Queen Hapshetsut, the religious fanaticism of Akenahten, the grandiose monuments of Ramses, the ubiquitous tomb pots, or the show more villainous and rage-inducing tomb robbers of centuries ago. But more humorously, she is not afraid to take cheap shots at her fellow Egyptologists, poking fun at the inanity of certain scholarly debates. I only wish she had discussed more Egyptian myth and religion in addition to history and archaeology. I also wish I had read the book instead of listened to the audio because I missed out on images and maps I hear are in the real thing!

Still, I really enjoyed this book, and now I want to read more. show less

An enjoyable book and a good companion to Mertz's "Red Land, Black Land", as well as to her Amelia Peabody series. It is almost as if the Amelia Peabody character had written the book herself; "Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs" contains so much of the archaeological opinions expressed in the novels, or vice-versa. The maps aren't frequent enough and are not very well drawn and there are just a few color plates so I borrowed a number of supplementary books better illustrated with photographs and maps in order to make up the deficiency. I feel that I get more enjoyment from reading the novels in the Amelia Peabody series since I have acquired the archaeological background from this book and I have a better grasp of Ancient Egyptian history show more as well. show less

If only public schools would teach Egyptian history from books like this! Chatty, assuming without being superior that you don't know much, it is such an easy, fun read. Regrettably, Barbara Mertz is no longer with us, but she's left a one-of-a-kind legacy we can all enjoy. Too bad there's not a 5+, this one deserves it.

If you don't know anything about ancient Egypt, this is the first book to read on the subject. It made me fall in love with Egyptology. Ms. Mertz guides the reader through this civilization's 3,000-year-long history with grace and humor. She makes it seem like an easy read, and yet, when you finish the book you realize how much you have learnt about ancient Egypt.

It's been a good book for dipping in occasionally. I like the enthusiasm and breezy assertiveness. But I find I distrust her confident conclusions. Maybe I'll try another more recent take on the ancient Egyptians.