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Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt #1-3
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt
Featuring 600 original articles written by leading scholars, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt goes far beyond the records of archaeology to make available what we know about the full social, political, religious, cultural and artistic legacy of this 5,000 year civilization.
The Encyclopedia offers the most complete picture available of ancient Egyptian civilization, from the predynastic era to its eclipse in the seventh century CE. Here is the Egyptian world in illuminating, accessible detail: art, architecture, religion, language, literature, trade, politics, everyday social life and the culture of the court. Of special interest is the coverage of themes and issues that are particularly controversial--such as the new theories of the origins of complex society in the Nile Valley, new discoveries about Greco-Roman Egypt, and new developments in literature, religion, linguistics and other fields, including the debates about Egypt's African legacy.
Extensively illustrated with photographs, line drawings, and maps, the Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt is designed for the widest possible access, serving students, teachers, and scholars in fields ranging from Near East archaeology and classics to ancient art, architecture, history, language and religion, as well as general readers fascinated by a world that remains--even today--incompletely mapped.
The Encyclopedia offers the most complete picture available of ancient Egyptian civilization, from the predynastic era to its eclipse in the seventh century CE. Here is the Egyptian world in illuminating, accessible detail: art, architecture, religion, language, literature, trade, politics, everyday social life and the culture of the court. Of special interest is the coverage of themes and issues that are particularly controversial--such as the new theories of the origins of complex society in the Nile Valley, new discoveries about Greco-Roman Egypt, and new developments in literature, religion, linguistics and other fields, including the debates about Egypt's African legacy.
Extensively illustrated with photographs, line drawings, and maps, the Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt is designed for the widest possible access, serving students, teachers, and scholars in fields ranging from Near East archaeology and classics to ancient art, architecture, history, language and religion, as well as general readers fascinated by a world that remains--even today--incompletely mapped.
1632 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2000
3 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
Donald B. Redford
34 books34 followersDonald Bruce Redford was a Canadian Egyptologist, archaeologist, and Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies at Pennsylvania State University; he retired in 2024. Redford directed a number of important excavations in Egypt, notably at Karnak and Mendes.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 20, 2021
This text includes substantial entries from all disciplines on the topic of ancient Egypt. Among the multitude of subjects covered are religion and mythology, medicine, art, archaeology, sociology, trade and commerce, dialects, and agriculture. A lot to learn in this special dictionary
November 12, 2023
There are three major encyclopedias on ancient Egypt. The standard reference for professional Egyptologists is the seven-volume Lexikon der Ägyptologie. You can't read most of its articles unless you know German, and it was written in the 1970s and 1980s, meaning it's growing out of date. The online UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology is designed to replace the Lexikon and to be periodically updated, but it won't be complete for years yet. With 600 articles, the Oxford Encyclopedia isn't as extensive as the Lexikon (more than 3200 articles) or the UCLA Encyclopedia (about 4000 planned), but it's complete and all written in English, and not badly outdated yet.
The coverage one can get in 600 articles is fairly impressive, but the length of each article is highly variable. There are articles for seven of the eleven Ramesseses, for instance, although most get only half a page (one full column of densely printed text) and only Ramesses II receives any real depth. Some unexpected topics come up ("deformity", "intoxication", "rhinoceroses", "zoological gardens"). Some topic areas, like geographical locations, religion, and individual people are extensively represented. Unlike the Lexikon, this book devotes a fair amount of space to the Greco-Roman era and has a handful of articles on ancient Egypt's influence on and perception in other cultures. Each article has a bibliography with at least a couple of entries, representing the best and most recent sources as of the end of the 20th century.
Some reviewers on Amazon have complained of the quality of the printing, but my biggest problem is the rather weak editorial control. Each article is assigned to a scholar who is expert on that particular topic, but the authors seem to have been left to their own devices. The worst example I've noticed is the article on the Osiris cycle of myths, which rambles through a variety of traditions related to Osiris and says very little about the central myth of his death and resurrection, which is instead covered in the article on the god himself. The author of both articles, J. Gwyn Griffiths, was 89 years old by the time the encyclopedia was published and may not have been as clear-headed as he once was, but in any case somebody should have made an effort to keep him on track. A more common problem, which is found in a lot of scholarly encyclopedias, is that many authors simply present their own views on a topic. A good encyclopedia article should describe the range of viewpoints found in the academic field, but whether these articles do so depends on the individual author.
For those who are interested in religious subjects and don't want to spend the money or space for the full encyclopedia, many of the religion-related articles were issued separately as The Ancient Gods Speak, also known as The Oxford Essential Guide to Egyptian Mythology. Unfortunately, it's missing several important articles that should have been included.
Despite these flaws, I've found the Oxford Encyclopedia invaluable in my research on ancient Egypt. Until the UCLA Encyclopedia is complete, there really is no alternative to it.
The coverage one can get in 600 articles is fairly impressive, but the length of each article is highly variable. There are articles for seven of the eleven Ramesseses, for instance, although most get only half a page (one full column of densely printed text) and only Ramesses II receives any real depth. Some unexpected topics come up ("deformity", "intoxication", "rhinoceroses", "zoological gardens"). Some topic areas, like geographical locations, religion, and individual people are extensively represented. Unlike the Lexikon, this book devotes a fair amount of space to the Greco-Roman era and has a handful of articles on ancient Egypt's influence on and perception in other cultures. Each article has a bibliography with at least a couple of entries, representing the best and most recent sources as of the end of the 20th century.
Some reviewers on Amazon have complained of the quality of the printing, but my biggest problem is the rather weak editorial control. Each article is assigned to a scholar who is expert on that particular topic, but the authors seem to have been left to their own devices. The worst example I've noticed is the article on the Osiris cycle of myths, which rambles through a variety of traditions related to Osiris and says very little about the central myth of his death and resurrection, which is instead covered in the article on the god himself. The author of both articles, J. Gwyn Griffiths, was 89 years old by the time the encyclopedia was published and may not have been as clear-headed as he once was, but in any case somebody should have made an effort to keep him on track. A more common problem, which is found in a lot of scholarly encyclopedias, is that many authors simply present their own views on a topic. A good encyclopedia article should describe the range of viewpoints found in the academic field, but whether these articles do so depends on the individual author.
For those who are interested in religious subjects and don't want to spend the money or space for the full encyclopedia, many of the religion-related articles were issued separately as The Ancient Gods Speak, also known as The Oxford Essential Guide to Egyptian Mythology. Unfortunately, it's missing several important articles that should have been included.
Despite these flaws, I've found the Oxford Encyclopedia invaluable in my research on ancient Egypt. Until the UCLA Encyclopedia is complete, there really is no alternative to it.
December 28, 2024
Ancient Egypt is packed with speculation and conspiracy in our daily lives and social media, but this reference manages to give a scientific overview of one of the most important civilizations in existence. Between three volumes, the book has entries on many subjects. The history of ancient Egypt has been written in many books, but the Oxford History of the Near east is recommended. I did not read every entry, but notable entries can give excellent breakdowns. The law article gives a breakdown of how ancient Egypt had courts, and later would switch to oracles. The articles on the gods and goddesses can give etymologies on their names and their primary functions in society. The book includes topics on how the cults functioned, by including articles on offerings, mortuary rituals, opening of the mouth, and many more. I find this important since the internet and book stores are plagued with literature on the divine beings, but far less effort is made to transmit how cults worked. There are many art and architectural articles, but these I have not dived into because the numerous pictures online. Articles go into the Egyptian childhood, and like us, children were presumed innocent. Hygiene is a great article, pointing out that even in renown civilizations, a lack of technology can lead to unhygienic practices. Festivals and Calendars I recommend for those who need to be reminded that the Egyptians like us dedicated many days to celebration. Astronomy is a great article on how the Egyptians tracked the stars. Education summarizes the curriculum a young Egyptian might expect, such as grammar and onomastics. Diet, although dull to read, gives an idea that the Egyptians had many options to make meals from and their cuisine was not dull. The poor could eat eggs and legumes, while the wealthy could enjoy wine with beef. Gardens outlines all the plants an Egyptian estate might have, such as palm trees and flowers. Houses gives house-plans of the houses Egyptians built. There are many articles, but this summary description hopefully gives an overview what to expect out of this book. I do warn anyone who attempts to read this encyclopedia, it can be a massive bore. Nice features of the encyclopedia include frequently mentioned Egyptian vocabulary. We learn words for taxes, types of land and just about any cultural phenomena. The Encyclopedia includes important images as well, giving some visual context when appropriate. Examples of pictures include maps or tracings from tomb art that show specific industries. The volumes do reveal that the Ancient Egyptians were like us, in that they had festivals to look forward to, taxes to begrudge, and a spiritual word to remedy their worries.
March 1, 2011
This was selected as an Outstanding Reference Source for 2002. For the complete list, go to http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rus...
July 11, 2011
A behemoth. Keep that light....
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November 28, 2017i want to read
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews