The World of the Pharaohs: A Complete Guide to Ancient Egypt

by Christine Hobson

Author Christine El Mahdy, formerly Christine Hobson. Here, for everyone intrigued by the ancient land of the pyramids, is a comprehensive record of civilization along the Nile and an in-depth account of Egyptian archaeology from its beginnings.With the decipherment of hieroglyphics in the early nineteenth century, many of the secrets of the pharaohs and their culture were revealed for the first time to the modern world. Adventurers and fortune hunters as well as scholars flocked to Egypt, thus initiating the plunder of priceless relics that had lain virtually untouched for thousands of years. The destruction of much that would have yielded valuable clues about ancient Egypt alerted concerned individuals, and gradually the new field of Egyptology was born.

Christine Hobson takes the reader on a tour of the pharaohs' world, surveying the work of the pioneer archaeologists, from Flinders Petrie at Amarna and Howard Carter in the Valley of the Kings to Geoffrey Martin at Saqqara, where his remarkable new excavations have revealed the tomb of Tutankhamun's treasurer, Maya.

Specially designed features give at-a-glance information on every aspect of the Egyptian achievement, from temples, tombs, and pyramids to mummies and hieroglyphs. In addition, the author examines the mysteries of Egyptian religion, explains clearly and entertainingly the complexities of Egyptian kingship, and brings to life the daily routine of the common worker. The main part of this invaluable book is backed up by a gazetteer of sites to visit, as well as a king-list and a comparative chronology of ancient civilizations.

A work of reference and a sourcebook of ideas and information, this is above all a book to enjoy for its highly readable text and marvelousillustrations.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Egypt, Archaeology, Childrens, Middle East, Art

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Tim Chamberlain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, as its sub-title states, is a complete guide to Ancient Egypt. It is set out rather like a textbook, with excellent illustrations – drawings, maps, photographs – and short, neatly rounded chapters, with boxed biographies of key people in the history of Egyptology in the margins of the pages directly relevant to their work. There is even a useful ‘Gazetteer’ at the end with tips for the modern day traveller, who hopefully will not have to sink their dahabiyeh in the waters of the Nile for 24 hours to rid it of vermin before setting out on their journey up river as the celebrated artist David Roberts (1796-1864) had to in 1838.

The above extract about this book is taken from my blog.

[Abul Mohsin]

Should be a good book to get to know about the History of Pyramid & Mummys!