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History In An Hour
Ancient Egypt: History in an Hour
Love history? Know your stuff with History in an Hour.
Learn about the Egyptian gods, mummification and how the Egyptians built the only wonder of the ancient world still standing – the Pyramids of Giza.
Exploring the historic rise of Egyptian civilizationand its continued influence on the world today, Ancient Egypt in an Hour is an excellent companion to a mysterious and enthralling period of history.
Know your discover ancient Egypt in just one hour.
Learn about the Egyptian gods, mummification and how the Egyptians built the only wonder of the ancient world still standing – the Pyramids of Giza.
Exploring the historic rise of Egyptian civilizationand its continued influence on the world today, Ancient Egypt in an Hour is an excellent companion to a mysterious and enthralling period of history.
Know your discover ancient Egypt in just one hour.
71 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2010
17 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
July 2, 2022
This book is my favourite book in this series and the only one I reread from it so far. It deals with Egypt and Pyramids.
Mysteries surrounding Pyramids
Pyramids and the mysteries surrounding it is a topic which always fascinated me. There are several controversies and conspiracy theories connected with Pyramids. I will discuss a few, which I found beguiling when I was a teenager.
Mystery behind the construction of Pyramids and the Pyramidion
The onsite quarrying for stones and also canal transportation of the stones is the most accepted hypothesis regarding the construction of Pyramids. Still, the Pyramidion (uppermost stone) of Khufu's pyramid (height 146.7 metres) is a massive and heavy one, and no one is sure how they raised it to that height at that time despite many hypotheses like Lohner's rope roll and all.
It remains a mystery, and multiple interpretations itself shows that no one is sure about it.
Location of Pyramids
Almost all Pyramids were built on the West Bank of the river Nile.
The setting sun symbolizes death to the Egyptians. It is believed that the souls of the Pharaohs connected with the setting sun before rising again in the next morning. It is a symbol of eternal life.
Striking similarities of the Pyramids around the world which had no contact with each other
Pyramids are present in Egypt, Peru, Bolivia, Mexico, Indonesia, China, Mauritius, Cuba ( even underwater), Japan, Faroe Islands (Denmark), Italy, Greece and Bosnia.
Most of them are in different corners of the world who had no contact with each other at that time almost at the same period. Nobody knows why people around the world were suddenly interested in building pyramids in the same period. The incredible thing is that there are striking similarities in these pyramids around the world even though they had no contact with each other then.
Scientists who worked behind unravelling the mysteries behind the Pyramids
Scientists, Historians and Archeologists like Paul Weinzweig, Pauline Zalitski, Bill Kerell, Dr Carl Benedicks, Born Lertes and many more hundreds of people studied about Pyramids and its mysteries.
Pyramid Power
Another fascinating facet of pyramids is Pyramid power concept. Antone Bovis in 1930 found out that a dead cat did not decompose in the Kings chamber in the Pyramid. Jean Martial, Karl Drbal, Lyall Watson and Patrick Flanagan studied it and introduced the concept of pyramid power which preserves any organic matter inside the Pyramids.
Astronomy and the Great Pyramid
According to the Michigan State University and also Robert Bauval the Pyramids of Giza line up precisely with the three main stars of the Orion Constellation, that too involving an extraordinary level of precision which does not correlate with the Astronomical knowledge at that time.
Books regarding Pyramids
The main people who were behind the hypothesis of a relation between the Pyramids and Aliens are Erich von Däniken (Author of Chariots of The Gods) and Philip Coppens (Author of The Ancient Alien Question: A New Inquiry Into the Existence, Evidence, and Influence of Ancient Visitors). They are postulating it based on many pieces of evidence. The most exciting concept I found among those is that the Giza Pyramids, Machu Pichu, The Nazca lines and Easter island are aligned in a straight line around the centre of the Earth, within a margin of error less than one-tenth of one degree of latitude.
Eight sided Pyramids
The Great Pyramids of Giza, when looked from above, has an intriguing feature. We will see eight edges instead of four.
This phenomenon is only detectable from the air at dawn and sunset on the spring and autumn equinoxes when the sun casts shadows on the pyramid that reveal the eight-sided slightly concave construction. We are not able to see this pattern from the ground. How and why did the person who built the Pyramid incorporate this then-unknown Perfect Solar cycle feature is still unknown?
Other mysteries surrounding Pyramids
There are many other mysterious things related to the Pyramids like the Pyramids as the energy grids connecting specific centres of energy around the world,
The Pyramids and Pi theory relation,
The Pyramids and chakras relation,
The Curse of the Pharaoh, Hieroglyphics saying that Imhotep, the person who built the 1st pyramid received the information to make the pyramids from the Gods who came from the skies, Pyramidal meditation concept and many many more.
The greatness of Egyptian Civilization
In short, The Pyramids are extraordinary examples of the Architectural splendour of Egyptian civilization with a lot of implications to various fields of Science, Astronomy and Mathematics which are some known now and some yet unknown to us with our current system of knowledge. Let us hope that we will be able to decipher all the mysteries behind the Pyramids when our Knowledge horizon widens in the future and simply marvel how great the Egyptian civilization was.
Verdict
I gathered all the above information from at least a dozen books. It is impossible to incorporate all those into a single small book like this. Anthony Holmes did an amazing job and managed to address some of the most essential information we need to know about Ancient Egypt and Pyramids in this book.
Mysteries surrounding Pyramids
Pyramids and the mysteries surrounding it is a topic which always fascinated me. There are several controversies and conspiracy theories connected with Pyramids. I will discuss a few, which I found beguiling when I was a teenager.
Mystery behind the construction of Pyramids and the Pyramidion
The onsite quarrying for stones and also canal transportation of the stones is the most accepted hypothesis regarding the construction of Pyramids. Still, the Pyramidion (uppermost stone) of Khufu's pyramid (height 146.7 metres) is a massive and heavy one, and no one is sure how they raised it to that height at that time despite many hypotheses like Lohner's rope roll and all.
It remains a mystery, and multiple interpretations itself shows that no one is sure about it.
Location of Pyramids
Almost all Pyramids were built on the West Bank of the river Nile.
The setting sun symbolizes death to the Egyptians. It is believed that the souls of the Pharaohs connected with the setting sun before rising again in the next morning. It is a symbol of eternal life.
Striking similarities of the Pyramids around the world which had no contact with each other
Pyramids are present in Egypt, Peru, Bolivia, Mexico, Indonesia, China, Mauritius, Cuba ( even underwater), Japan, Faroe Islands (Denmark), Italy, Greece and Bosnia.
Most of them are in different corners of the world who had no contact with each other at that time almost at the same period. Nobody knows why people around the world were suddenly interested in building pyramids in the same period. The incredible thing is that there are striking similarities in these pyramids around the world even though they had no contact with each other then.
Scientists who worked behind unravelling the mysteries behind the Pyramids
Scientists, Historians and Archeologists like Paul Weinzweig, Pauline Zalitski, Bill Kerell, Dr Carl Benedicks, Born Lertes and many more hundreds of people studied about Pyramids and its mysteries.
Pyramid Power
Another fascinating facet of pyramids is Pyramid power concept. Antone Bovis in 1930 found out that a dead cat did not decompose in the Kings chamber in the Pyramid. Jean Martial, Karl Drbal, Lyall Watson and Patrick Flanagan studied it and introduced the concept of pyramid power which preserves any organic matter inside the Pyramids.
Astronomy and the Great Pyramid
According to the Michigan State University and also Robert Bauval the Pyramids of Giza line up precisely with the three main stars of the Orion Constellation, that too involving an extraordinary level of precision which does not correlate with the Astronomical knowledge at that time.
Books regarding Pyramids
The main people who were behind the hypothesis of a relation between the Pyramids and Aliens are Erich von Däniken (Author of Chariots of The Gods) and Philip Coppens (Author of The Ancient Alien Question: A New Inquiry Into the Existence, Evidence, and Influence of Ancient Visitors). They are postulating it based on many pieces of evidence. The most exciting concept I found among those is that the Giza Pyramids, Machu Pichu, The Nazca lines and Easter island are aligned in a straight line around the centre of the Earth, within a margin of error less than one-tenth of one degree of latitude.
Eight sided Pyramids
The Great Pyramids of Giza, when looked from above, has an intriguing feature. We will see eight edges instead of four.
This phenomenon is only detectable from the air at dawn and sunset on the spring and autumn equinoxes when the sun casts shadows on the pyramid that reveal the eight-sided slightly concave construction. We are not able to see this pattern from the ground. How and why did the person who built the Pyramid incorporate this then-unknown Perfect Solar cycle feature is still unknown?
Other mysteries surrounding Pyramids
There are many other mysterious things related to the Pyramids like the Pyramids as the energy grids connecting specific centres of energy around the world,
The Pyramids and Pi theory relation,
The Pyramids and chakras relation,
The Curse of the Pharaoh, Hieroglyphics saying that Imhotep, the person who built the 1st pyramid received the information to make the pyramids from the Gods who came from the skies, Pyramidal meditation concept and many many more.
The greatness of Egyptian Civilization
In short, The Pyramids are extraordinary examples of the Architectural splendour of Egyptian civilization with a lot of implications to various fields of Science, Astronomy and Mathematics which are some known now and some yet unknown to us with our current system of knowledge. Let us hope that we will be able to decipher all the mysteries behind the Pyramids when our Knowledge horizon widens in the future and simply marvel how great the Egyptian civilization was.
Verdict
I gathered all the above information from at least a dozen books. It is impossible to incorporate all those into a single small book like this. Anthony Holmes did an amazing job and managed to address some of the most essential information we need to know about Ancient Egypt and Pyramids in this book.
January 11, 2025
2025te çok çok zeki bir kız olmaya kararlıyım serimizde bugün mısıra giriş yaptık.
bu bir saatlik tarih serisiyle beynimi tarih kitapları okumaya alıştırmaya çalışıyorum.
ÇOK ZEKİ OLMAYA KARARLIYIM.
bunların hepsi kleopatraya veya genel olarak dünya tarihine damga vurmuş iflah olmaz kadınlara duyduğum uslanmaz hayranlıktan kaynaklanıyor arkadaşlar. dünyayı değiştirecek kurnazlıklar peşindeyim.
bu bir saatlik tarih serisiyle beynimi tarih kitapları okumaya alıştırmaya çalışıyorum.
ÇOK ZEKİ OLMAYA KARARLIYIM.
bunların hepsi kleopatraya veya genel olarak dünya tarihine damga vurmuş iflah olmaz kadınlara duyduğum uslanmaz hayranlıktan kaynaklanıyor arkadaşlar. dünyayı değiştirecek kurnazlıklar peşindeyim.
September 23, 2022
A cursory glance.
Either way I found myself discovering details I didn't know.
Interesting.
Either way I found myself discovering details I didn't know.
Interesting.
June 6, 2023
Took 25 minutes flying through but great for younger audiences.
June 8, 2024
Быстрое чтиво, краткий обзор всех политических тëрок между фараонами.
January 2, 2020
Audio Book: Audio quality: Excellent, Narration: Excellent
Basic information about ancient Egypt. It is helpful for people who haven't much information about this subject. However readers who have a couple of books about ancient Egypt under their belt might feel disappointed.
I would suggest a digital or printed copy, if you want to use it as a reference.
Basic information about ancient Egypt. It is helpful for people who haven't much information about this subject. However readers who have a couple of books about ancient Egypt under their belt might feel disappointed.
I would suggest a digital or printed copy, if you want to use it as a reference.
October 2, 2016
A good introduction to ancient Egypt, I liked that the timeline went right through to modern times.
I'm doing an AS in archaeology focusing on ancient Egypt and ancient Rome, so this has been interesting. I all ready knew a lot of what was discussed, but the discussion on later Egypt (including Cleopatra) was new and very interesting.
I'm doing an AS in archaeology focusing on ancient Egypt and ancient Rome, so this has been interesting. I all ready knew a lot of what was discussed, but the discussion on later Egypt (including Cleopatra) was new and very interesting.
August 26, 2021
Quick read on the history of Egypt. Informative and easy to read. Enjoyable.
June 28, 2020
For something so short, this was really great!
I was skeptical at first, but there was actually a lot of really wonderfully written content and I learned a lot from this very little time investment.
Just as we are all aware there are trees in the forest... these are some spoiler free/topic highlights covered in this book:
- Egyptian slavery, facts and myth clarification.
- The pyramids.
- Female Pharaoh's.
- Mummification process (lots of detail).
- The Sphinx.
- Some royal families within Egypt that are quite twisted to say the least.
What is even more of an amazing takeaway from this book is Egypt's influence on medicine, math, architecture, science, religion, law... still reflected today in modern times after all these years, and still there is speculated more to be discovered.
If you are an newbie Egyptologist like myself, I think you really like this one.
I highly recommend this book.
I was skeptical at first, but there was actually a lot of really wonderfully written content and I learned a lot from this very little time investment.
Just as we are all aware there are trees in the forest... these are some spoiler free/topic highlights covered in this book:
- Egyptian slavery, facts and myth clarification.
- The pyramids.
- Female Pharaoh's.
- Mummification process (lots of detail).
- The Sphinx.
- Some royal families within Egypt that are quite twisted to say the least.
What is even more of an amazing takeaway from this book is Egypt's influence on medicine, math, architecture, science, religion, law... still reflected today in modern times after all these years, and still there is speculated more to be discovered.
If you are an newbie Egyptologist like myself, I think you really like this one.
I highly recommend this book.
August 14, 2019
Starożytny Egipt zawsze mnie fascynował, piramidy, Sfinks, niesamowite bogactwo kulturowe, wysoki poziom rozwoju technologicznego. Starożytny Egipt zawsze w moim odbiorze mocno wyróżniał się względem innych cywilizacji. Dzięki tej pozycji mogłem bliżej poznać historię starożytnego Egiptu. Książka jest napakowana mnóstwem informacji, jak na mół gust trochę zbyt dużo faktów, wręcz zostałem zasypany całem mnówstwem faktów, dat informacji. Mimo to wielką zaletą książki jest to, że możemy prześledzić historię od samego powstania aż do upadku, do czasów słynnej Kleopatry. Historia Egiptu blisko związana jest ze starożytnym Rzymem oraz Grecją. Na codzień nie zawsze łączymy Egipt z Europą, ale mimo to, historia Egiptu blisko powiązana jest z historią Europy. Powiedzenie "Stary kontynet" jakoś nie pasuje, wydaje się być wiewłaściwe biorąc pod uwagę cywilizację egipską.
May 19, 2020
I remember when I was a child I happened to watch an English movie named 'The Mummy'. It was based on the mummification of royal family members in ancient Egypt and the curse following it if someone tries to remove the bodies from their burial place.
Since then I'd a huge eagerness to learn more about the history of the ancient Egypt. I recently came across an audiobook which perfectly explains the earliest civilization in little over 1 hour. It was interesting to know the exact process of mummification how the mortal remains of royal members were wrapped up in white resin thread and preserved for future use. This audiobook also explains a royal family's daughter who was cursed and how she made up additional 5 days out of 360 days initially created by gods in order to give birth to her 5 five children.
It's a crash course which is best for history buffs.
Since then I'd a huge eagerness to learn more about the history of the ancient Egypt. I recently came across an audiobook which perfectly explains the earliest civilization in little over 1 hour. It was interesting to know the exact process of mummification how the mortal remains of royal members were wrapped up in white resin thread and preserved for future use. This audiobook also explains a royal family's daughter who was cursed and how she made up additional 5 days out of 360 days initially created by gods in order to give birth to her 5 five children.
It's a crash course which is best for history buffs.
January 12, 2018
This was not worth it. And I knew it from the beginning. The reader for this book is a dry English accent that is reminiscent of a large college classroom where you promptly fall asleep. If it were a longer listen I would have pulled the plug.
However, clearly, this is full of interesting history. The problem is compounded by the sheer breadth of history that Ancient Egypt encompasses. An hour just isnt enough to take us through all the history. Interesting things were glossed over and random things were simply stated with little or no back story.
The kicker that dropped this from 2 stars to 1 star is the way the narrator pronounces Tutankhamen. Dont be so fucking smug in that pronunciation just say King Tut.
However, clearly, this is full of interesting history. The problem is compounded by the sheer breadth of history that Ancient Egypt encompasses. An hour just isnt enough to take us through all the history. Interesting things were glossed over and random things were simply stated with little or no back story.
The kicker that dropped this from 2 stars to 1 star is the way the narrator pronounces Tutankhamen. Dont be so fucking smug in that pronunciation just say King Tut.
June 2, 2025
3 out of 5 stars
Ancient Egyptian by History in an Hour is exactly what it promises—a very quick, broad overview of ancient Egyptian history. It’s a solid starting point for someone who wants to dip their toes into the topic without getting overwhelmed. The information is presented clearly and concisely, and it touches on major themes like the dynasties, pharaohs, religion, and daily life.
That said, the brevity is both a strength and a weakness. The fast pace sometimes leaves important details or context out, and a few sections felt overly simplified. If you’re already familiar with ancient Egypt or looking for something more in-depth, this might not satisfy your curiosity. But if you’re just looking for a quick refresher or an introduction, it’s a decent read.
Ancient Egyptian by History in an Hour is exactly what it promises—a very quick, broad overview of ancient Egyptian history. It’s a solid starting point for someone who wants to dip their toes into the topic without getting overwhelmed. The information is presented clearly and concisely, and it touches on major themes like the dynasties, pharaohs, religion, and daily life.
That said, the brevity is both a strength and a weakness. The fast pace sometimes leaves important details or context out, and a few sections felt overly simplified. If you’re already familiar with ancient Egypt or looking for something more in-depth, this might not satisfy your curiosity. But if you’re just looking for a quick refresher or an introduction, it’s a decent read.
September 14, 2025
If I had to describe this book, I would say it is short and clear.
For a while now, I have been really interested in Egypt’s history. I am fascinated by its vibrant colors and traditions. The fact that Egypt had some of the most powerful women leaders, such as Nefertiti and Cleopatra, makes me respect it even more.
I also wonder what kind of beliefs the Egyptians held that led them to create mummies, how their religion developed, and how the pharaohs were raised. I believe the pharaohs must have had beautiful love stories as well.
All of these facts are both beautiful and captivating, and I think I will continue exploring the history of Egypt.
For a while now, I have been really interested in Egypt’s history. I am fascinated by its vibrant colors and traditions. The fact that Egypt had some of the most powerful women leaders, such as Nefertiti and Cleopatra, makes me respect it even more.
I also wonder what kind of beliefs the Egyptians held that led them to create mummies, how their religion developed, and how the pharaohs were raised. I believe the pharaohs must have had beautiful love stories as well.
All of these facts are both beautiful and captivating, and I think I will continue exploring the history of Egypt.
March 4, 2024
A book that I felt did fairly well making a vast and varied and complex subject concise and more easily digestible.
I feel the book just managed to maintain its light easy understandable feel without becoming too overly academic sounding.
I learned a couple of new facts. I particularly liked the chronology of the appendix as it made my understanding of facts, the who, when’s and where’s easier to comprehend within the Ancient Egyptian time line.
A good introductory book into the basics of Ancient Egypt for those who do not want to get bogged down with longer more academic style books.
I feel the book just managed to maintain its light easy understandable feel without becoming too overly academic sounding.
I learned a couple of new facts. I particularly liked the chronology of the appendix as it made my understanding of facts, the who, when’s and where’s easier to comprehend within the Ancient Egyptian time line.
A good introductory book into the basics of Ancient Egypt for those who do not want to get bogged down with longer more academic style books.
December 7, 2022
Epey bilgi kattı. Mesela 1950'lerde, neredeyse iki bin yıl sonra ilk defa bir Mısırlının kendi ülkesini tekrar yönetmeye başladığını bilmiyordum. Kleopatra ile alakalı da epey şeyden bahsediyor. En çarpıcı kısmı ise kitabın şu ifadesiydi: Mısırologlar ve arkeologlara göre şimdiye kadar Mısır ile ilgili keşfedilenler Mısır'ın tarihinin sadece küçük bir kısmı.... Vay....
March 14, 2018
Truthfully I have never had much interest in the Ancient Egyptians and I don't know why. But I found this bitesize audio book to be absolutely fascinating for giving me a brief overview of the era and I found out information that I never would have believed about them.
September 4, 2018
A brief overview, history in an hour, after all, but I learned quite a bit and will listen again before I return.
Impressed by managing to cover parts of so many dynasties and eras, while also discussing pyramids and the Nile.
Well worth the time.
Impressed by managing to cover parts of so many dynasties and eras, while also discussing pyramids and the Nile.
Well worth the time.
May 13, 2021
Если хотите быстро пройтись по самым важным событиям в истории Египта, эта книга как раз об этом.
Материла изложен просто, без сложных дат. Указаны имена и описание правления самых влиятельных фигур, в истории Египта.
Материла изложен просто, без сложных дат. Указаны имена и описание правления самых влиятельных фигур, в истории Египта.
May 17, 2017
Mycket bra fakta som tar oss från början till slut
July 1, 2019
Asså jag älskar ju verkligen egyptisk historia o det va helt okej!
August 6, 2019
Not what I expected but OK.
June 10, 2020
It’s always fascinating to hear about ancient royalty and how they lived. This little tome delivers some really interesting information about Ancient Egypt and its rulers.
December 8, 2023
3 stars for pretty cool knowledge about Egypt
Interesting enough to learn how we call Egyptian pheroh's preserved bodies as mummy whereas this term is used for a technique from Persian community
Interesting enough to learn how we call Egyptian pheroh's preserved bodies as mummy whereas this term is used for a technique from Persian community
April 7, 2024
So much information in such a short book. This book is great! Love it!
January 21, 2026
As withall the other History in an Hour (audio)books, this is extremely descriptive. It provides an informative summary of what life was like in Ancient Egypt.
November 6, 2020
Listened to the audio version of the book.
May 20, 2015
A simple introduction to a huge subject. As someone with little-to-no knowledge of Ancient Egypt, I have came out with more knowledge than what I started with but I still feel like I've only scratched the surface using this book. Starting in chronological order, it starts with the unification of Lower and Upper Egypt by Narmer and ends with the suicide of Cleopatra. I liked the focus on famous Pharaohs and why they stand out from the many others however it would have been nice to know general facts about how ruling worked such as what exactly makes up a dynasty, how succession was chosen, explaining more on co-regency etc.
December 31, 2015
Good but obviously very short intro to Egyptian history up to the death of Cleopatra. I must have been a real dummy not to have known about Cleo's relationship with Caesar. Other than that, however, I didn't learn a lot that I didn't already know, though it's always fascinating and rather gross to hear about the mummification techniques again.
July 9, 2022
Very good introduction in Ancient Egypt. Too much information in a short book. Some parts were a bit confusing to me but it was an easy read overall. I learned many things about Pharaohs and the dynasties of Egypt. I am sure that I am going to read more about Egypt. I find the subject matter really interesting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews