The Pyramids: The Mystery, Culture, and Science of Egypt's Great Monuments

by Miroslav Verner, Steven Rendall (Translator)

Hailed by Science News as "the new seminal text, " The Pyramids is the most up-to-date, comprehensive record of Egypt's ancient monuments to become available in the last six decades. Distinguished Egyptologist Miroslav Verner draws from the research of the earliest Egyptologists as well as the startling discoveries arising from the technological advances of the 1980s and 1990s. His Pyramids offers a clear, authoritative guide to the ancient culture that created the pyramids five thousand years ago without iron or bronze, and with only the most elementary systems of calculation. As he explains the magnitude of this accomplishment, he also traces the stories and ideas of the intrepid scientists who have uncovered them.

Genres: History, Egypt, Egyptology, Ancient History, Nonfiction, Architecture, Reference

432 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Kiel Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly the scientific summary you want. Correctly (and concisely) obliterates all New Age charlatanism and builds a compelling evolutionary history from rude mastabas to 5th dynasty wonders of the world. Lavishly illustrated; an indispensable reference!

[Martin Empson · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://resolutereader.blogspot.com/20...

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just too much detail on the actual architecture and design of the pyramids and their associated temples with only extremely brief discussion of the history behind the culture that built them. It reads like a journal article that is 400+ pages. I as interesting as it was I feel like my brain melted a little bit reading it. Exceptional illustrations but what a grind.

[Jess Monnier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting information, definitely read like a sort of literature review of every pyramid found and every theory on each pyramid (as of the 90s). Would be useful as reference for specific pyramids, a little hard to just sit and read.

[Rajitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

everything explained in great detail

[DAJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are two English-language editions of this book: one published in 2001 (as a translation of the Czech original from 1995) and a major revision published in 2020. The newer edition differs not only in being more up-to-date but in being much more extensively illustrated, with a corresponding increase in bulk.

The natural point of comparison for both editions is the other major guide to the pyramids from the past 30 years, The Complete Pyramids by Mark Lehner. Both authors have impeccable credentials; Verner has been studying Fifth Dynasty pyramids for decades and is the greatest living authority on them, while Lehner has been studying Fourth Dynasty pyramids for decades and is the greatest living authority on them. But Lehner's book was published in 1997, so it's less up-to-date than the 2020 edition of Verner, and while it's better illustrated than Verner's original, it's about on par with the 2020 edition.

But I think Verner's book is thinner in its treatment of the societal context of the pyramids. It does contain a short history of Egypt during the pyramid age and discussions of the mortuary cult and the economics of pyramid construction, but Lehner's book feels more extensive in its treatment of how pyramid complexes functioned as religious symbols, as sites for ritual, and as hubs of economic activity. Verner focuses more on the architectural details of each pyramid complex—he dedicates several pages to each major pyramid site—and on the process of constructing a pyramid, which receives a sizable chapter at the end.

[Jimmy Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book comprehensively examines Egypt's monuments, discussing their sizes and current scientific views of Egyptology. The author mentions theories based on conjecture as well as those based on science and history. There are more pyramids than I imagined, and then there are the ones that are possibly undiscovered. I said comprehensive, didn't I?