What Life Was Like on the Banks of the Nile: Egypt, 3050-30 BC

What Life Was Like

by Denise Dersin, Time-Life Books

The dazzling ancient Egyptian civilization, which was born by the river Nile and flourished for more than 3,000 years, captures our imagination as no other culture before or since. Their magnificent pyramids, colossal temples, and brooding Sphinx never fail to awe and astound us. But even more amazing are other artifacts, ones that the Egyptians never meant for us to see - rolls of papyrus, pottery chips, and tombs - that tell us about the people who built the grand structures that grace the Egyptian landscape.

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

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes, a book surprises me. By that, I simply mean that I don't expect much but get amply rewarded. This is a well put together collection of art, photos, stories, facts, and history, all of which focus not just on the ancient Egyptian rulers, but on the subjects themselves.

We can never know if the Egyptians reached the afterworld they dreamed of. But we can follow the people of the Nile on their earthly journeys and learn what their life was like.

Perfect summation of what this book holds. As I was reading this, I found myself far more absorbed in the ordinary details of the merchants and scribes and tomb-builders than I ever thought I would. This is due to easy text and well-placed illustrations to support the words.

For instance, the world of the workers who had to live away from the Nile sounds very similar to the world of the worker in a modern Silicon Valley campus. The Egyptian rulers wanted their workers to be productive, so laundry service was provided, fresh water was delivered daily, meals were made on-site, and housing was built. By doing this, the Pharaohs ensured their statues and monuments would be created by a productive and, relatively, happy group of workers.

"With a beaming face celebrate the joyful day and rest not therein. For no one can take away his goods with him. Yea, no one returns again, who has gone hence."

This is a very good read for a decent overview of basic life in ancient Egypt, and I recommend it as an accompaniment to Chronicles Of The Pharaohs . This way, the reader can get both the upper and lower class side of the Egyptians. I finished this book with a greater understanding of why the Pharaohs and their empire lasted far longer than any other ancient civilization.

Book Season = Summer (cool palm oasis)

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This account of the lives of the people of ancient Egyptians explores the civilization that endured for some three thousand years, build the massive pyramids, the Sphinx, and colossal temples. An extensive timeline, maps, drawings, and illustrations accompany the comprehensive text.

A glossary of terms, a pronunciation guide, and an extensive bibliography follow the text. Readers with an interest in the
culture of ancient Egypt will find much to appreciate here.

Recommended.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have an interest in Egyptology and are just starting to delve into the subject, then this book will provide a reasonable introduction. The Time Life editors commence with a brief narrative on Egyptian history describing major pharaohs and events. The introduction is accompanied by an illustrated timeline outlining the dynasties.

Each chapter addresses a theme of what was like in ancient Egypt and the editors include stories of real life individuals pieced together from surviving documentation. Also, there are mini essays, which spotlight and give additional insight to the overarching chapter theme. The book has a generous amount of photographs, a glossary of terms, a bibliography and the all-important index (thank you editors!).

Since I am fact finding for a story I am developing, this book has given me the big picture of ancient Egypt. It has also provided me with leads I can use for further, more directed research. However, for current historical views and discoveries in the 21st century (this book was written in the mid 1990s), then this book is dated. That said I do still feel it’s a good read for starting out.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this whole series long ago to help my daughter with an ancient history class. Of course that was my excuse. However, I have always been intrigued by the lives of everyday people in other times and places. Like all time life books, the pictures are beautiful.

[Julian Abagond · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Time-Life book, which means it has wonderful pictures and terrible narrative flow. The book is based on the lives of middle and upper class Egyptians that have been preserved in court records, like a fly in amber, with dates, names, places, everything.

[Foxfire0002 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great pictures. Unengaging read. Couldn’t finish it.

This would be a amazing book if it weren’t for the poorly written narrative of the story. It is a bore to read. And I wish I liked it more. Two stars for great pictures.

[Michael Duckworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

History. A footprint of the mankind written in 200 pages, well described and explained every event that happened in the past.

[Christiane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully designed, lavishly illustrated introduction to ancient Egypt.

[DAJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long years ago, this was my introduction to ancient Egypt as it really was, as opposed to the fictional portrayals I had encountered before. Because it's so firmly grounded in the realities of everyday life, as documented in Egyptian texts themselves, it still largely holds up today. Given how long ago Egypt's heyday was, it's sometimes startling to think that we know as much about it as we do, thanks to such chance survivals as the Heqanakht papyri (mundane family business), the autobiography of Ahmose son of Ebana (the military campaigns that forged the New Kingdom), and the wealth of evidence from Deir el-Medina (just about everything that can happen in a Bronze Age village). The book's prose fleshes out these documents vividly yet without too much embellishment. It sometimes even sounds notes of skepticism. It points out, for example, that some of Amennakht's laundry list of complaints against his adoptive brother Paneb may be invented, but it treats Amennakht's general portrayal of Paneb's character as accurate—because there are abusive jackasses like Paneb in every age. The text and illustrations convey ancient Egypt in all its beauty and grit (literal grit, in the bread, wearing down your teeth).

Because it's so focused on everyday life, subjects such as literature and religion are rather thinly covered, with some quotations of poetry and a summary of the story of Sinuhe being the sole instances of the former, and the latter mostly represented by funerary customs. But we do get a brief description of funerary texts and a taste of the surreal afterlife found in them. ("'You shall not tread upon me,' declares a menacing floor" is one of my favorite sentences ever.)

No Time-Life book is going to be everything you need to know about a subject, but for ancient Egypt, this one is a good place to start.

[Tamara Agha-Jaffar · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Life Was Like on the Banks of the Nile: Egypt, 3050-30 BC, edited by Denise Dersin and Time Life Books, offers a comprehensive and intimate portrayal of the daily life of a number of Egyptians from different walks of life. The volume is richly illustrated with paintings, artifacts, reliefs, maps, and diagrams of buildings. It provides a valuable glimpse into Egyptian life, belief systems, culture, and history.

Highly recommended for those interested in the history and culture of Ancient Egypt.

My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I suppose one could call this a coffee-table book because of its large format and because it has as many inches allotted to photos and diagrams as to text. I would dispute the coffee-table characterization in that first, graphics are an essential portal to understanding something of ancient Egypt, and second, what makes this book distinctive is its focus on individual Egyptians. From the wealth of surviving documents such as letters and legal documents, and tomb paintings and carvings, we can come to understand something of the lives of individual men and women who are not high-born. This is not a political, archeological, social, or military history; it is about individual Egyptians and the context in which they lived.

Over the years I've read a good many books on ancient Egypt and have visited Egypt; this slim book, coffee-table or not, is a window into another time and place as lived by real people. I enjoyed it tremendously.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The theme of this beautifully produced Time-Life book, as you would expect from its title, is what life was like in ancient Egypt. Although there is a brief time-line at the beginning to set the scene historically, the book takes a general look at ancient Egyptian customs and practices. It does this in four broad sections dealing with daily life, the pharaoh, warfare, and death, brilliantly telling the stories of real individuals from the hieroglyphic texts they have left, and illustrating these with images of artefacts, monuments and art. This is a sumptuous and informative introduction to a fascinating subject.

[Nancy H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent series. It gives background history of ancient peoples, and is well-researched and well-written. In this volume, life in ancient Egypt is examined and all aspects of early Egyptians' lives are explored and explained. It is fascinating reading and I am planning to read the whole series.

[Conner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does what the title implies, and it does it well. It is very interesting in what the Egyptions did all those years ago. It goes in-depth through those 3000 years on the Nile. It is a great book for those interested in Egyption life.

[Bradytom3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

One history that talk about the years in the past in Egypt history amazing

[Julie Brook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book with lots of great pictures of actual items. Stories of past people from recovered items also a look into the past

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

So women weren't often pharaohs, and apparently weren't priests or soldiers, but could pretty much do anything else, own property, and marry and divorce freely. I didn't know that ancient Egypt was so egalitarian.

[Fernando Pereira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muito mais do que uma história sobre faraós, este livro retrata toda a sociedade egípcia: as suas diferentes classes, como viviam, o tipo de educação que tinham, a forma como a sociedade estava organizada administrativamente, as suas crenças religiosas, etc.
As fotografias são espectaculares.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great combination of illustrations, factoids, and stories about specific people of the time (backed up by their letters, tomb documents, etc.).

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent photographs. Good overview of the period; it filled in some gaps in my knowledge base, especially with its visual time lines.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of Egyptian life! Great addition to this series.

[Cws]

J932Tim

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is amazing