The Pyramids : Their Archaelogy and History

by Miroslav Verner

Over the past two decades, archaeologists have made great progress in researching the pyramids. They have uncovered edifices buried for centuries under the desert sand and new technology has enabled them to conduct extensive investigations of the pharaohs' tombs. These discoveries have enabled us to answer some of the fundamental questions that have been asked about the pyramids for centuries: how did a people who lived nearly 5000 years ago, who knew neither iron or bronze and lacked mastery of elementary rules of calculation, manage to construct enormous stone structures with a precision seldom matched even by modern architecture? What culture, politics, and religion stood behind this extraordinary achievement? This text presents a contemporary account of the knowledge we have about the pyramids. It recounts the history of ancient Egyptian culture before and during the period of the pyramids, as well as the exciting history of modern research, which began when Napoleon's troops conquered Egypt 200 years ago.

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

495 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Kiel Bryant]

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!

[John]

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.

[Martin Empson]

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

[Jess Monnier]

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]

everything explained in great detail

[DAJ]

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]

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?