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Gifts from the Pharaohs: How Ancient Egyptian Civilization Shaped the Modern World
In this scholarly yet accessible work, Desroches Noblecourt substantiates how the fundamental ideas, principles, and beliefs on which Western civilization is based originated in ancient Egypt. From the symbol of the lion as king of the animals to the design of Greek columns, she traces the evolution of ideas back to the pre-Christian era in Egypt. Anubis, with his head of a black dog, is an earlier form of Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travelers, while Saint George mounted on his horse slaying the dragon echoes Tutankhamen launching his harpoon. Even the customary kiss on New Year's Day was first practiced by the Egyptians. Egyptian innovations continue to affect our lives through medical practices still common today, including pregnancy tests, pills, inhalations, eye drops, and over four hundred drug names. Even cultural and leisure pursuits were derived from ancient Egypt: the harp is an elaboration of the Egyptian lyre, and the royal wife Nefertari played chess. Gifts from the Pharaohs is a fascinating exploration of how the ancient and modern worlds converge.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 17, 2007
58 people want to read
About the author
Christiane Desroches Noblecourt
43 books17 followersFamous French archaeologist, a specialist in ancient Egypt. She was deeply involved in the rescue and preservation of Nubian monuments in the face of the Aswan Dam Project of the late 1950's.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 23, 2020
Beautiful photography and expected insights regarding how Egypt influenced the world. Thorough in the sense of covering many topics and aspects of life, though each was, by design, just an overview. Some glaring typographical errors mar an otherwise stunning portrayal of Egyptian life.
I really enjoyed the clear portrayal of the Isis/Osiris story and its foundation to the Egyptian worldview. Also, the insights into Egyptian bestiary symbolism was fascinating. The observations about the zodiac and Egypt's strong ability to navigate time through the stars were fascinating.
While many of the historical explanations were thought-provoking and interesting, I found that the author failed to grasp many basic points when dealing with the way Egypt interacted with biblical/Hebrew thought. She repeatedly cites Egyptian symbols as the start of Christianity, but I think it is far more likely that early Christians (perhaps already familiar with Egyptian symbolism and stories) used that as a starting point on which to build the Gospel message. This practice is common throughout both scriptural and extra-scriptural evangelism, and it does not necessarily mean that the "foreign" source is the origin of the Christian thought. Also, Christians are extremely good at borrowing images that fit with the practices and messages they are trying to convey. Egypt certainly has a lot to offer in that regard.
In dealing with Old Testament content, the author argues that many of the biblical figures were aware of and participated in Egyptian cultural practices. And that was precisely the point for some of them--Joseph and Moses in particular--bookends of the same story, wherein Egyptian "wisdom"/learning/education serves as a catalyst to God's people achieving something significant. The strong likelihood that Egyptian culture had spread in some degree to most of the ANE does not negate the historicity of the biblical account; it indicates the strength of Egyptian culture, just as Hellenism indicates the strength of the Greek culture (and the way that religious groups gravitated to those images in their own day as apt common connections with the culture).
Lastly, I am intrigued by the "mysterious" 14th dynasty, which the author casually mentions as one potential time period when Israel was making its exodus. Huge implications.
For real lastly, we are most certainly unaware of how much of our lives retain connections to practices of early Egyptian culture. It spread far in its day, and many of its pieces have proved so effective that they are still functioning, perhaps in different guises, today.
I really enjoyed the clear portrayal of the Isis/Osiris story and its foundation to the Egyptian worldview. Also, the insights into Egyptian bestiary symbolism was fascinating. The observations about the zodiac and Egypt's strong ability to navigate time through the stars were fascinating.
While many of the historical explanations were thought-provoking and interesting, I found that the author failed to grasp many basic points when dealing with the way Egypt interacted with biblical/Hebrew thought. She repeatedly cites Egyptian symbols as the start of Christianity, but I think it is far more likely that early Christians (perhaps already familiar with Egyptian symbolism and stories) used that as a starting point on which to build the Gospel message. This practice is common throughout both scriptural and extra-scriptural evangelism, and it does not necessarily mean that the "foreign" source is the origin of the Christian thought. Also, Christians are extremely good at borrowing images that fit with the practices and messages they are trying to convey. Egypt certainly has a lot to offer in that regard.
In dealing with Old Testament content, the author argues that many of the biblical figures were aware of and participated in Egyptian cultural practices. And that was precisely the point for some of them--Joseph and Moses in particular--bookends of the same story, wherein Egyptian "wisdom"/learning/education serves as a catalyst to God's people achieving something significant. The strong likelihood that Egyptian culture had spread in some degree to most of the ANE does not negate the historicity of the biblical account; it indicates the strength of Egyptian culture, just as Hellenism indicates the strength of the Greek culture (and the way that religious groups gravitated to those images in their own day as apt common connections with the culture).
Lastly, I am intrigued by the "mysterious" 14th dynasty, which the author casually mentions as one potential time period when Israel was making its exodus. Huge implications.
For real lastly, we are most certainly unaware of how much of our lives retain connections to practices of early Egyptian culture. It spread far in its day, and many of its pieces have proved so effective that they are still functioning, perhaps in different guises, today.
Displaying 1 of 1 review