Development of Religion and Thought in Ancient Egypt

by James Henry Breasted

James H. Breasted (1865-1935) was the foremost influence in introducing Americans to the culture of ancient Egypt. He founded the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago and was the author of History of Egypt and Ancient A History of the Early World , among other works.

Genres: History, Egyptology, Nonfiction, Religion, Egypt

408 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1972

About the author

James Henry Breasted was an American archaeologist, Egyptologist, and historian. After completing his PhD at the University of Berlin in 1894, he joined the faculty of the University of Chicago. In 1901 he became director of the Haskell Oriental Museum at the University of Chicago, where he continued to concentrate on Egypt. In 1905 Breasted was promoted to professor, and was the first chair in Egyptology and Oriental History in the United States. In 1919 he became the founder of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago.
(wikipedia)

Reviews

[George Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a very readable book regardless of its age and subject. But its greatness is found in an amazing lesson from history. Mr. Breasted effectively demonstrates how priestly literalism - driven by greed - undermined the development of a very precocious system of ethics that began in the Middle Kingdom by turning the wrongly named "Books of the Dead" into the equivalent of cosmic "get out of jail free cards" very similar to the infamous Papal Indulgences. A deep awareness of how this came about is essential to the ability to recognize the development of such nefarious trends in our own society. This book should be an essential part of the overall reading list of all public school systems. Moreover, it should be included in the dreaded, mandatory classes that tend to be the most feared by every undergraduate and that usually include the word "symposium" in their titles. The quality of his writing and the extraordinarily concise manner with which he covers such a broad and complex subject make this work a trenchant example of an important lesson of history, of amazing clarity of thought, and of the brilliant use of the English language.

[Venusian Vampire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great nook, written in a simple to understand language and explaining everything really well. Highly recommend it.

[Eng-shosho Ayman]

mgfhg