Excellent study of the diversity within Egyptian society.
341474
The Yacoubian Building presents a surprising survey of contemporary Egyptian society at a time when many people may assume that all Arabs or Muslims are the same.  The characters are believable and the story is engrossing.  My only complaint is that I wish the book were longer.
4962021
The book is large and full of portraits from diferent sites in Egypt, not only the Fayum, which are not always included in other books. It contains several articles from diferent specialists conserning the history, techniques, archaeological facts and findings as well as the dating of these objects, which are very usefull and enlightening.  Three fourth's of the book presents the portraits themselves and the study cases of each one of them. Unfortunetly, the portraits are not always full length page and all are placed on a white background. In this respect, the book by Berenice Geoffory-Schneiter, Fayum, is superior. Nevertheless, the book is nicely presented and a good basic book for those interest in the study of this fascinating cultural expression.
1390675
This book, as well as "Whatever Happened to the Egyptians" inform, very entertainingly, about the dramatic Social and Economical changes that has taken place in Egypt since Nasser's era. They also show how the Egyptian society in some situations has been blindly moving in the direction of westernization. The book is divided into different articles, addressing different aspects of the society, eg. income, marriage, etc..., which makes it very easy and more interesting to read.
I was one of Galal Amin's students in the American University in Cairo, and his very charming personality that always made his classes a joy to learn, vividly appears in his writings.
3417986
If you want to learn a bit about how the Egyptian civilization worked, problem solved, and about their culture this book will give some insight. Herodotus does well to state what he believes to be falsified, true, or indifferent. He is easy to understand and mentions things in this book that will make you think about how far back the Egyptians really date. One passage mentions mountain tops that used to be islands, now turned into a large valley. A fantastic first hand account of one of the most mysterious places on Earth. Oh yeah, and you can not beat free!
2522541
Van de Mieroop's book does a cover-all-the-bases job with Ancient Egypt.  As a student who read this for an Ancient Egypt college course, it was relatively easy to read but still included all the information.  In many ways, it makes an ancient civilization understandable since Ancient Egypt has a fairly complicated history, especially into the 2nd IP and later.  If you're looking for an Egyptian textbook, here it is!
3174013
Professor Dodson has brilliantly brought together the wealth of dated and current material on the enigmatic last years of king Akhenaten's reign and those of the following regents in Egypt's eighteenth dynasty.  Like other scholars of the period, Dodson's thoughtful weaving together of the available evidence is based on certain assumptions, something he graciously admits, but anyone fascinated by Nefertiti, Akhenaten, and Tutankhamun will find this book thoroughly intriguing.  It will be interesting to learn what other scholars have to say of Dodson's late Amarna scenario.

Two shortcomings: Some illustrations, especially those of N. de G. Davies' meticulous drawings of Amarna tomb paintings, are so small as to almost require magnification.  (The interested reader can find full page reproductions of Davies' drawings in "The Rock Tombs of El Amarna" republished by The Egypt Exploration Society, 2003-2005.)  And it is a question in the mind of this writer why Dodson does not mention the recently revealed absence of much of the ribcage of Tutankhamun's mummy--an almost certain indication of some kind of mortal accident.

All in all Amarna Sunset is a book to heartily recommend.
22209
Trevor Bryce is a highly regarded specialist in Hittite history. His scholarly articles focus on problems of Hittite history, mainly matters affecting the western half of the Anatolian peninsula -- Ahhiyawa and the Lycians. The first of his two recent books published by Oxford (of which this is the second), entitled "The Kingdom of the Hittites", shows the fruit of his close engagement with the best and latest research. In this second book, the subject of which is not quite as much his specialty, Bryce has written a lively and accurate account of what life was like in the ancient Hittite world (c. 1650-1150 BC). The chapter headings indicate his approach, which personalizes the subject matter. Instead of chapter headings like "Law", "Religion", "Art", "literature", etc., Bryce focuses on the person who operates in these spheres: scribes, priests, judges, farmers, craftsmen. In so doing he allows even old hands in his discipline to appreciate the information they already possess as seen in a new light, and makes comprehending the subject easier for first-time students. Oxford University Press has not cluttered the page with footnotes, but ample documentation is available in unabtrusive endnotes. For a hardback edition the rice too is reasonable, chiefly because the press did not indulge in glossy plates or maps. Readers who feel the need for more graphics should also buy J. G. Macqueen's book "The Hittites" which has a plethora of plates. Highly recommended for readers from high school through retirement home.
455694
This title is best if you live or have lived in Egypt, though the endnotes have enough information otherwise. I love this book.
571997
Ms. Hawker weaves the ancient tale of one of Egypt's longest dynasties with rich descriptions and excellent prose. Having read many her books she adept at portraying the world through the eyes and hearts of the women involved.
3354902
The worlds leading Egyptologist Zahi Hawass led one of the most important archeological finds of Ancient Egypt when the mummies of the late era of Ancient Egypt were found to be in remarkable condition. These mummies that date when the Roman Empire controlled Egypt and most of the known world. The sarcophagus of these mummies showed their faces that were painted with great detail and they also had hieroglyphic writing along the center. The mummies were not in a box per se, but were wrapped and bound tightly. They were arranged as per family side by side, and looked like they were all moderately wealthy and not as powerful or as rich as royalty. The information of the mummies and their possessions buried with them helps fill a missing gap of history of Egyptian life during the Roman Era.
Outstanding photos, interesting and insightful stories and commentary by Dr. Hawass makes this a very important book for anyone interested in Ancient Egypt. It is a sincere hope that the unrest in Egypt today will come to a peaceful ending and important historical artifacts like these mummies and the other wonderful sites and wonders of Ancient Egypt will be safe and secure and more discoveries will occur in the future. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BOOK!
155421
This is the perfect volume if you are looking for one book to read before visiting Egypt, or just to get a handle on the country. It is smoothly written, combining journalistic reporting with historical and political analysis. He is deeply critical of the state of Egyptian politics and society, and of official Western approaches to that country, but those criticisms ring true.
3856272
This is a wonderful book full of interesting information about the history of ancient civilizations. I personally enjoyed reading about the rise and fall of the various egyption dynasties. It gives an detailed look at the dynasties and how each ended and another began. The author did a great job of keeping the information interesting and yet easy to read. I would recommend this book for anyone who is remotely interested in the history of Ancient Egpyt and other ancient civlizations.
139286
I just reread this book, after reading it many years ago.  In the intervening time, I spent several months in Egypt, and moved to Morocco, where I have resided for nine years.  I couldn't put the book down, and read through it in about three days.  What most impressed me this time was the author's comprehensive knowledge of the Middle-Eastern mentality, and his intimate portrayal of King Farouk, Nasser, and Sadat--the author having not only lived in Cairo, but having met personally these three historical figures.  I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Egypt, or who plans to travel to Egypt.  My only other comment is that most Egyptian women would not be behaving as does the main female character in this novel, but they would think as she does.
260863
The egyptian book of the dead is a guide to the perils that await the deceased on their journey towards immortality. It is also one of the earliest examples of literature, a book considered by many to be the starting point of the western canon.

Unfortunately, our knowledge of ancient Egypt is sketchy at best. As the egyptians began to convert to christianity, their ancient script was dropped in favour of greek, and by the fifth century of our era, was largely out of use. Close to 1500 years would pass before it would be decyphered again by the pioneering french egyptologist, Champollion.

Fifteen hundred years of abandonment is a long time, but more so in the case of a polytheistic culture who's essence was much at odds with the monotheistic, hellenized culture taking root in the land, a situation which would change little with the arrival of islam a couple of centuries later.

This historical context has contributed in no small measure to the destruction, over the centuries, of ancient egyptian archaelogical, cultural and linguistic evidence. To the point that by the time the study of ancient Egypt first began in ernest two hundred years ago, much had been lost, and what had survived had to go through the ham-fisted methods of 19th century archaelogy (the Ani papyrus itself was cut into some three dozen fragments after its discovery by british anthropologist Wallis Budge).

Given this situation, it is hardly surprising that the book of the dead is a difficult manuscript even to seasoned egyptologists. The text is not only incorrectly transcribed at times (good scribes were a rarity in a largely illiterate society), but it is also full of obscure religious and cultural references. The commentary at the end of the book helps elucidate some passages, but comes far short of clarifying such a difficult  book.

This being said, the book, despite these shortcomings, is really quite beautiful. The text has a poetic, almost musical, quality that reminds one of modern authors such as Borges (a declared admirer of the text). So, despite the difficulty understanding the book fully, one can appreciate its intrinsic aescetic qualities. In addition, the color illustrations are fantastic, and are faithfully reproduced in this edition thanks to computer editing.

Overall, a great addition to anyones library. A titanic witness to that other never-ending journey which is mankind's pursuit of knowledge.
2821175
Very interesting look into the muslim women under the veils, and the wealthier westernized men living in a very conservative Saudi Arabia. What surprised me was that the most beautiful women actually like the veiling (and are dressed very stylishly under it) since then the men on the street don't harass them. The other westernized women say it is much too hot to wear in Saudi, but they must wear it by law.
I am going to pass on the book to my teenage niece, who is currently learning about other cultures in school. The book gives a lot more insight into the muslim lifestyle than a Social Studies textbook ever will.
2944698
While there is already a strong body of work from the likes of Anthony Browder showing that at least some of the Ancient Egyptians were Black Africans, it is two white guys, Robert Bauval and Thomas Brophy, who show without a doubt that Imhotep, celebrity doctor, architect, engineer and, um, Renaissance man of his time, was a Black African. Strong academic research backs it all up. Bravo Bauval & Brophy!
4535190
This book was much more interesting than I had thought it would be.
Highly recommend it to those interested in Ancient Egyptian History, etc.