Egyptian History Books Pdf

[Tammara Freimark]

Researchinga novel is a treat for me, because it means burying my head in books! Since my novel Song of the Nile is set in Egypt, my homeland, I already had a good deal of knowledge to bring to bear in the writing, so I did not need to read extensively on the culture and customs of the country. I focussed instead on reading history books.

I read widely on the subject, and found some books more absorbing and enlightening than others. Here are some of the books that I recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about Ancient Egypt. Be warned: read one or two books here and you may well become hooked! It truly is a fascinating subject, and there is so much to learn about this mighty civilisation that endured for over 3,000 years.

The only up-to-date, single-volume history of ancient Egypt available in English, The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt is a must read for everyone interested in one of the great civilizations of antiquity.

From Herodotus to The Mummy, Western civilization has long been fascinated with the exotic myths and legends of Ancient Egypt but they have often been misunderstood. Here acclaimed Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley guides us through 3000 years of changing stories and, in retelling them, shows us what they mean. Gathered from pyramid friezes, archaological finds and contemporary documents, these vivid and strange stories explain everything from why the Nile flooded every year to their beliefs about what exactly happened after death and shed fascinating light on what life was like for both rich and poor.

Lavishly illustrated with colour pictures, maps and family trees, helpful glossaries explaining all the major gods and timelines of the Pharoahs and most importantly packed with unforgettable stories, this book offers the perfect introduction to Egyptian history and civilization.

A comprehensive and authoritative illustrated guide to the deities that lay at the heart of Ancient Egyptian religion and society. It examines the evolution, worship and eventual decline of a huge pantheon, from minor figures such as Bas, Babi, Ba-Pef and Taweret to the all-powerful Osiris, Amun, Hathor, Isis and Re.

The art of ancient Egypt that has been handed down to us bears no names of its creators, and yet we value the creations of these unknown masters no less than the works of later centuries, such as statues by Michelangelo or the paintings by Leonardo da Vinci. This book introduces some of the most important masterpieces, ranging from the Old Kingdom during the Third millennium BC to the Roman Period.

The works encompass sculptures, reliefs, sarcophagi, murals, masks, and decorative items, most of them now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, but some occupying places of honor as part of the World Cultural Heritage in museums such as the Louvre in Paris, the British Museum in London, the Egyptian Museum in Berlin, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

Ancient Egyptian cities and towns have until recently been one of the least- studied and least-published aspects of this great ancient civilization. Now new research and excavation are transforming our knowledge. The Complete Cities of Ancient Egypt is the first book to bring these latest discoveries to a wide general and scholarly audience, and to provide a comprehensive overview of what we know about ancient settlement during the dynastic period. Divided in two halves, the book opens with an account of the development of urban settlement in Egypt, describing the pattern of urban life, from food production, government, crime and health to schooling, leisure, ancient tourism, and the interaction of the living community with the dead. The second half of the book takes the reader on a trip down the Nile from Aswan to the Delta, giving a comprehensive account of all cities and towns with details for each of their discovery, excavation and important finds, supported by maps and plans as well as recent photographs. This book is sure to appeal to all those concerned with urban design and history, as well as tourists, students and Egyptophiles.

Five sections explore the temples: Houses of Eternity looks at their historical origin, evolution and modern rediscovery; Buildings Fit for Gods traces the process of building and decorating a temple; Worlds Within Worlds examines each part of the sacred structures in detail; Between Heaven and Earth discusses the relationship between the temples, the pharaohs and priests and the gods; and Temples of Gods and Kings is the most extensive catalogue of Egyptian temples yet published.

'This book is presented in a fun and informative way for kids to learn from and enjoy. It is written in an easy way to read and follow. It is funny and also has some gross moments for the kids to read about. The illustrations add another level to this book, they are well drawn and appealing to children.' NetGalley Reviewer

'I have so far found it hard to find history books that are suitable for UKS 2 students who are not ready for full-on history books quite yet. This one is just perfect for them. There is enough information packed into this not-too-lengthy-or-wordy book to inspire further interest in the topic. It is written with lots of humour to keep children engrossed. A perfect history book for KS 2 students.' NetGalley Reviewer

'A fun and educational romp from pre-dynastic Egypt to Roman times. It has Jenner's trademark wit all the way through so children take in a huge amount of knowledge while thinking they've just spent the last half hour laughing at jokes about bodily functions. The fun illustrations add to the accessibility of the book. Highly recommended.' NetGalley Reviewer

'This book is full of historical knowledge and written in a very entertaining way; it brings in the reader as if it's a reality TV show. There is humour embedded through out the book, which makes it funny when reading such detailed historical accounts.' ReadingZone

'This cracker of a book will be of huge appeal to children who are interested in history in general and Ancient Egypt especially. For KS2 readers I recommend adding it to home, classroom and library bookshelves. With Roman Britain Gets Rowdy! coming in October, this promises to be a brilliant series.' Red Reading Hub

'A history book that isn't like any other one. I thought history was pretty boring until I read this one and it is brilliant, I loved it. 7,000 years squashed into one book, a lot of it making me laugh out loud, but a lot of that was because of the crazy black and white sketches everywhere and the chaos meter... I took it for my teacher to see and she borrowed it, she liked it so much.' Toppsta Reviewer age 8

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Ancient Egyptian Literature comprises a wide array of narrative and poetic forms including inscriptions on tombs, stele, obelisks, and temples; myths, stories, and legends; religious writings; philosophical works; wisdom literature; autobiographies; biographies; histories; poetry; hymns; personal essays; letters and court records.

Although many of these forms are not usually defined as "literature" they are given that designation in Egyptian studies because so many of them, especially from the Middle Kingdom (2040-1782 BCE), are of such high literary merit. The first examples of Egyptian writing come from the Early Dynastic Period (c. 6000- c. 3150 BCE) in the form of Offering Lists and autobiographies; the autobiography was carved on one's tomb along with the Offering List to let the living know what gifts, and in what quantity, the deceased was due regularly in visiting the grave.

Since the dead were thought to live on after their bodies had failed, regular offerings at graves were an important consideration; the dead still had to eat and drink even if they no longer held a physical form. From the Offering List came the Prayer for Offerings, a standard literary work which would replace the Offering List, and from the autobiographies grew the Pyramid Texts which were accounts of a king's reign and his successful journey to the afterlife; both these developments took place during the period of the Old Kingdom (c. 2613-c.2181 BCE).

These texts were written in hieroglyphics ("sacred carvings") a writing system combining phonograms (symbols which represent sound), logograms (symbols representing words), and ideograms (symbols which represent meaning or sense). Hieroglyphic writing was extremely labor intensive and so another script grew up beside it known as hieratic ("sacred writings") which was faster to work with and easier to use.

Hieratic was based on hieroglyphic script and relied on the same principles but was less formal and precise. Hieroglyphic script was written with particular care for the aesthetic beauty of the arrangement of the symbols; hieratic script was used to relay information quickly and easily. In c. 700 BCE hieratic was replaced by demotic script ("popular writing") which continued in use until the rise of Christianity in Egypt and the adoption of Coptic script c. 4th century CE.

Most of Egyptian literature was written in hieroglyphics or hieratic script; hieroglyphics were used on monuments such as tombs, obelisks, stele, and temples while hieratic script was used in writing on papyrus scrolls and ceramic pots. Although hieratic, and later demotic and Coptic, scripts became the common writing system of the educated and literate, hieroglyphics remained in use throughout Egypt's history for monumental structures until it was forgotten during the early Christian period.

Although the definition of "Egyptian Literature" includes many different types of writing, for the present purposes attention will mostly be paid to standard literary works such as stories, legends, myths, and personal essays; other kinds or work will be mentioned when they are particularly significant. Egyptian history, and so literature, spans centuries and fills volumes of books; a single article cannot hope to treat of the subject fairly in attempting to cover the wide range of written works of the culture.

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