A History of Ancient Egypt - Hardcover

Grimal, Nicolas

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0631174729 ISBN 13: 9780631174721

Publisher: Wiley–Blackwell, 1992

Synopsis

This account of the rise and fall of civilization in the Nile Valley is the first detailed, reign-by-reign history of ancient Egypt to be published in English since Sir Alan Gardiner's Egypt of the Pharaohs (1961). Nicolas Grimal's description of the political and economic history of the Egyptians is recounted within the framework of an intricate and well-argued chronology. At a time when the vast accumulation of information from ancient Egypt is becoming almost too diverse for a single author to encompass, Grimal successfully transforms the raw archaeological sources into a coherent historical sequence. From the first human settlement in the Nile Valley (c. 120,000 BC) to the appearance of Alexander the Great (c. 331 BC), this history blends archaeological and textual evidence into a lucid and informed narrative. Numerous quotes from the original documentary sources, such as the funerary autobiographies of individuals and the official royal accounts of military campaigns, add a strong sense of atmosphere to the unfolding events. A full and up-to-date bibliography allows readers to pursue particular topics in greater depth where necessary.

About this title

Review

"Very up–to–date . . . The index, the illustrations, the bibliography and the tables make this book an excellent reference tool." La Croix.

"The range of recent revisions, particularly chronological, and the ever increasing amount of archaeological material demanded a new synthesis. Here it is, both lively and well written." Le Quotidien de Paris.

From the Back Cover

This is an account of the rise and fall of the civilization in the Nile Valley, covering the first human settlement (c. 120,000 BC) to its conquest by Alexander the Great in 333 BC. It is the first reign–by–reign history of ancient Egypt to be published since Sir Alan Gardiner′s Egypt of the Pharaohs (1961) and takes full account of the many archaeological, scientific and linguistic discoveries of the last three decades. The author blends archaeological and textual evidence into a lucid and vivid narrative and, by quoting extensively from contemporary sources, such as the funerary autobiographies of individuals and the official accounts of military campaigns, adds a strong sense of atmosphere to the unfolding of events.

Nicolas Grimal recounts the political, cultural and economic history of the Egyptians within the framework of an intricate and well–argued chronology. At a time when the vast accumulation of information from ancient Egypt is becoming almost too diverse for a single mind to encompass, he has managed to transform – without disguising current gaps in knowledge – disparate sources of evidence and the findings of many different disciplines into a coherent historical sequence. This is in itself a considerable achievement: it has also provided the means of presenting one of the most scholarly and at the same time most readable histories ever written of a civilization whose mysteries and achievements have fascinated the West for well over two millennia.

For the paperback edition a section of further reading in English has been prepared by Kent R. Weekes, Professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo.

Edition details

• Publisher: Wiley–Blackwell
• Publication date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0631174729
• ISBN 13: 9780631174721
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 528