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The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (Oxford Illustrated Histories)
 
 
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The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (Oxford Illustrated Histories) (Hardcover)

by Ian Shaw (Editor) "All history is clearly reliant on some form of chronological framework, and a great deal of time has been spent on the construction of such..." (more)
Key Phrases: fivefold titulary, royal mortuary cult, subsidiary burials, Middle Kingdom, Upper Egypt, Early Dynastic (more...)
4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)


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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
One of the most vexing problems in Egyptology is the question of establishing reliable chronologies, whether through relative methods such as stratigraphy and the dating of artifacts or through more absolute time horizons established by astronomical ephemera or radiometric dating. In this overview of ancient Egypt--meant for advanced students, but accessible to general readers with an interest in the area--Ian Shaw and 13 contributors pay close attention to issues of chronology, reconciling conflicts of dating that mark older scholarship.

While doing so, they address other problems in the study of ancient Egypt, such as the lack of material evidence of early humans in the region and the increasing destruction of sites in the face of contemporary urban growth. Elsewhere, they remark on the principal developments that distinguish periods in Egyptian prehistory, such as the Old Kingdom's use of large-scale building projects to consolidate power and "remind people of the greatness of pharaonic civilization," and the Middle and New kingdoms' apparent openness to foreigners, which lent Egypt a cosmopolitan, multicultural air that persisted for centuries during long periods of domination by outside powers such as Persia and Rome. Highly useful as a reference and survey, this handsomely illustrated book is a fine addition to any Egyptophile's collection. --Gregory McNamee

Review
`This splendid, lavishly ilustrated book is the only single-volume work to cover 700,000 years of Ancient Egypt from the stone age to Roman conquest.' Roddy Phillips, Aberdeen Press and Journal, 30th Sept. 00.

`an excellent choice for enthusiasts and novices alike; even better if you can persuade someone to buy for you as a present.' Roddy Phillips, Press and Journal, 30th Sept. 00.

`This splendid, lavishly illustrated book is the only single-volume work to cover 700,000 years of Ancient Egypt from the stone age to Roman conquest ... Lucidly edited by Ian Shaw ... you get the facts without the dust.' Roddy Phillips, Press and Journal, 30th Sept. 00.

`From the Stone Age to the Roman occupation in the fourth centry AD, the mighty Egyptian dynasties are brought to life in almost 450 pages ... never anything but deeply informative, without losing sight of the essential attribute of any book - readability.' Peter Leach, North West Evening Mail, Sat 7th Oct 2000.

`both stimulating to the casual reader or keen-to-learn holiday maker and the serious student alike.' Peter Leach, North West Evening Mail, Sat 7th Oct 2000.

`The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt is brimming with ... intriguing facts ... it also provides a first-rate overview of - le progress Egyptien - from the period when Homo erectus first stalked the land right up to Octavian's triumphant entry into Egypt in 30 BC.' Douglas Kennedy, The Times, 11th Oct. 2000.

`The approach combines traditional chronological history with cultural and social historical material to produce a well rounded picture.' Antiquity 75

`chapters covering prehistory and the intermediate periods are particularly good, with Seidlmayer on the First Intermediate Period and Bourriau on the Second Intermediate Period outstanding. Bryan's chapter on the 18th Dynasty before the Amarna Period is also particularly good.' Antiquity 75

`If you only want to read one book on Egypt, then read this one.' The Northern Echo

`even people who consider themselves as experts on Ancient Egypt will find much to set them thinking: And while such Egyptologists will have a field day, the casual reader will find plenty to arouse their interest, ranging from the story of the world's first strike ... to the revelation that Scotland Yard possesses a print taken from the hand of a mummy.' The Northern Echo

See all Editorial Reviews


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 512 pages
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; illustrated edition edition (December 14, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0198150342
  • ISBN-13: 978-0198150343
  • Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #166,937 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #28 in  Books > History > Ancient > Africa
    #83 in  Books > History > Ancient > Egypt

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  • In-Print Editions: Paperback  |  All Editions


Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
All history is clearly reliant on some form of chronological framework, and a great deal of time has been spent on the construction of such dating systems for ancient Egypt. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
fivefold titulary, royal mortuary cult, subsidiary burials, funerary enclosures, pharaonic civilization, great royal wife, pharaonic culture, pharaonic period, pharaonic state, cosmetic palettes, biographical inscriptions, late predynastic, funerary equipment, royal titulary, funerary cult, boat burials, victory stele, pyramid complex, blade production, platform cores, royal monuments, mortuary temple, private tombs, royal cemetery, pharaonic times
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Middle Kingdom, Upper Egypt, Early Dynastic, Third Intermediate Period, Lower Egypt, Eastern Desert, Turin Canon, Red Sea, Second Intermediate Period, Valley of the Kings, North Saqqara, Middle Palaeolithic, Roman Egypt, Late Palaeolithic, Near East, Sea Peoples, Medinet Habu, Palermo Stone, Wadi Hammamat, Deir Rifa, Gebel Barkal, Mons Claudianus, Early Neolithic, Middle Bronze Age, Zest Dynasty
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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
173 of 179 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Phenomenal Introduction to Egyptology, January 5, 2001
By Jonathan Bailey (Lawton, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I cannot praise this book enough. Unfortunately in academic areas, introductions and overviews to various fields, particularly broad histories, tend to reflect the opinions and suppositions of the authors much more than render the actual environment they are working in. This book proves to be a rare exception to this sad fact and sets a standard of scholarship to be emulated by all researchers of the ancient world. Never in egyptology, assyriology, or biblical studies have I found a history that did such a wonderful job of laying out the textual and archaeological finds that scholars base their judgments upon. This is important to me, as I am in disagreement with many scholarly communities about issues of chronology. This book, rather than simply laying out tables and dates, supplements those tables with actual references to the texts and archaeological items that have lead scholars to date things the way they have, pointing out inconsistancies and uncertainties along the way.

After reading this book, I have become convinced that the history of Egypt is not as well known as most books on Egypt would have us believe.

The book is a mammoth undertaking, attempting to chronicle the history of Egypt from prehistory until 311 BC. Introductory sections on the state of research and certainty of chronolology are extremely enlightening. I was particularly impressed with the chapters on prehistory and the naqada culture, in which the archeological evidence and its interpretation were expressely explained to the reader, allowing the reader to agree or disagree with the authors as they wish. My only complaint is that the book, being an anthology of essays by a variety of scholars, shows some inconsistancy in its thoroughness. The chapter on the 18th dynasty reads a little like standard books on the subject, that is, the reader is kept from the evidence to support the author's view and the author seems to have trouble distinguishing his own suppositions from the facts of history, at times appearing a little tendentious.

Overall, this book is the best history of an ancient culture that I have yet read.



 
58 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars If you read one book about Ancient Egypt, read this one., February 3, 2003
As a quote expresses on the back of this book, "If you only want to read one book on Egypt, then read this one." Ian Shaw's history of ancient Egypt is a beautifully constructed volume that is at once densely packed with information and high in its level of scholarship, and aesthetically appealing and fairly accessible. The book surveys Egyptian history from 700,000 years before the present through the Roman period (ending in AD 395). This is an enormous task, and one might assume that the book could only be very summary and superficial in its treatment of each period. However, every member of Shaw's team of scholars manages to describe his or her period of expertise in a good amount of detail, discussing not only historical events but also art, religion, economics, and material culture. The book thus very successfully follows current trends in history of approaching periods from myriad points of view. Equally importantly, each author discusses the current problems and debates in the scholarship of his or her field. The multi-author approach allows the reader insight into the nature of research for each stage of Egyptian history: the reader gets a sense of the way in which research is conducted, the modes of analysis applied, and the style and terms of discussion. This book serves as an introduction to Egyptian historiography and to the nature of the study of ancient history almost as much as it serves as an introduction to ancient Egypt itself. Thus, The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt manages a high level of scholarship while remaining a useful survey of a huge span of time and culture. Readers who are unfamiliar with archaeological language might find some of the articles in this volume slightly more difficult than others, but there is a decent glossary in the back, and it is more the scholarly tone than the actual material that needs getting used to. Any reader who is genuinely interested in the topic will be able to read through this entire book without much trouble. My only reservation is this: the highly dense nature of the text means that it is occasionally a bit of a slow read. I read the book for a graduate class with Egyptologist David O'Connor (excavator of Abydos; you will see him mentioned several times in the book) and it took me about a week of constant focus. On the whole, though, this is a remarkable book and probably the best existing introduction to ancient Egypt. With a publication date of 2002, it is also the most up-to-date.


 
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Encyclopedic work, April 17, 2006
By Neutiquam Erro (Isles of Llyonnesse) - See all my reviews
The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt is really more of an encyclopedia than a narrative history. Each of its 15 chapters is written by a different author, presumably an expert in the particular time period under study. This lends itself to a disjointed style as each author presents an overwhelming welter of archeological facts in an effort to deal with their own view of the controversies in the assigned area. While no doubt providing the experienced Egyptologist with fine details is important, the casual reader will find the book a dense and confusing read. The details of stone-age arrowhead manufacture or the various types of thrown pottery in the First Intermediate Period tend to obscure the bigger picture. As a prerequisite for reading this book I would recommend something lighter and more cohesive such as "A History of Ancient Egypt" by Grimal.

That said, the book is definitely a significant resource for anyone interested in Egyptian history. It covers the Egyptian state from prehistory through its incorporation into the Roman empire. Three chapters cover the pre-dynastic period including one on the Paleolithic period, one on the Naqada period and one entitled "Emergence of the Egyptian State" (Dynasties 0-2). Subsequent chapters for the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms (2 chapters for the last of these) and the Intermediate Periods follow. A rather strange and slightly redundant chapter, entitled "Egypt and the Outside World" is located just prior to the article on the Third Intermediate period. Its insertion here seems an afterthought as it covers the material of several preceding chapters using a topical, rather than chronologic, approach. Finally, several shorter chapters cover the Late Period, the Ptolemaic Period and the Roman Period. The book has a substantial further reading list and glossary as well as a tabular chronology, and index. It is well illustrated, with many black and white pictures, extensive maps and approximately 40 colour plates. Unfortunately, there is often a disconnect between the written material and the plates and pictures, leaving the reader confused as to their purpose.

I would definitely recommend this book as a scholarly or reference resource due to its detailed approach but I would suggest it not be the first book you read if you are a casual reader, interested in understanding the sweep of Egyptian history.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars you get the basics, but the narrative is as dessicated as, well, a mummy
This has got to be one of the most boring history books that I have read in years, and I read a lot of them.
Published 8 months ago by Robert J. Crawford

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
I bought this book for a class in Egyptology as required course material but it is so well written and has great pictures and information that instead of selling it after the...
Published 21 months ago by Kimberly K. Owens

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing
This book is a collection of dry essays written with poor cohesion. It's as if the sum editiorial guidance was "Write something about the second intermediate period.
Published on January 5, 2007 by David Weisman

3.0 out of 5 stars Bone Crunching Read
First of all, do not buy the non-illustrated version of this book, it is too hard to follow without some form of visual reference imo.
Published on January 8, 2006 by aberham linkin

5.0 out of 5 stars So Rameses II had 85 kids...
This is a very thorough history on Ancient Egypt. All aspects of Egyptian history and society are addressed- chronology, history, religion, and culture.
Published on December 20, 2005 by Rob

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Work
A wonderfully complete work this book deals with all periods of Ancient Egypt stretching far back into pre-history. It is a rather difficult read but well worth it.
Published on September 22, 2005 by Patrick Salland

3.0 out of 5 stars Thorough but unbelievably dry.
I am admittedly not a specialist in Egyptology; a fairly thorough survey is all I was looking for. However, I do read a lot of history (as well as law, philosophy, literature), so...
Published on September 10, 2005 by A. M. Whalen

4.0 out of 5 stars A very thorough account
Starting, as I did, with the most superficial knowledge of Ancient Egypt, this book was an incredibly useful review.
Published on April 30, 2005 by Ogen Perry

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough, Scholarly but hard work
The work in this book is presented in a thorough and detailed manner, covering the whole fascinating history of ancient Egyptian civilization.
Published on March 21, 2005 by Carwash

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent update on Ancient Egypt
This is a first rate book on the General History of Ancient Egypt from Pre-Historic times until the end of the Roman Empire.
Published on January 6, 2005 by Fabian Boudville

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