A History of Ancient Egypt

Rating:
Summary: Contradictory Information
Review: I have mixed feelings about this work. Firstly, it's a reprint of the original copyrighted in 1988. Consequently, the plates are of poor quality but except for the maps - you really don't need them; there are better sources.

The author has an unfortunate habit of mixing the AE and Grecian pharonic names willy-nilly. This will confuse all but the experts who won't be reading this work anyway since despite what the flyleaf says - this is not a very scholarly work; and the authors assumes too much on the part of his reader. I reccomend that the reader have by his/her side Clayton's excellant Chronicle of the Pharaohs when reading this work to clear up the inevitable confusion. To make matters worse, the author leaves out sub-heads which would serve as much needed guideposts.

My other complaint is that the authors translations of some the pharonic names are not completely 'accurate' - a minor point however.

I reccomend this work for the bookshelves of the beginner and intermediate student of AE history despite all but in conjunction with - not as a substitute for - Breasted's seminal (if dated) work. It is not an egyptologist's vade mecum by any stretch.

Rating:
Summary: Good book for the General reader
Review: I wld recommend Nicolas Grimal's 1988 work on Ancient Egypt to the layperson and the average reader. I personally liked his treatment because of his clear and concise prose. Grimal's book covers Egypt's Ancient History from the the PreDynastic period until 333 BC when Alexander the Great conquered Egypt Grimal does not attempt to mask gaps in Egyptologist's knowledge of certain periods of Egypt History and smoothly recounts the political, cultural and economic history of Ancient Egypt within a coherent sequence and well supported Chronology. Grimal's book holds up very well for the Old, Middle, New Kingdom and post-664 BC Egypt. However, his treatment of the late Third Intermediate Period does not mention a few of the more recent and important archaeological finds which have surfaced in the early to mid-1990's.

Since 1988, a new Dynasty 22 Tanite king--Sheshonq IV who ruled Egypt for 13 years prior to the reign of Pami--has been discovered. Pami's Highest date is now a Year 7. Egyptologists also accept that Takelot II was a Theban, rather than a Tanite king who ruled Upper Egypt concurrently with Osorkon II and Sheshonq III. Takelot II did not succeed Osorkon II at Tanis(Sheshonq III did) and is now known to have died around the 22nd Year of Sheshonq III as the Chronicle of Prince Osorkon shows.

All in all, it is certain that Grimal's book is a worthy successor to Alan Gardiner's invaluable 1961 'Egypt of the Pharaohs' work. There are few other Egyptological works that have the depth and quality of Nicolas Grimal's work here. Grimal is a master in his field--which is to be expected since he is a Professor at the elite University of Paris, Sorbonne. You definitely cannot go wrong with this book.

Rating:
Summary: Good book for the General reader
Review: I would recommend Nicolas Grimal's 1988 work on Ancient Egypt to both the professional Egyptologist and the average reader. I personally enjoyed his book because of his clear and concise prose. Grimal's book covers Egypt's Ancient History from the PreDynastic period until 333 BC when Alexander the Great conquered Egypt. Grimal never tries to mask gaps in Egyptologist's knowledge of certain periods of Egypt History--especially the serious problems in distinguishing the numerous Libyan era kings who reused the same prenomen such as Hedjkheperre Setepenre Sheshonq I & IV and Hedjkheperre Setepenre Takelot I & II--and smoothly recounts the political, cultural and economic history of Ancient Egypt within a coherent sequence and well supported Chronology. Grimal's book holds up very well for the Old, Middle, New Kingdom and post-664 BC Egypt. His careful treatment of the literature and culture of the First and Second Intermediate Periods is particularly commendable. However, his treatment of the late Third Intermediate Period does not contain an update of several of the more significant archaeological discoveries which have surfaced in late 1980's to mid-1990's.

Since 1988, a new Dynasty 22 Tanite king--Sheshonq IV who intervened between Sheshonq III and Pami--has been discovered. Pami's Highest date is now his 7th and Final Year, rather than his 6th Year, as an Annal document from Heliopolis--which records his Yearly donations to the local Gods of this city--attests. (Source: 1998 BIFAO article) Most Egyptologists today also accept the evidence from David Aston's JEA 75(1989) pp.139-153 paper that Takelot II was a Theban, rather than a Tanite king who ruled Upper Egypt concurrently with Osorkon II and Sheshonq III. Takelot II did not succeed Osorkon II at Tanis(Sheshonq III did), and is now known to have died around the 22nd Year of Sheshonq III as the Chronicle of Prince Osorkon shows. This important breakthrough has been accepted by Egyptologists throughout such as Aidan Dodson, Leahy, Karl Jansen Winkeln and J. Von Beckerath--the latter in his seminal 1997 German language book, The Chronology of Egyptian Pharaohs. The tomb of a king Takelot in the Tanite Royal Necropolis and a Year 9 stela of a Takelot have now been both attributed to Takelot I, rather than Takelot II by all Egyptologists, including K.A. Kitchen himself in his 3rd edition 1996 book on the Third Intermediate Period. The confusion in establishing the identities of these 2 distinct kings was caused by the fact that both rulers shared the same prenomen--Hedjkheperre Setepenre.

All in all, Grimal's book is a worthy successor to Alan Gardiner's invaluable 1961 'Egypt of the Pharaohs' work, and makes an important contribution to our understanding of the complexities of Ancient Egypt. There are few other Egyptological works that have the breath, depth and quality of Nicolas Grimal's study which takes up more than 400+ pages before you even reach the Bibliography section. Grimal is a master in his field--which is to be expected since he is a Professor at the elite University of Paris, Sorbonne. You definitely cannot go wrong with this book.

Rating:
Summary: there are better history books available
Review: In this book, the author attempts to summarize the latest evidence and theories on Ancient Egypt from the Predynastic to the beginning of Greek rule. The best to be said is that it has been extensively researched and some of the theories are interesting. However he reiterates himself too much and ignores crucial research. All in all, this is a book for both laypeople and scholars, but definitely one which must be read with caution.

Rating:
Summary: Contradictory Information
Review: The author does have some good points, but not everything he says is entirely accurate. Some of the pharaohs names are not exactly accurate and some information such as that on Nefertiti is not up to date.

Rating:
Summary: Its what I'll use unless I find something better
Review: This is one of the textbooks we used in a class at Columbia University. It is rather older than I'd ideally like an introductory textbook to be, but until I see a better and more accessible book this may have to do. I think Grimal (and Shaw) do a good job of interweaving economics, culture, and political history together; a rather difficult thing to do at times and there are moments of confusion in the text. However, many other books on Egyptian history focus on one particular issue or use one historical approach and those are just not appropriate for introductory texts in either the classroom or for the layperson. I think that if a teacher were to use other information in lecture or assignments this particular textbook is just fine for the college level.

Rating:
Summary: Its what I'll use unless I find something better
Review: This is one of the textbooks we used in a class at Columbia University. It is rather older than I'd ideally like an introductory textbook to be, but until I see a better and more accessible book this may have to do. I think Grimal (and Shaw) do a good job of interweaving economics, culture, and political history together; a rather difficult thing to do at times and there are moments of confusion in the text. However, many other books on Egyptian history focus on one particular issue or use one historical approach and those are just not appropriate for introductory texts in either the classroom or for the layperson. I think that if a teacher were to use other information in lecture or assignments this particular textbook is just fine for the college level.