Early Dynastic Egypt: Strategies, Society and Security

Rating:
Summary: A Professional Reference - "General Readers" Beware
Review: "Early Dynastic Egypt" is an excellent - indeed, probably indispensible - professional reference. However, it isn't necessarily suitable for most "general readers," even those who already know something about ancient Egypt.

The amount of factual detail in this book is overwhelming, as befits a scholarly work, but there is not enough interpretation or explanation to make the archaeology come alive for a non-professional reader. The book's lack of illustration (other than confusing line drawings of early dynastic seals) is another minus, both for scholars and general readers alike.

I was also surprised at Wilkinson's non-quantitative treatment of the archaeological record. Important numbers like population estimates and enclosure dimensions seem largely absent from this book.



Rating:
Summary: a must-have for all serious Egyptology students
Review: In this stunning book, the author chronicles the cultural, religious, economic and political developments which led to the construction of the pyramids. Divided in three parts, the author provides convincing evidence in relation to the five topics discussed herein, i.e. administration, contacts with foreign lands, establishment of divine kingship, royal tombs, and early Egyptian religion. A remarkable publication with great photography. Highly recommended for the interested student or scholar.

Rating:
Summary: a must-have for all serious Egyptology students
Review: In this stunning book, the author chronicles the cultural, religious, economic and political developments which led to the construction of the pyramids. Divided in three parts, the author provides convincing evidence in relation to the five topics discussed herein, i.e. administration, contacts with foreign lands, establishment of divine kingship, royal tombs, and early Egyptian religion. A remarkable publication with great photography. Highly recommended for the interested student or scholar.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent text for scholars or interested amateurs
Review: The reviews prior to mine sum up the strong points of the text quite well, it is an excellent resource for up-to-date (as of its publication) information and current models about the rise of the Egyptian state. The only criticisms I have are minor and some what nitpicky, but I'll include them anyway:
1) the paper the books is printed on is slightly glossy which I find extremely irritating as it catched light and returns a glare when you're reading (I told you this would be nitpicky).
2) not many illustrations - publishing costs being what they are, etc. I can understand the lack of illustrations and the choices made as to what to include, but clear understanding of some points, especially when discussing layout of sites, etc. is greatly facilitated by the inclusion of good maps, plans, etc.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent summary of a burgeoning sub-field in Egyptology
Review: This book replaces W.B. Emery's Archaic Egypt as the standard English-language introduction to the early dynatic period. It is a fine synthesis of the last century of work in the field and in specialist journals, including many recent discoveries (e.g., cemetary U at Umm-el-Qaab) and the most important discussions (e.g., Seidlmayer,Renee Friedman). Especially strong in dealing with the "new" archeology, the most important original contribution of this work is its analysis of royal administration in the 1st through 3rd dynasties. If the book does have a weakness, it is in its catalog-like treatment of religion: but the major references are given for the reader to follow out even here.