Handbook to Life in Ancient Egypt

Rating:
Summary: Kemet.org Book Review Posted!
Review: A wonderful book to replace the very outdated and patently racist "Life in Ancient Egypt" by Erman, David's coffee-table book about the worldview and culture of the ancient Egyptians is quite nice. Be aware of a tendency to read certain portions of Egyptian life as "coming from an outside source" (an oblique reference to the outdated "Dynastic Race Theory" that, sadly, still seems to be held to by some British archaeologists). Otherwise factual, useful, and filled with an excellent bibliography.

Rating:
Summary: Kemet.org Book Review Posted!
Review: A wonderful book to replace the very outdated and patently racist "Life in Ancient Egypt" by Erman, David's coffee-table book about the worldview and culture of the ancient Egyptians is quite nice. Be aware of a tendency to read certain portions of Egyptian life as "coming from an outside source" (an oblique reference to the outdated "Dynastic Race Theory" that, sadly, still seems to be held to by some British archaeologists). Otherwise factual, useful, and filled with an excellent bibliography.

Rating:
Summary: Helpful Reference or Beginner's Guide
Review: HANDBOOK TO LIFE IN ANCIENT EGYPT is a very helpful reference and the revised edition gives the most up-to-date information. It really is more like an encyclopedia. It is not necessary to be read cover to cover as such, although the reader can do so. It is divided up into 12 chapters covering 12 different topics. Some of the information, if pertinent, overlaps in the chapters, but is put there for completeness. The chapters are: 1 - Egyptology, Archaeology and Scientific Mummy Studies in Egypt; 2 - Historical Background; 3-Geography of Ancient Egypt; 4 - Society and Government; 5 - Religion of the Living; 6-- Funerary Beliefs and Customs; 7 - Architecture and Building; 8-- Written Evidence; 9-- The Army and Navy; 10 -- Foreign Trade and Transport; 11 - Economy and Industry; and 12 -- Everyday Life. There are also a Chronological Table, a List of Museums with Egyptian Collections, a Bibliography and an Index included.
This is a helpful reference for anyone and is especially useful to the person just beginning to learn about Ancient Egypt.

Rating:
Summary: Great survey!
Review: This book basically follows the same format for the "Handbook to life in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome" books of Adkins and Adkins. That's a good thing, since I enjoyed those books.

I have significant interest in Ancient Egypt but know very little about it. Most texts simply concentrate on the pyramids and other monumental architecture. This text gives you a much more balanced introduction and includes sections on history, religion, the military, geography, trade and economy, and daily life. It's organized very well. It has plenty of pictures, illustrations, chronologies, etc. There is a suggested bibliography at the end of each section to encourage research in greater depth.

Overall this is a very affordable and user friendly survey of Ancient Egypt that will service students as well as adults with no prior background to the subject.