The Twilight of Ancient Egypt: First Millennium B.C.E. Review

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(More customer reviews)This book presents the period between the fall of the New Kingdom to the end of the 25th Dynasty, from the 11th to the 4th century BCE. Providing great details on this little-known time period, the author uses the small amount of evidence to explain and describe the numerous puzzles of the era. Political, economical and cultural aspects are covered. The last chapter deals with recent Polish archaeological work in Egypt up to the Byzantine period. Well illustrated in black and white, and well translated by David Lorton, this is an excellent book covering much information. A very useful book, which should be recommended reading for everyone.

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Karol Mysliwiec surveys a turbulent time in Ancient Egyptian culture and history--the eight hundred years between the eleventh century B.C.E. and the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.E., after which Egypt became part of the Hellenistic world. It was a time when Libyans, Kushites, Persians, and Greeks ascended to the throne more frequently than did indigenous kings. The history of this phase of pharaonic Egypt, marked by rapid changes in rule, has been relatively neglected until now.Egypt had become increasingly involved in the affairs of its Near Eastern neighbors (Assyria, Babylon, and Persia) and of the Mediterranean world. These many cultures greatly enriched and influenced pharaonic traditions. At the same time, Egyptian civilization extended far beyond the borders of Egypt itself. One of the most important cultural products of this period is the Old Testament, called here "an inestimable source of information on daily life in pharaonic Egypt."Mysliwiec perceives in recent archaeological discoveries clear evidence that the first millennium B.C.E. was witness to more than a slow, progressive dying out of the pharaonic past; new and creative elements profoundly altered the culture of Ancient Egypt.Originally published in Polish, The Twilight of Ancient Egypt appeared in 1998 in a German edition. The Cornell edition has been updated by the author and also contains previously unpublished photographs of recently discovered treasures.

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