Private Life in New Kingdom Egypt Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Four people voted on the usefulness of my original review, and none of them found it helpful. I guess that is reason enough to try to rewrite it. Whether a review is pro or con, it ought to explain enough about why the reviewer made the decisions they made to be useful to the people who read the review.
My main problem with this book was the writer's style. The book read like one long catalog of citations, or an overgrown footnote instead of a book. I recognize that the author wanted to place herself within the context of current theories and demonstrate that she knew what that range consisted of. It would have been more useful to me if she had discussed the theories and her opinions of them. I found the lists of historians useless and frustrating. I kept wanting to get to the meat of the issues, but all I found was pages and pages of these lists.
It occurs to me that what I was reading was a PHD thesis and not a book. I suppose there is a place for published theses, but my bookshelf isn't one of them.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Private Life in New Kingdom Egypt

Click here for more information about Private Life in New Kingdom Egypt

Read More...

Complete Book of the Dead of Hunefer Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Thanks to Richard Parkinson for such an amazing full length miniaturized reproduction of one of the most beautiful so-called Books of the Dead! And for such a tiny price. I recall another accordi0n pullout of The Book of the Dead of Ani, albeit much larger, that was prohibitively priced. Hunefer's papyrus is shrunk to 5' x 4-3/8", about a quarter of the original's size. This is the closest most of us will ever get to seeing the actual papyrus of Hunefer in the British Museum. Seeing it all in one piece is amazing--considering that the papyrus of Ani was chopped into chunks. A few of the scenes are enlarged in addition so that we can appreciate the brush strokes and view the creative process of which colors and lines went on in which order. Amazing to think they accomplished that detail with red brushes!
I'm thinking of getting a second copy to remove the papyrus strip from the binding in order to ornament a wall like a wallpaper strip.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Complete Book of the Dead of Hunefer

This is an ancient "Egyptian Book of the Dead" papyrus, reproduced in its entire length as a pullout illustration. The whole papyrus published for the first time in its original continuous form. It takes children up close to a real "Egyptian Book of the Dead". Hunefers papyrus includes beautiful and detailed coloured pictures of scenes from the afterlife Ideal for children studying Ancient Egypt at school. It is published to accompany a major British Museum exhibition (4 November 2010 6 March 2011). Hunefer was a Royal Scribe, who lived in Thebes in Egypt around 1280 BC. Like other ancient Egyptians, he hoped that when he died he would be admitted to a wonderful afterlife. But many dangers and obstacles could stop you from moving successfully between the land of the living and the land of the dead. The solution was to take with you a collection of magical spells (popularly known today as a "Book of the Dead"), which would give you special powers to overcome the trials and horrors you might encounter on your journey. The papyrus scroll reproduced as a pull-out in this little book contains Hunefers personal selection of spells and it was buried with him.The spells are written out in vertical lines of hieroglyphs and some are accompanied by beautiful painted scenes, illustrating various important stages that Hunefer must reach, including a final judgement, before enjoying an eternal life. The original papyrus is 39 cm tall and 5.5 m long. It now exists as eight separate sections rather than a continuous scroll. It is published here for the first time in the form that Hunefer knew over three thousand years ago. The pullout image is accompanied by a short introductory text. The Author Richard Parkinson is a curator of Egyptian antiquities at the British Museum.

Click here for more information about Complete Book of the Dead of Hunefer

Read More...

The Gods of Egypt Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have always considered Traunecker's work to be of the highest quality. He has an insight into the mechanics of ancient Egyptian cosmologies, theologies, and mythologies that is both direct and free of unnecessary random (and rambling) thought. His assessments are clinical but always interesting, and his work on the El Qa'la temple site is NOT to be missed by anyone who can get their hands on IFAO's pub. Be that as it may, this short book packs a scholarly punch. All of Traunecker's hard-earned, on-site assessments of the gods of ancient Egypt -- their cults, qualities, relevance, and destinies -- can be found in rather tidy, enlightening fashion. A must-have quick reference for many of its tidbits...though Dr. Traunecker does contradict at least one or two minor points he previously asserted in some of his published work. Bottom line -- Immortals (and Immortalettes) of Ancient Egypt from one of the best pros in the business! Get it.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Gods of Egypt

Click here for more information about The Gods of Egypt

Read More...

The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Papyrus of Ani Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Taken directly from the papyrus of Ani, an Egyptian scribe, The Egyptian Book of the Dead is a great collection of hieroglyphic information. Everything about the passage into the underworld is described in detail. Not only that, you can also learn some of the Egyptian hieroglyphs as y ou read along with Ani. Give this book a toss in your shopping cart , all you lovers of Egyptian myth and culture

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Papyrus of Ani

The history of the great body of religious compositions which form the Book of the Dead, translated by Wallis Budge

Click here for more information about The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Papyrus of Ani

Read More...

Awakening Osiris: The Egyptian Book of the Dead Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have several translations already of the Book of the Dead, but this work is far more than that. If feel as if the author is speaking right to my soul, and built a bridge with words to a people that lived 3000 years ago, and a religious tradition that was rich and vibrant and filled with great mystery, power, and truth. Hers is a translation of spirit that is accessible to all who wish to accept it, and I believe the Book of the Dead, and in particular this addition, should be held up alongside the Bible and other sacred works as one of humanity's most revealing and inspiring works.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Awakening Osiris: The Egyptian Book of the Dead

THE EGYPTIAN BOOK OF THE DEAD is one of the oldest and greatest classics of Western spirituality. Until now, the available translations have treated these writings as historical curiosities with little relevance to our contemporary situation. This new version, made from the hieroglyphs, approaches the Book of the Dead as a profound spiritual text capable of speaking to us today. These writings suggest that the divine realm and the human realm are not altogether separate; they remind us that the natural world, and the substance of our lives, is fashioned from the stuff of the gods. Devoted like an Egyptian scribe to the principle of "effective utterance", Normandi Ellis has produced a prose translation that reads like pure, diaphanous verse.

Get 15% OFF

Click here for more information about Awakening Osiris: The Egyptian Book of the Dead

Read More...

Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Simply put, this is the best book on Ancient Egypt I have ever read. It's also the kind of volume one can only produce after years of careful study and thought. Over the last two decades, as he conducted extensive excavations at Akhetaten's ancient city of Amarna, Kemp has achieved an extraordinary depth of knowledge about Egyptian culture. Among other issues, his thematic investivation ("anatomy" is exactly the right word), examines the founding of the state, the bureaucratic mind, and the use of propaganda. Throughout, the author employs abundant visual evidence to support and illustrate his ideas. He also carefully connects this "other" world to our own, repeatedly demonstrating that we are far more closely related than we might like to admit. This is an ambitious book. As he notes in the introduction, Kemp's real goal is to reveal "basic aspects of human thought and organization." That he is so successful, is in large part due to the author's extraordinary ability to clarify the most complex ideas in lucid, engaging prose.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization

This comprehensive survey of Egyptian society and history transforms our understanding of this remarkable civilisation.

Click here for more information about Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization

Read More...

Papyrus of Ani - The Egyptian Book of the Dead Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)There are no hieroglyphs, phonetically written Kemetic words anywhere in this text. There is no foreword, editorial commentary, footnotes and citations on translation/ language nuances, etc.It's great if you just want to read the Pert em Hru (Book of the Dead) in English - no muss, no fuss. But from an scholarly standpoint, or for someone who wants to see the original glyphs as they read the translation, this Budge version is useless. I wish the book's description had made that clear to potential buyers.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Papyrus of Ani - The Egyptian Book of the Dead

Get 24% OFF

Click here for more information about Papyrus of Ani - The Egyptian Book of the Dead

Read More...

The Twelve Gates: A Spiritual Passage Through the Egyptian Books of the Dead Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book is about death and resurrection, both physical and spiritual, and "must" reading for anyone coming to terms with his or her own physical death. It is also compelling reading for those desiring change in life, or death to one's old self and spiritual rebirth. Dr. Rush first takes the reader on a facinating journey through death rituals around the world, then presents an overview of the Egyptian Books of the Netherworld, and details the symbolism he used for his own "death and resurrection" using the painful process of tattooing (see his other work, Spiritual Tattoo). The Twelve Gates comes complete with Gate Cards that allow the reader to accompany Re, the Sun God, through the Twelve Gates of the Underworld to be reborn.I found the dreams Dr. Rush reported at the end of each Gate to be quite facinating. Not only is this a captivating book in terms of content it is one of the most beautiful books I have purchased in some time. The Gate Cards are in color and the numerous plates are in color as well. The last chapter, Becoming Osirian, gives a set of simple directives for living a healthy, helpful, non-hurtful life, cautioning that humanity must come before God, and the road to your own godliness is through self-responsible behavior guided by rational and critical thinking. This is bound to be a classic.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Twelve Gates: A Spiritual Passage Through the Egyptian Books of the Dead

Get 27% OFF

Click here for more information about The Twelve Gates: A Spiritual Passage Through the Egyptian Books of the Dead

Read More...

Decoding Egyptian Hieroglyphs: How to Read the Secret Language of the Pharaohs Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is not a book for beginners. It is too full of mistakes, contradictions and academic hubris to rely on. The copy editor of this work should be boiled in oil. For example - the glyph for lasso is called a brazier. Albeit, some of the phrases are of value and the pictures are first-rate.
On page 127, an inscription is shown and the author berates the long-dead scribe for having done it 'improperly'! Great heavenly days!
Intermediate and advanced students of ME will delight in testing their knowledge by conducting a mistake 'treasure hunt'. But others should look elsewhere.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Decoding Egyptian Hieroglyphs: How to Read the Secret Language of the Pharaohs

Click here for more information about Decoding Egyptian Hieroglyphs: How to Read the Secret Language of the Pharaohs

Read More...

Life and Death in Ancient Egypt: Scenes from Private Tombs in New Kingdom Thebes Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The author examines the tombs of private persons, and describes their layout, decoration, contents and structure. Eleven Theban tombs (TT52, TT55, TT56, TT69, TT96, TT100, TT49, TT192, TT409, TT1 and TT359) are beautifully presented and illustrated. Heavily updated from its original German edition, this first English translation is a wonderful addition to public and private libraries. This book should be required reading for art lovers, Egyptophiles and travelers alike.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Life and Death in Ancient Egypt: Scenes from Private Tombs in New Kingdom Thebes

This stunning volume is a rarity among Ancient Egyptian art books in being devoted not to remains of royalty but to the tombs of private people--it is the first book in English on this subject.Sigrid Hodel-Hoenes leads us on an expedition to the cemetery used by the officials of New Kingdom Egypt on the eastern flanks of the Western mountain across from Thebes, between the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. She examines the contents of eleven tombs belonging to civil servants, the private people of this ancient city. (All of these tombs are currently accessible to the public in a vast open-air museum.) Lavishly illustrated, with many color photographs and a selection of line drawings, the book provides details of the location, layout, structure, and decoration of the tombs. Hodel-Hoenes addresses such subjects as the two-dimensional art of the Kingdom of New Thebes, the contents of the tombs, the pigments used in the artists' paints, and the symbolism of the colors and the scenes depicted in the tomb paintings and reliefsA generous bibliography facilitates further exploration of the tombs and their meaning.

Get 23% OFF

Click here for more information about Life and Death in Ancient Egypt: Scenes from Private Tombs in New Kingdom Thebes

Read More...

The Egyptian Book of The Dead Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I hate to say a hard word about a volume so many (including myself) have found so intriguing. The Egyptian "Book of the Dead" - a collection of spells, prayers, hymns, and instructions for success in the afterlife - is a famous, and widely misunderstood document, well worth a first-hand examination. However, potential purchasers should be aware that this is a reproduction of a Victorian edition and translation, and that Budge, the editor and translator, was industrious, sincere, talented, and from time to time brilliant, but already a bit out of date in his approach to ancient Egyptian, even when the book appeared in 1895. This Dover reprint is a monument to obsolete scholarship.
The volume was intended as a companion to, or substitute for, an extremely beautiful facsimile edition of a papyrus copy, which Budge had obtained in Egypt, published in color by the British Museum. The passage of decades has only compounded the problems. Budge's transliteration is obsolete, and his polished translations run roughshod over Egyptian grammar (the interlinear versions being erroneous only over the meanings of specific words). His history of scholarship covers the early decades of Egyptology in more detail than most will find necessary, but of course misses that latter nineteenth century (as well as everything since).
Still, before the appearance of a recent, computer-assisted, facsimile edition, based on the British Museum facsimile, with modern translations (The University of Texas Press, as "The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead"), this was as close as most people would get to one of the major manuscripts of the New Kingdom's "guide to the next world". My first copy is filled with several decades of corrections and annotations, and I bought a second just to enjoy the beautiful hieroglyphic font in which the text is presented. I am not telling anyone not to buy it; just don't take it as the last word on anything.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Egyptian Book of The Dead



The Egyptian Book of the Dead is one of the oldest and most influential texts of all history. It is made up of a combination of prayers, spells and speeches intended to aid the dead on their 'journey' into the afterlife.

Click here for more information about The Egyptian Book of The Dead

Read More...

The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I really appreciate that the publisher has put back in print R.O. Faulkner's translation of the ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts. I have not read other versions, but many modern researchers state that this version is the definitive version of these classic texts.
For those of you who do not know, the Pyramid Texts are the oldest sacred writings known, the first of them appearing in the Egyptian King Una's pyramid around 5,000 years ago! Despite their age, the pyramid texts are a lucid description of ancient Egyptian religious ceremony and belief. To have a lucid, literate translation of them brings the ancient writings forward to the present and starkly proclaims their relevancy.
My only complaint, and it is a minor one, is that the pages appear to be copies of an original, out of print, text. Thus, the reproduction is a wee bit fuzzy. However, to have access to an excellent translation of a very important work of humanity more than compensates for this minor quibble.
Lastly, the super discounted price on Amazon is a steal.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts

A collection of ancient Egyptian religious texts, "The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts" are taken largely from inscriptions on the walls and sarcophagi of the early Ancient Egyptian pyramids at Saqqara. The oldest of these texts come from the Pyramid of Unas, the last king of the 5th Dynasty while others come from the pyramids of the 6th Dynasty kings Pepi I, Pepi II, and Teti. Presented here is the famous and popular translation of Raymond O. Faulkner.

Get 27% OFF

Click here for more information about The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts

Read More...

Ancient Egyptian Myths and Legends (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading) (B&N Library of Essential Reading) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The details this book gives are extraordinary and the accompanying plates and illustrations are wonderful, though on occasion their quality is waning. I particularily found fascinating the study of the five parts of the being and their capabilities when the body containing them was alive or deceased. The influence of dreams is also looked at, albeit briefly. My only real complaint might be that since it was written in the early twentieth century, Pharaoh names and place-names are rendered differently, which is a bit odd, and the authors habit of referring to the ancient Egyptians as savage and primitive gets a bit annoying. I realize that this is only a reflection of the attitude of his day, and thus I will not hold such against Mr. Spence as the rest of the work more than makes up for these blemishes of preference.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Ancient Egyptian Myths and Legends (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading) (B&N Library of Essential Reading)

Click here for more information about Ancient Egyptian Myths and Legends (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading) (B&N Library of Essential Reading)

Read More...

Egyptian Book of the Dead and the Ancient Mysteries of Amenta Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book clarifies everything you need to know about the 141 negative confessions. It is a good book for those who are open-minded or somewhat know the origin of religion in it's connection to Africa or ancient kemet in particular.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Egyptian Book of the Dead and the Ancient Mysteries of Amenta

Click here for more information about Egyptian Book of the Dead and the Ancient Mysteries of Amenta

Read More...

Egyptian Ideas of the Afterlife Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is one of the oldest books of Budge, so that not expect too much from it. It mainly covers the Egyptian concepts about the Afterlife, so that it deals mainly with the mythological characters and customs of the mortuary realm. Although very speculative in several discussions, it still contains useful hints here and there, and its reading is a good source of ideas, whether for idle speculation or for researching forgotten aspects of ancient Egyptian religion. As always, if you are a beginner, in spite of being a book addressed to the general public you must be extremely cautious and check each and every quotation with other more reliable sources.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Egyptian Ideas of the Afterlife

In this volume, a noted Egyptologist offers a concise, scholarly exposition of Egyptian belief in Osiris, god of the resurrection; other "gods" of the Egyptians; the judgment of the dead and the resurrection; and immortality. Also, the meaning of the afterlife for ancient Egyptians and its ramifications for Egyptian society.

Click here for more information about Egyptian Ideas of the Afterlife

Read More...

How to Read the Egyptian Book of the Dead (How to Read) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)A slim book -- 100 pages or so -- but filled with solidly researched information. Barry Kemp is a practicing Egyptologist (working in Amarna), as well as a Cambridge University professor and scholar. I appreciate the fact that he gives not only his own carefully thought out opinions but mentions other scientists' opinions as well. He is a good writer, though he has a dense style. It has taken me a while to get through this book, but well worth the effort. There is more information in this small book than in many large books on Ancient Egypt that I have read. I have learned so much about The Book of the Dead from reading it, including the fact that it was never called that by the Ancient Egyptians, but called The Going Forth by Day. Kemp cites and examines many of the spells that make up the work, and the information he conveys along the way is illuminating. This book is well worth adding to your library of books on Ancient Egypt.

Click Here to see more reviews about: How to Read the Egyptian Book of the Dead (How to Read)

Get 60% OFF

Click here for more information about How to Read the Egyptian Book of the Dead (How to Read)

Read More...

Ancient Egyptian Medicine Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As a physician and Egyptian ,I have long history of interest in ancient Egyptian medicine.Most books on the subject are either incomplete or confusing. DR Nunn`s book fills a void long felt by students of the subject.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Ancient Egyptian Medicine

Get 43% OFF

Click here for more information about Ancient Egyptian Medicine

Read More...