dapperreads's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Have you ever wondered about the many things that are found in ancient Egypt? Cuz I am MIND BLOWN honestly. The things they built? Heck yes ancient Egyptians.
This book places the focus on the obelisk and what happened with them after they were discovered. Who paid to have them moved? What happened with them then? Well it’s in here.
My one beef with this book is that it felt like it was everywhere and nowhere all at once. We’re talking about obelisks and then the Statue of Liberty in the same paragraph. While it made sense…it felt more like a “fun fact” than an actual essential part of the book.
Now I received the audiobook version through NetGalley and this could be where my issues arise from. It does state that we’ll get the blips included in the book itself as well and so the random fun facts could be just that in the book - for example a photo is included with that fun fact as the caption - but that gets lost in audio translation. The narrator is one of favorites for nonfiction. There’s something about his voice that is just perfect to me for books like this.
I did enjoy it, though. I like books like this.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
jlynnelseauthor's review
4.0
The first chapter gives us a brief explanation of our understanding of quarrying and erecting obelisks, which is very little. The information provided, though, is quite interesting.
I love Brier’s reflection that while the mechanisms to transport these monuments have become more complicated the closer we get to modern times, in ancient times, these feats were so commonplace that they were not even recorded on tomb walls or documents. Apparently, erecting, taking down, and moving an obelisk was “just another day at the office” for the ancient people of Egypt and Rome. Kind of hilarious when you think about the difficulties modern people have had moving these items (hint, hint - they shouldn’t be moved!).
It should be noted that this book isn’t about admonishing the people who have moved the monuments; it’s about how they were moved and how little we know about ancient engineering. Similar to the Nefertiti bust, these monuments will not be returned. However, you will definitely hold a greater respect for the ancient people and their wisdom in building and erecting marvels that have stood for thousands of years.
The ending came rather abruptly. I was left thinking, “wait… that was the last paragraph?” There were also a few grammatical errors in the book. Maybe the editor had a few days off before the book went into print? So a few formatting issues. However, overall, I enjoyed the read and found it very intriguing with its information clearly laid out and easy to follow. Brier’s explanations coupled with historical photos helped to explain the complicated engineering feats for us non-engineer-minded people.
Of course, the book also confirmed my belief that Rome was the evil empire of the ancient world. Brier writes: "...today Rome has more standing obelisks than any city in the world--more than Cairo, Alexandria, and Luxor combined." That fact makes me very sad.
I love Brier’s reflection that while the mechanisms to transport these monuments have become more complicated the closer we get to modern times, in ancient times, these feats were so commonplace that they were not even recorded on tomb walls or documents. Apparently, erecting, taking down, and moving an obelisk was “just another day at the office” for the ancient people of Egypt and Rome. Kind of hilarious when you think about the difficulties modern people have had moving these items (hint, hint - they shouldn’t be moved!).
It should be noted that this book isn’t about admonishing the people who have moved the monuments; it’s about how they were moved and how little we know about ancient engineering. Similar to the Nefertiti bust, these monuments will not be returned. However, you will definitely hold a greater respect for the ancient people and their wisdom in building and erecting marvels that have stood for thousands of years.
The ending came rather abruptly. I was left thinking, “wait… that was the last paragraph?” There were also a few grammatical errors in the book. Maybe the editor had a few days off before the book went into print? So a few formatting issues. However, overall, I enjoyed the read and found it very intriguing with its information clearly laid out and easy to follow. Brier’s explanations coupled with historical photos helped to explain the complicated engineering feats for us non-engineer-minded people.
Of course, the book also confirmed my belief that Rome was the evil empire of the ancient world. Brier writes: "...today Rome has more standing obelisks than any city in the world--more than Cairo, Alexandria, and Luxor combined." That fact makes me very sad.
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