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berenikeasteria's review
5.0
This was the go-to book throughout my undergraduate degree in Egyptology, one that I consulted more times than I can recall for preparatory class reading, source for essays, prompt for presentations, etc. And yet my knowledge of it was patchy because I consulted as needed – with so many different demands on my time, I never got to sit down with it and read the whole thing cover to cover; something which I looked to rectify this year. Having done so, I can heartily recommend it.
Let’s go through the negatives first. Yes, the print is rather small. Fortunately I was reading on kindle, but even the ability to increase the size of text does nothing to clarify the tiny maps. It wasn’t too bad a fault for me, partly because I knew most of the sites referred to, partly because it was easy enough to consult a map online. But I can understand how this would deter people. Throughout the text, I only spotted two major inaccuracies. There may be more that I simply didn’t pick up on, or because new discoveries can change the picture all the time; the edition I read is the most recent available one, from 2004. The errors were that the book stated that the last monarch of the 6th Dynasty was Queen Nitiqret – this is a much later misunderstanding by classical authors writing about ancient Egypt some two thousand years removed, and we now know that the monarch’s name was actually Netjerkare Siptah I and a king, not a queen. The second error was that David Peacock in the final chapter states that the Red Sea trade port of Berenike, established by Ptolemy II, was named after his sister – it wasn’t, for he had no such sister; it was named after his mother of that name.
Another criticism which pops up in reviews is the dryness of the text, but I consider that a neutral aspect of the book, heavily dependent on the experience and interest of the reader. If you have come to this book with no prior knowledge of ancient Egypt whatsoever, and no experience of academic non-fictions, you may find the book a challenge. It is quite long and, if not comprehensive, certainly thorough in taking its readers from the dawn of Egyptian history right up to its incorporation into the Roman empire, chock full of in depth analysis about state administration, religious nuance, and political shifts in agenda and execution. If you’re a newcomer, I would direct you away from this book, and to Ian Shaw’s Ancient Egypt: A Very Brief Introduction instead – shorter, much more accessible, and written specifically for the general audience.
However, I have to admit that I didn’t think the book was that dry. It was dense in material, to be sure, but it was written in a smooth, fluid style throughout that I personally found to be far more engaging and understandable than some of the other general histories of ancient Egypt I’ve been reading lately. Despite the fact that this book, like those others, is written in the format of each chapter submitted by a different author, and then edited by Ian Shaw, there’s a consistency of style here that makes me think that Shaw curated each chapter with care for tone and accessibility. This book succeeded far more than others at holding my interest and getting across its important points. In comparison to other similar books, I also felt this book got less bogged down in numbers and statistics. It didn’t hurt either that this book was more accurate and made less factual errors than either Toby Wilkinson’s The Egyptian World or Marc van de Mieroop’s A History of Ancient Egypt.
Until or unless I find a better academic overview of ancient Egypt than this one, I have to say this is my recommended go-to book.
10 out of 10
Let’s go through the negatives first. Yes, the print is rather small. Fortunately I was reading on kindle, but even the ability to increase the size of text does nothing to clarify the tiny maps. It wasn’t too bad a fault for me, partly because I knew most of the sites referred to, partly because it was easy enough to consult a map online. But I can understand how this would deter people. Throughout the text, I only spotted two major inaccuracies. There may be more that I simply didn’t pick up on, or because new discoveries can change the picture all the time; the edition I read is the most recent available one, from 2004. The errors were that the book stated that the last monarch of the 6th Dynasty was Queen Nitiqret – this is a much later misunderstanding by classical authors writing about ancient Egypt some two thousand years removed, and we now know that the monarch’s name was actually Netjerkare Siptah I and a king, not a queen. The second error was that David Peacock in the final chapter states that the Red Sea trade port of Berenike, established by Ptolemy II, was named after his sister – it wasn’t, for he had no such sister; it was named after his mother of that name.
Another criticism which pops up in reviews is the dryness of the text, but I consider that a neutral aspect of the book, heavily dependent on the experience and interest of the reader. If you have come to this book with no prior knowledge of ancient Egypt whatsoever, and no experience of academic non-fictions, you may find the book a challenge. It is quite long and, if not comprehensive, certainly thorough in taking its readers from the dawn of Egyptian history right up to its incorporation into the Roman empire, chock full of in depth analysis about state administration, religious nuance, and political shifts in agenda and execution. If you’re a newcomer, I would direct you away from this book, and to Ian Shaw’s Ancient Egypt: A Very Brief Introduction instead – shorter, much more accessible, and written specifically for the general audience.
However, I have to admit that I didn’t think the book was that dry. It was dense in material, to be sure, but it was written in a smooth, fluid style throughout that I personally found to be far more engaging and understandable than some of the other general histories of ancient Egypt I’ve been reading lately. Despite the fact that this book, like those others, is written in the format of each chapter submitted by a different author, and then edited by Ian Shaw, there’s a consistency of style here that makes me think that Shaw curated each chapter with care for tone and accessibility. This book succeeded far more than others at holding my interest and getting across its important points. In comparison to other similar books, I also felt this book got less bogged down in numbers and statistics. It didn’t hurt either that this book was more accurate and made less factual errors than either Toby Wilkinson’s The Egyptian World or Marc van de Mieroop’s A History of Ancient Egypt.
Until or unless I find a better academic overview of ancient Egypt than this one, I have to say this is my recommended go-to book.
10 out of 10
aspiringorakle's review against another edition
4.0
An excellent overview of the major periods of Egyptian history, truly limited only by the source material (which by nature is fragmentary and uncertain). On the whole, very well written, and got me more invested in the history of ancient Egypt than I was beforehand. One looks at the lifespan of an ancient Egyptian and wonders--25 to 40 years on the planet, succeeded by someone who lived about as long, in a place with almost 10,000 years of intelligible history behind it. Antiquity's psychological effect is almost incomprehensible to the modern person (for better or for worse!). Culture is treated much more sacred; your own life seems much smaller; you are much less likely to be confident and independent. Egypt displays some advantages to these mindsets; and some defects.
sandguardianxx's review
3.0
very informative, but I also kind of never want to read another book ever again?? is this what a reading slump feels like???
siria's review
4.0
This is a really excellent collaborative history of Ancient Egypt—though dense and detailed enough that it's probably only for the serious Egyptophile or the aspiring student. It runs from the Palaeolithic era right through to the post-Ptolemaic period, which is an enormous time frame, but Shaw and the other contributors do a good job of addressing all the main developments and key events—the only real disappointment is the chapter on the Amarna period, which fails to be as comprehensive as the others. Aesthetically, it's well put together, with plenty of black-and-white and coloured plates, maps, time lines and genealogical charts. Definitely recommended.
klettie's review
4.0
Delightfully concise, with an excellent and useful bibliography. A good starting point for anyone interested in studying Ancient Egypt. I would recommend this book to anyone without solid grounding in Ancient Egyptian history and culture.
spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
4.0
I probably would not recommend this book to the casual reader without at least a decent background understanding of the "basics" of ancient Egyptian society and culture. While the book is indeed as academically dense and information-heavy as it's been accused of being, I don't necessarily view this as a negative aspect unless you're not intending to read, well, an academic history of the entirety of ancient Egyptian history. Dense, yes, but I didn't personally find it dry or uninteresting; the writing style is engaging and not overly tedious, and the facts themselves are incredibly accurate, with only a few very minor errors here and there. Being only around 500 pages in length, there are of course omissions by dint of necessity, but the information provided is comprehensive and helpful nonetheless, making this an ideal book for anyone interested in a scholarly overview of the entirety of ancient Egypt.
alexctelander's review
3.0
The Oxford University Press, as many of you scholars already know, is famed for producing inimitable compendiums and texts that anyone interested in history or literature simply must own. And the have done it again with The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. While the book is pretty small for encompassing an entire civilization of dynasties, gods, beliefs, and thousands of years of ancient happenings, it nevertheless somehow manages to do the job. With tons of black and white photos, as well as many colored plates, together with an interesting and detailed text. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt tells the reader much more than they can ever hope to know about the most mysterious of ancient civilizations.
Originally published on October 21st, 2002.
For over 500 book reviews, and over 40 exclusive author interviews (both audio and written), visit BookBanter.
Originally published on October 21st, 2002.
For over 500 book reviews, and over 40 exclusive author interviews (both audio and written), visit BookBanter.
dostojevskijs's review against another edition
4.0
For a book that has to cover several thousands of years, Shaw has really managed to summarize the elements of the different Egyptian periods in a few that is easy to follow while making sure to cover everything that needs to be covered. Of course, it covers most things in a very brief way; and occasionally focusing on things I'm not entirely sure are the things that should be focused on... but I also realise that there are books written specifically about those things. As a go-to introduction that covers most of the basics... this has been my bible for the last few months. Except people probably take better care of their bibles than I've cared for this one... but hey, that's just proof it's been passionately read.
pqlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
This has been described to me as one of the best texts for ancient Egyptian history, but it's very tedious. Not easy to read, but full of information.