Scan barcode
A review by nelsta
The History of Ancient Egypt by Bob Brier
5.0
The history of Ancient Egypt is incredible. This collection is a mere summary of its 3,000+ year history and it spans twenty-four hours of lectures. It was difficult for me to comprehend one nation's history enveloping so much time until Dr. Brier pointed out all the places Egyptian influence can be found. I grew up learning that civilization began with the Fertile Crescent, but I'm convinced by Dr. Brier's argument that culture begins with Ancient Egypt.
This lecture series proceeds through Egyptian history in chronological order with a handful of exceptions. Dr. Brier--called Mr. Mummy--discusses religion, writing, culture, history, geography, architecture, and more in forty-eight lectures. The whole thing is well done, but I felt like everything after the eighteenth dynasty was covered in increasingly rapid summarization. Just about the entire Ptolemaic dynasty (300 years) is summarized in two lectures. When history covers three millennia, cuts have to be made, but I was left wishing that the final years of ancient Egypt had been given more attention.
One of the most incredible things I learned was that the pyramids were built in the Old Kingdom (the first of three semi-unique civilizations in Egypt), long before most of the history with which I'm familiar. Egypt had its own archaeologists studying ancient Egyptian structures like the pyramids, the Sphinx, and other temples to the gods. Imagine a civilization so old that it has archaeologists studying its own buildings from three thousand years before. I was in awe from start to finish. I also enjoyed Dr. Brier's descriptions of the "Joseph in Egypt" and Exodus stories. It was remarkable to learn about them from the point of view of an egyptologist.
If you have any interest in Egypt, consider picking these lectures up. It's long, but not bland or boring. It was interesting enough to keep me engaged for ten straight days of listening, which is more than I can say for other reads.
This lecture series proceeds through Egyptian history in chronological order with a handful of exceptions. Dr. Brier--called Mr. Mummy--discusses religion, writing, culture, history, geography, architecture, and more in forty-eight lectures. The whole thing is well done, but I felt like everything after the eighteenth dynasty was covered in increasingly rapid summarization. Just about the entire Ptolemaic dynasty (300 years) is summarized in two lectures. When history covers three millennia, cuts have to be made, but I was left wishing that the final years of ancient Egypt had been given more attention.
One of the most incredible things I learned was that the pyramids were built in the Old Kingdom (the first of three semi-unique civilizations in Egypt), long before most of the history with which I'm familiar. Egypt had its own archaeologists studying ancient Egyptian structures like the pyramids, the Sphinx, and other temples to the gods. Imagine a civilization so old that it has archaeologists studying its own buildings from three thousand years before. I was in awe from start to finish. I also enjoyed Dr. Brier's descriptions of the "Joseph in Egypt" and Exodus stories. It was remarkable to learn about them from the point of view of an egyptologist.
If you have any interest in Egypt, consider picking these lectures up. It's long, but not bland or boring. It was interesting enough to keep me engaged for ten straight days of listening, which is more than I can say for other reads.