Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs: A Popular History of Ancient Egypt - Hardcover

Mertz, Barbara

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 006125276X ISBN 13: 9780061252761

Publisher: William Morrow, 2007

Synopsis

An eye-opening, edifying, and endlessly entertaining tour through an astonishing bygone world—the acclaimed classic history of ancient Egypt, now newly revised and updated

Writing as Elizabeth Peters, world-renowned Egyptologist Barbara Mertz is the author of the phenomenally popular New York Times bestselling mystery series featuring archaeologist Amelia Peabody. In Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs, Dr. Mertz explores the breathtaking reality behind her fiction by casting a dazzling light on a remarkable civilization that, even after thousands of years, still stirs the human imagination and inspires awe with its marvelous mysteries and amazing accomplishments.

A fascinating chronicle of an extraordinary epoch—from the first Stone Age settlements through the reign of Cleopatra and the Roman invasions—Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs brings ancient Egypt to life as never before. Lavishly illustrated with pictures, maps, photographs, and charts, it offers tantalizing glimpses into Egyptian society and everyday life; amazing stories of the pharaohs and the rise and fall of great dynasties; religion and culture; folklore and fairy tales; stories of the explorers, scientists, and unmitigated scoundrels who sought to unravel or exploit the ageless mysteries; and breathtaking insights into the magnificent architectural wonders that rose up from the desert sands.

Revised and updated to include the results of the most recent historical research and archaeological finds, Dr. Mertz's book is unhampered by stuffy prose and dry academic formality. Instead, it is a vibrant, colorful, and fun excursion for anyone who's ever fantasized about exploring the Valley of the Kings, viewing up close the treasures of the temple of Queen Hatshepsut, or sailing down the Nile on Cleopatra's royal barge.

About this title

About the Author:

Barbara Mertz is a New York Times bestselling author who writes the popular Amelia Peabody mystery series under the pen name Elizabeth Peters and romantic suspense novels as Barbara Michaels. She was born and brought up in Illinois and earned her Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago's famed Oriental Institute. Named Grand Master at the inaugural Anthony Awards in 1986 and Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America at the Edgar Awards in 1998, she lives in a historic farmhouse in western Maryland.

From AudioFile:

Barbara Mertz is best known as a novelist, writing under the pseudonyms Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Michaels, but in her earlier life she was an archaeologist, specializing in Egyptology. Mertz brings a novelistÕs skills to this popular history of ancient Egypt, first published in 1990, so the prose is hardly academic. However, even though the material has been revised and updated, it still feels dated in both its content and its cloying, almost patronizing, style. Lorna RaverÕs narration is skillful as always, and she cannot be held responsible for the bookÕs tone. Neither can she shake off the flaws that make it sound schoolmarmish. D.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 006125276X
• ISBN 13: 9780061252761
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 352