Lives of the Ancient Egyptians: Pharaohs, Queens, Courtiers and Commoners - Hardcover

Wilkinson, Toby

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0500051488 ISBN 13: 9780500051481

Publisher: Thames & Hudson, 2007

Synopsis

100 biographies reveal the true character and diversity of the ancient world's greatest civilization

The biographies included here give voice not only to ancient Egypt's rulers but also to the people who built the great monuments, staffed government offices, farmed, served in the temples, and fought to defend the country's borders. Spanning thousands of years of ancient Egyptian history, the book offers a fresh perspective on an always fascinating civilization through the lives of:

• The god-kings, from great rulers like Khufu and Ramesses II to less famous monarchs such as Amenemhat I and Osorkon
• Egypt's queens: the powerful Tiye, the beautiful Nefertiti, Tutankhamun's tragic child-bride Ankhesenamun, and the infamous Cleopatra
• The officials who served the pharaoh: the architect Imhotep who designed the first pyramid, the court dwarf Perniankhu, and the royal sculptor Bak
• Ordinary women who are often overlooked in official accounts: Hemira, a humble priestess from a provincial Delta town, and Naunakht, whose will reveals the trials and tribulations of family life
• Commoners and foreigners such as the irascible farmer Hekanakht, the serial criminal Paneb, and Urhiya, the mercenary who rose to the rank of general in the Egyptian army.

Profusely illustrated with works of art and scenes of daily life, Lives of the Ancient Egyptians offers remarkable insights into the history and culture of the Nile Valley and very personal glimpses of a vanished world. 200 illustrations, 80 in color

About this title

About the Author

Toby Wilkinson holds a doctorate in Egyptology from the University of Cambridge where he is a Fellow of Clare College. He lectures widely on ancient Egypt and has extensive experience of the archaeological sites in the Nile Valley and Egyptian deserts.

From Publishers Weekly

Sifting through 3000 years of Egyptian history, Wilkinson (Genesis of the Pharaohs) presents detailed portraits of 100 ancient Egyptians, mostly men who comprised the civilization's small, literate ruling class and left their imprint on everything from tombs to papyrus. Rulers range from the iron-fisted leader Narmer, depicted in temple decorations beating a bound captive in 3000 BC, to the powerful and popular female pharaoh, Hatshepsut, who reigned in the 18th Dynasty. Wilkinson gives equal attention to everyday citizens, such as Naunakht, who, during the late Ramesside Period, cut her two ungrateful daughters from her will; Mes, a treasury scribe during Ramesses II's reign, emerged victorious in a century-long family feud and the details of his court case are inscribed for perpetuity on his tomb's walls. Lavishly illustrated with 200 photos, 80 of them in color, this volume beautifully gives a voice to long-dead souls, both regal and more ordinary, whose ambitions, loves and disappointments resemble ours in significant ways.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Thames & Hudson
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0500051488
• ISBN 13: 9780500051481
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336