Ancient Egypt in 101 Questions and Answers

How well do we really know ancient Egypt? The world of the Egyptians seems strangely familiar to us: exhibitions of ancient art and archaeological discoveries in the desert sands continue to generate interest and amazement, while Egyptian motifs appear in architecture, literature, artworks, advertising, and film. Yet, so much of what we take for granted is based on wildly inaccurate information that has been spreading since the days of classical antiquity and the Renaissance. It is only in the past two hundred years that we have been able to read for ourselves the writings of the ancient Egyptians―so it is hardly surprising that the myths that had been built up in the preceding two thousand years prove so difficult to dispel.

In this book, the internationally acclaimed Egyptologist Thomas Schneider asks, "What are the 101 most important questions about ancient Egypt?" The questions he has chosen―and the answers he provides―challenge almost everything we thought we knew about the ancient civilization in the Nile valley. They range from the surprising ("Why did upper-class Egyptians never wear a beard?") to the profound ("Was ancient Egypt a culture of death?") and the provocative ("What do we not know about ancient Egypt?"). Schneider's answers will surprise, inspire, and challenge a wide range of readers. Ancient Egypt in 101 Questions and Answers provides a completely fresh way of looking at all aspects of ancient Egypt―from history, art, and everyday life to religion and ancient attitudes to death and the afterlife.

Thomas Schneider is Professor of Egyptology and Near Eastern Studies at the University of British Columbia. He is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Egyptian History and Near Eastern Archaeology.