Handbook to Life in Ancient Egypt (Facts on File Library of World History)

David, Dr Rosalie

ISBN 10: 0816050341 / ISBN 13: 9780816050345

Published by Facts on File, 2003

About this Item

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Seller Inventory # Q-0816050341

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Handbook to Life in Ancient Egypt (Facts on File Library of World History)
• Publisher: Facts on File
• Publication Date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0816050341
• ISBN 13: 9780816050345
• Binding: hardcover
• Condition: New
• Weight: 36 ounces

About this title

Synopsis

Combining historical and archaeological information, this text explores all aspects of life in ancient Egypt from pre-dynastic times to the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms, the Ptolemaic and Roman eras. Organized thematically, the book also encompasses new techniques including the use of DNA analysis.

Reviews

David (professor of Egyptology, University of Manchester, England), surveys Egypt from predynastic times through the arrival of Islam, concentrating on the period before the establishment of the Ptolemies as the ruling dynasty. The chapters are thematic, covering Egyptology and archaeology, history, geography, society and government, religion, funerary customs and beliefs, architecture and building, written evidence, the military, foreign trade and transport, economy and industry, and everyday life.

David has added material based on the many discoveries since the 1998 edition. In the chapter "Egyptology, Archaeology, and Scientific Mummy Studies in Egypt," which is new, she discusses the application of modern scientific techniques, including medical diagnosis, to mummies. All the techniques are described briefly but clearly. There is a section on the Schistosoiasis Research Project, which may be the most far-reaching chronological study of a disease ever undertaken. Mummies are being tested for evidence of the disease, which is still a danger to modern Egyptians. Among other changes are a brief section on pets added to the chapter on everyday life and a rewritten section on temples to reflect new thinking about the different temple types. The section on Tomb KV5 has been rewritten and moved to the new chapter on archaeology. However, much of the text remains the same as in the earlier edition.

The format of the book has not changed. Besides an extensive bibliography, with more up-to-date citations, each chapter has suggested readings, some of which may be available in larger public libraries. The text is liberally illustrated with photographs, line drawings, and excellent maps.

Less scholarly than The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt (2000), the new edition of Handbook to Life in Ancient Egypt is recommended for high-school and public libraries; lower-division undergraduates and adults looking for quick information should find it useful as well. RBB
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