Eternal Egypt: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt from Earliest Times to Conquest by Alexander the Great

Suffused with a warm, though not uncritical, appreciation of all things Egyptian this is a brilliant account of the civilization of ancient Egypt from earliest times to the conquest by Alexander the Great. Professor Montet discusses the natural and political conditions of Egyptian life. He then describes the development and expansion of Egypt and the reactions of neighbouring peoples, gives an account of the Egyptians’ attitude to their gods and the afterlife, and of their contribution to literature, science and art. Finally he looks at Egypt through the eyes of the ancients and in the light of recent research. An invaluable introduction to one of the greatest and longest-lived civilizations in the world. PREFACE, xv 1. THE BLACK LAND, THE LAND OF KEM-T, 1 The Nile valley in prehistoric times — The Nile — Flora — Fauna — The two faces of nature 2. THE EGYPTIANS IN THE NILE VALLEY, 16 Prehistoric man — The races of man — Human types — Population numbers 3. THE PHARAOH, 32 Definition of the Pharaoh — The coronation — The royal palaces — Royal funerals — The institutions of the monarchy 4. THE DEVELOPMENT OF EGYPT, 63 The royal lands, sacred and private — The central administration — The nomes — Everyday work — Hunting and fishing in the marshes — Quarries and mines — Workshops 5. THE EXPANSION OF EGYPT AND THE REACTIONS OF NEIGHBOURING PEOPLES , 104 The Nine Bows — Military resources of the Egyptians — The eastern nations — The southern countries — The Terraces of Incense — The western nations — Primitive Greeks and Cretans 6. ON THE NATURE OF GODS AND PIETY, 136 Number and diversity of the gods: animals, trees and sacred objects — Temples and priests, festivals and prohibitions — Work of the gods. The creation — The kings’ duties to the gods — The gods as patrons — Monotheism — Conclusion 7. HUMAN DESTINY AND CARING FOR THE DEAD, 166 The elements of personality — Primitive tombs — The great monument of Zoser — The pyramids of Snofru and of his successors — Inscriptions on the pyramids — Tombs of the queens and courtiers - The judgment of the dead and the negative statements — Tombs of the Middle and New Kingdoms — Attitudes to ancestral respect — Conclusion 8. INTELLECTUAL ACHIEVEMENTS, 200 Language and writing — Scribes and literary genres — Controlled literature - New Kingdom literature — The exact sciences — The natural sciences 9. ART, 231 Royal and provincial art - Anonymity in art — Various artists — Architecture — Sculpture — The graphic arts — Independent art — Jewellery and ornament 10. EGYPT AS SEEN BY THE ANCIENTS AND IN THE LIGHT OF MODERN RESEARCH, 279 The Hebrews - The Greeks and Romans — Deciphering the hieroglyphics. Champollion — Collectors and explorers. The discovery of Serapeum — Foundation of the Service des Antiquitiés — Excavations and publications, 1881-1914 — The First World War and the Egyptian Revolution - The present day — An evaluation of the ancient Egyptians MAPS, 307 NOTES, 313 BIBLIOGRAPHY, 327 INDEX, 331 The overall aim of this study of Ancient Egypt is to portray the development and relevance of aspects of life in Egypt. Religion, art, politics, subsistence and other issues are discussed in detail. Problems of dynastic succession, histories of individual pharaohs and Egyptian conventions are all discussed. A readable and entertaining introduction, this books is a welcome diversion from other accounts that utilise the framework provided by dynastic succession to discuss only ancient Egyptian history. A compelling account of the civilization of ancient Egypt that provides a picture, both detailed and panoramic, of every aspect of life in the Nile Valley-Egyptians' attitude to their gods and the afterlife; their contribution to literature, science and art—from earliest times to the conquest by Alexander the Great. 6 1/4 X 9 1/4. This is an account of the civilization of ancient Egypt from earliest times to the conquest by Alexander the Great. It examines all aspects of ancient Egyptian life and history and looks at Egypt through the eyes of the ancients and in the light of recent research.