Life of the Ancient Egyptians

By Eugen Strouhal

Book Overview

This lavishly illustrated book conveys the wonder of Ancient Egypt through the daily activities of its people-not the lives of Egypt's royalty or elite classes, but the typical men and women who composed this magnificent civilization. Exceptional for his range, the volume portrays Egyptian life from birth and childhood through education, love and marriage, occupations, war, and finally the soul's journey to the netherworld. A particular strength is the coverage of anatomical material and medical texts. Other topics include the role of women, fashion, dance and music, agriculture, crafts, and construction of the pyramids and tombs. This in-depth portrait draws on the complete spectrum of sources: artifacts from tombs and settlement sites; inscribed potsherds and ostraca as well as papyri; material from the excavation of homes, shrines, and tomb chapels; reliefs and wall-paintings.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080612475X
• ISBN13: 9780806124759
• Release Date: November 1992
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 3.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.5" x 11.4"

Customer Reviews

general overview of Ancient Egyptian life

This book provides much information on Ancient Egyptian society. The chapters are organized by themes, each dealing with different subjects, which include childbirth, education, entertainment, marriage, funerary beliefs and mummification. Written for the layperson, the reader will find many illustrations and an excellent bibliography for further consultation. This is a recommended study of Ancient Egyptian life.

Fascinating!

A pleasure to look at, and a pleasure to read! The illustrations are superb. The text also is excellent. The author is not only an experienced archaeologist, but also an anthropologist, knowledgeable both in medicine and biology. Unlike many other handsome books on ancient Egypt, he does not stop at the impressive architectural remains, and the pictures and sculptures detected in the tombs, but uses them, together with additional material, to provide a vivid and fascinating insight into the lives and thoughts of the ordinary people, from 4000 BCE to Roman times.