Product Description

Completely revised and updated to reflect the latest developments in the field, this new edition of Kemp's popular text presents a compelling reassessment of what gave Ancient Egypt its distinctive and enduring characteristics.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #63708 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Review
Praise for the first edition:

'Its originality should make it required reading for all students for ancient Egypt.' - Times Literary Supplement

'The most provocative, thoughtful and outstanding synthesis on Ancient Egypt available in the English language.' - Choice

'For an Egyptologist this fine book is consistently informative, provocative and stimulating; its vision of Egypt, even without the Pharaohs in their oriental glamour, will not fail to enthral.' - Antiquity

From the Back Cover

Completely revised and updated to reflect the latest developments in the field, this new edition of Kemp's popular text presents a compelling reassessment of what gave ancient Egypt its distinctive and enduring characteristics.

Ranging across Ancient Egyptian material culture, social and economic experiences, and the mindset of its people, the book also includes two new chapters exploring the last ten centuries of Ancient Egyptian civilization and who, in ethnic terms, the ancients were.

Fully illustrated, the book draws on both ancient written materials and decades of excavation evidence, transforming our understanding of this remarkable civilization. Broad ranging yet impressively detailed, Kemp’s work is an indispensable text for all students of Ancient Egypt.

Customer Reviews

Extraordinary Insight
This is the 2nd, revised and expanded version of what was already an Egyptological classic. Barry Kemp's deep and wide-ranging knowledge of ancient Egypt, its archaeololgy and its written records, is on full display. Perhaps just as important are the perspectives Kemp gives to life in ancient Egypt by inviting us to compare it to the modern world around us. Probably the best single book on ancient Egypt from the last 30 years.

Great all round archaeological source
This is a great book as it discusses the theories in light of the actual archaeological evidence. I think its probably the best book on Ancient Egypt I have read period.

Poorly presented hardback
This review does not challenge the quality of Barry Kemp's work but the poor quality of this hardback edition. It does not have a dust jacket and the boards are as bland as can be and presentation of the cover is a mystery for the graphic does not relate to the contents.

I generally buy hardback editions to grace my bookshelves and do long term justice to a fine publication. In this instance do yourselves a favour and buy the better presented paperback at a fraction of the price. I wish I had. I will be writing to the publisher asking them to do better.