Product Description

The five centuries preceding the construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza was the formative period of ancient Egyptian civilisation. This book looks at the background, the mechanisms, and the way of life during the first 500 years of Pharaonic rule.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #251778 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 440 pages

Review
'At last there is available a comprehensive, scholarly synthesis of the formative period of Egyptian history ... magisterial ... the extraordinary scope and outstanding quality of this synthesis make it a work of scholarship of the highest quality and utility and a major contribution to Egyptology. Wilkinson has established a reputation for himself as a scholar of formidable talent and productivity.' - Bruce G. Trigger, Chronique d'Egypte

From the Back Cover
Early Dynastic Egypt spans the five centuries preceding the construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza. This was the formative period of ancient Egyptian civilisation, and it witnessed the creation of a distinctive culture that was to endure for 3,000 years. This book examines the background to that great achievement, the mechanisms by which it was accomplished, and the character of life in the Nile valley during the first 500 years of Pharaonic rule.
The results of over thirty years of international scholarship and excavation are presented in a single highly illustrated volume. It traces the re-discovery of Early Dynastic Egypt, explains how the dynasties established themselves in government and concludes by examining the impact of the early state on individual communities and regions.
A wealth of complex information is explained in a clear style accessible to the general reader, while students and scholars will welcome the book's thematic approach to early Egyptian civilisation. This new paperback edition of the most comprehensive treatment of Early Dynastic Egypt to date broke new ground on publication by tackling hitherto neglected topics such as Early Dynastic administration and religion: it remains unrivalled.

Customer Reviews

An overview of the formative period of Egyptian civilization
This book replaces W.B. Emery's Archaic Egypt as the standard English-language introduction to the early dynastic period. It is a fine synthesis of the last century of work in the field and in specialist journals, including the many recent discoveries (e.g., cemetary U at Umm-el-Qaab, the many delta sites) as well as the most important discussions (e.g., Seidlmayer, Renee Friedman). Especially strong in dealing with the "new" archeology, the most important original contribution of this work is its analysis of royal administration in the 1st through 3rd dynasties. If this study does have a weakness, it is in its catalog-like treatment of religion; but even on this topic the major references are given for the interested reader to consult.

Excellent
I have been to Egypt, the first time was in 1993, and I made my mind up that I'd like to study Egyptology.

Although in my second year of studying Egyptology, during my first year this was one of my study books. It's an excellent book for discovering about Ancient Egypt before the Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt.

It's a very in-depth read and you'll learn a lot about Egypt's beginning, it can be a little slow and sometimes you may have to read a chapter more then once for the knowledge to sink in,( I know I did), but it's well worth the money.

It makes an excellent edition to my little Egyptian library, which now stands at nearly 1000 books on this subject. :-)