Product Description

Ancient Egypt in the New Kingdom (1567-1085 BC) was a civilization at its peak. This 500-year period was the era of the temples and tombs at Karnak, Thebes and the Valley of the Kings. It was witness to the first woman to rule a country in her own right, saw the first treaty settled between two nations, encompassed the Biblical Exodus, the invention of the first clock and the production of the most exquisite treasure known to the modern world. Still further, the New Kingdom was a dynasty of rich and extraordinary characters: Ahmose, Hatchepsuut, Tuthmosis III, Akhenaten, Nefertiti, Tutankhamen and Rameses II. Tying in to a BBC documentary series, the author tells the fascinating story of this period, a story which takes in the very invention of civilization.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #781150 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 319 pages

About the Author
Joyce Tyldesley is Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Archaeology, Classics and Oriental Studies at Liverpool University as well as a freelance writer and lecturer on Egyptology.

Customer Reviews

Warm and readable introduction to the Golden Age
Tyldesley, what can I say?! What a writer! She more than anyone truly brought Egypt to life for me. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt taught me, even drilled me, in history. She, on the other hand, turned me into a dyed-in-the-linen brainwashed Egyptophile. Her publications are eminently readable and human. The way this book combines both a Royal and commoners perspective on the New Kingdom gives a pleasingly rounded view of Egypt's age of Empire.

One word of warning... Once you realise how much the world of AE can offer in it's history and cultural study, you can pretty much wave goodbye to all your free time, money and peaceful sleep...

"What are you doing with your break this summer?"

"I am going to sit in a lecture theatre and learn Middle Egyptian vocabulary and hieroglyphs"

"Uh, OK... Any plans for the Christmas breaks?"

"I'm going to traspe around the desert, kick the dust around and look at old carved stones and dead people"

"riiiiiight, of course"

Be that as it may, Tyldesley's books make a good night time read, being less taxing than the more student-orientated academic books after a long day, and also adding life to the facts, bringing an amused smile to my face many a time. I imagine it'd also be a good book to historically/culturally indoctrinate any older children you may have, less they become too interested in the Assyrians or other "foreign wretches"

This book left me sad, however.
"We are not now that strength which in old days moved Earth and Heaven"
Tennyson

Too true.

The Golden Years-if only we had a time machine
I met Joyce Tyldesley and her partner Steven Snape at a one day seminar they were giving on Ramesses II. Their presentation was excellent and during a break I had chance for a chat and enquire about books. Joyce wrote a book based on a Lion Television series (in association with PBS and Devillier Donegan Enterprises) ‘Egypt’s Golden Empire’ and uses the same title for her book. The series was aired by BBC2 as a documentary on three consecutive Sundays, 4-18 November 2001 and is now available as DVD/Video and there is a website http://www.pbs.org/empires/egypt/. I thoroughly enjoyed the broadcasts especially because they focussed on one of my favourite periods, the New Kingdom, littered with characters we have all heard of before, such as: Nefertiti, Tutankhamen and Ramesses the Great. I would put Joyce’s book into the category of easy reading because it is pitched for a broad audience and would be ideal for anyone discovering this period for the first time. The book provides a guideline chronology of the late 17th Dynasty through to and including 20th Dynasty complete with probable Pharaoh and reign length. There is a map of the region to set the scene, supported by excellent colour photographs courtesy of Lion Television, Steven Snape and The Egyptian Museum Cairo. The book starts in Thebes, 1560BC, The Second Intermediate Period with king Sekenenre and ends with Rameses III. The main body of the book comprises of 286-pages spread over 15-chapters. This equates to small chunks of approximately 19-pages per chapter, relatively easy to absorb. The pharaohs explored most are Ahmose, Hatshepsut, Tuthmosis, Amenhotep III, Akhenaten, Tutankhamen, Horemheb, Ramesses II and Ramesses III. The content of the chapters is light so all in all the book is easy to digest. The author links the Pharaohs, archaeology associated with the period through to the modern day Egyptologist discovering them. Joyce reflects on the modern day interpretation of the finds and helps to paint a series of sketches of what life may have been like during this fascinating time-span. This series of snapshots of everyday life of the commoner right through to Pharaoh provides something memorable to latch onto. The book is excellent as a stand alone piece of work; I would thoroughly recommend it and advise seeking out the 3-part documentary for maximum enjoyment.