The Oxford Illustrated History of Ancient Egypt

The Oxford Illustrated History of Ancient Egypt is the only book available providing detailed historical coverage of Egypt from the early Stone Age to its incorporation into the Roman Empire. The lively essays and beautiful illustrations portray the emergence and development of the distinctive
civilization of the ancient Egyptians covering the period from 700,000 BC to AD 311.

Against the backdrop of the rise and fall of ruling dynasties, this book also examines cultural and social patterns, including stylistic developments in art and literature. The pace of change in such aspects of Egyptian culture as monumental architecture, funerary beliefs, and ethnicity was not
necessarily tied to the rate of political change. Each of the authors--working at the cutting edge of their particular fields--has therefore set out to elucidate, in both words and pictures, the underlying patterns of social and political change, and to describe the changing face of ancient Egypt,
from the biographical details of individuals to the social and economic factors that shaped the lives of the population as a whole.


Review from previous edition "The approach combines traditional chronological history with cultural and social historical material to produce a well rounded picture...chapters covering prehistory and the intermediate periods are particularly good, with Seidlmayer on the First Intermediate Period and
Bourriau on the Second Intermediate Period outstanding. Bryan's chapter on the 18th Dynasty before the Amarna Period is also particularly good."--Antiquity

"If you only want to read one book on Egypt, then read this one...even people who consider themselves as experts on Ancient Egypt will find much to set them thinking: And while such Egyptologists will have a field day, the casual reader will find plenty to arouse their interest, ranging from the
story of the world's first strike ... to the revelation that Scotland Yard possesses a print taken from the hand of a mummy."--The Northern Echo

"brimming with...intriguing facts ...also provides a first-rate overview of - le progress Egyptien - from the period when Homo erectus first stalked the land right up to Octavian's triumphant entry into Egypt in 30 BC."--Douglas Kennedy, The Times