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Explore the entire history of the ancient Egyptian state from 3000 B.C. to 400 A.D. with this authoritative volume
The newly revised Second Edition of A History of Ancient Egypt delivers an up-to-date survey of ancient Egypt's history from its origins to the Roman Empire's banning of hieroglyphics in the fourth century A.D. The book covers developments in all aspects of Egypt's history and their historical sources, considering the social and economic life and the rich culture of ancient Egypt.
Freshly updated to take into account recent discoveries, the book makes the latest scholarship accessible to a wide audience, including introductory undergraduate students. A History of Ancient Egypt outlines major political and cultural events and places Egypt's history within its regional context and detailing interactions with western Asia and Africa. Each period of history receives equal attention and a discussion of the problems scholars face in its study. The book offers a foundation for all students interested in Egyptian culture by providing coverage of topics like:
* A thorough introduction to the formation of the Egyptian state between the years of 3400 B.C. and 2686 B.C.
* An exploration of the end of the Old Kingdom and First Intermediate period, from 2345 B.C. to 2055 B.C.
* An analysis of the Second Intermediate Period and the Hyksos between 1700 B.C. and 1550 B.C.
* A discussion of Greek and Roman Egypt between 332 B.C. and A.D. 395.
Perfect for students of introductory courses in ancient Egyptian history and as background material for students of courses in Egyptian art, archaeology, and culture, A History of Ancient Egypt will also earn a place in the libraries of students taking surveys of the ancient world and those seeking a companion volume to A History of the Ancient Near East.
List of contents
List of Illustrations xii
Maps xxviii
Preface to the Second Edition xxix
1 Introductory Concerns 1
1.1 What is Ancient Egypt? 1
Chronological boundaries 1
Geographical boundaries 2
What is ancient Egyptian history? 3
Who are the ancient Egyptians? 4
1.2 Egypt's Geography 6
The Nile River 8
The desert 9
Climate 10
Frontiers and links 11
1.3 The Makeup of Egyptian Historical Sources 12
Papyri and ostraca 12
Monumental inscriptions 14
Historical criticism 14
1.4 The Egyptians and Their Past 15
King lists 15
Egyptian concepts of kingship 19
1.5 The Chronology of Egyptian History 20
Modern subdivisions of Egyptian history 20
Absolute chronology 20
1.6 Prehistoric Developments 21
The beginning of agriculture 21
Naqada I and II periods 24
2 The Formation of the Egyptian State (ca. 3400-2686) 27
2.1 Sources 29
2.2 Royal Cemeteries and Cities 31
The Late Naqada culture 31
Dynasty 0 31
2.3 The First Kings 33
Images of war 33
The unification of Egypt 34
2.4 Ideological Foundations of the New State 35
Kings 35
Cemeteries 36
Festivals 36
Royal annals and year names 37
Gods and cults 38
Bureaucracy 40
2.5 The Invention of Writing 42
Precursors at Abydos 42
Hieroglyphic script 42
2.6 Foreign Relations 47
The Uruk culture of Babylonia 47
Late 4th-millennium Nubia 50
Late 4th-millennium Palestine 50
3 The Great Pyramid Builders (ca. 2686-2345) 52
3.1 Sources 53
3.2 The Evolution of the Mortuary Complex 55
Djoser's step pyramid at Saqqara 56
Sneferu's three pyramids 57
The great pyramids at Giza 58
Solar temples of the 5th dynasty 61
3.3 Administrating the Old Kingdom State 62
Neferirkara's archive at Abusir 62
Officialdom 64
3.4 Ideological Debates? 67
Problems of royal succession 67
The gods Horus and Ra 69
3.5 Foreign Relations 70
Contacts with Nubia 71
Contacts with Asia 72
The western desert 72
3.6 Later Traditions about the Old Kingdom 73
Djoser and Imhotep 73
Sneferu 74
The great pyramid builders 74
4 The End of the Old Kingdom and the First Intermediate Period (ca. 2345-2055) 77
4.1 Sources 78
4.2 The Rise of the Regions and Political Fragmentation 79
Nomes and nomarchs 79
Officials' biographies 79
Pepy II 83
Why did the Old Kingdom dissolve? 84
4.3 Foreign Relations 87
Nubian independence 87
The eastern desert and the Levant 89
Mercenaries 90
4.4 Competition between Herakleopolis and Thebes 90
Herakleopolis 90
Thebes 90
4.5 Appraising the First Intermediate Period 92
Middle Kingdom literary reflections 92
Historical critique 93
5 The Middle Kingdom (ca. 2055-1650) 95
5.1 Sources and Chronology 96
5.2 Kings and Regional Elites 98
Reunification and the 11th dynasty 99
The start of the 12th dynasty and the foundation of Itj-tawi 99
Provincial powers in the early Middle Kingdom 101
Royal interference in the provinces 102
Administrative reorg
About the author
Marc Van De Mieroop is Professor of History at Columbia University and Director of Columbia's Center for the Ancient Mediterranean. He has also taught at Oxford University and Yale University. He is the author of
King Hammurabi of Babylon, The Eastern Mediterranean in the Age of Ramessess II, and
A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000-323 B.C.
