Suffused with a warm, though not uncritical, appreciation of all things Egyptian this is a brilliant account of the civilization of ancient Egypt from earliest times to the conquest by Alexander the Great. Professor Montet discusses the natural and political conditions of Egyptian life. He then describes the development and expansion of Egypt and the reactions of neighbouring peoples, gives an account of the Egyptians’ attitude to their gods and the afterlife, and of their contribution to literature, science and art. Finally he looks at Egypt through the eyes of the ancients and in the light of recent research. An invaluable introduction to one of the greatest and longest-lived civilizations in the world.
Author(s): Pierre Montet; Doreen Weightman (tr.)
Series: History of Civilization
Publisher: Phoenix Press
Year: 2000
Language: English
Pages: xxii+338
City: London
PREFACE, xv
1. THE BLACK LAND, THE LAND OF KEM-T, 1
The Nile valley in prehistoric times — The Nile — Flora — Fauna — The two faces of nature
2. THE EGYPTIANS IN THE NILE VALLEY, 16
Prehistoric man — The races of man — Human types — Population numbers
3. THE PHARAOH, 32
Definition of the Pharaoh — The coronation — The royal palaces — Royal funerals — The institutions of the monarchy
4. THE DEVELOPMENT OF EGYPT, 63
The royal lands, sacred and private — The central administration — The nomes — Everyday work — Hunting and fishing in the marshes — Quarries and mines — Workshops
5. THE EXPANSION OF EGYPT AND THE REACTIONS OF NEIGHBOURING PEOPLES , 104
The Nine Bows — Military resources of the Egyptians — The eastern nations — The southern countries — The Terraces of Incense — The western nations — Primitive Greeks and Cretans
6. ON THE NATURE OF GODS AND PIETY, 136
Number and diversity of the gods: animals, trees and sacred objects — Temples and priests, festivals and prohibitions — Work of the gods. The creation — The kings’ duties to the gods — The gods as patrons — Monotheism — Conclusion
7. HUMAN DESTINY AND CARING FOR THE DEAD, 166
The elements of personality — Primitive tombs — The great monument of Zoser — The pyramids of Snofru and of his successors — Inscriptions on the pyramids — Tombs of the queens and courtiers - The judgment of the dead and the negative statements — Tombs of the Middle and New Kingdoms — Attitudes to ancestral respect — Conclusion
8. INTELLECTUAL ACHIEVEMENTS, 200
Language and writing — Scribes and literary genres — Controlled literature - New Kingdom literature — The exact sciences — The natural sciences
9. ART, 231
Royal and provincial art - Anonymity in art — Various artists — Architecture — Sculpture — The graphic arts — Independent art — Jewellery and ornament
10. EGYPT AS SEEN BY THE ANCIENTS AND IN THE LIGHT OF MODERN RESEARCH, 279
The Hebrews - The Greeks and Romans — Deciphering the hieroglyphics. Champollion — Collectors and explorers. The discovery of Serapeum — Foundation of the Service des Antiquitiés — Excavations and publications, 1881-1914 — The First World War and the Egyptian Revolution - The present day — An evaluation of the ancient Egyptians
MAPS, 307
NOTES, 313
BIBLIOGRAPHY, 327
INDEX, 331
