Ancient Egyptians (1) - Ancient Egyptians: The Kingdom of the Pharaohs Brought to Life [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

This is a book that informs and entertains in equal measure, with its unique combination of up-to-date evidence on the details of life and death in ancient Egypt and vivid snapshots of real individuals' life-stories (sticking closely to the surviving ancient texts).

–Ian Shaw, writer of The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt and The British Museum Dictionary of Ancient Egypt, Exploring Ancient Egypt (Places and Time), Prehistory of Ancient Egypt.

Enter the world of the Ancient Egyptians with the biggest international multimedia event of 2003. This is the official companion to Channel 4’s ground-breaking series recreating life on the Nile during the time of the pharoahs, also incorporating a beautifully illustrated overview of the history of Ancient Egypt.

This extraordinary book reflects a dramatic, enthralling and hi-tech series revealing what life was really like in Ancient Egypt.

Channel 4/ Learning Channel’s £6 million series sees Wall-to-Wall TV team up with the company that did the special effects on Ridley Scott’s Gladiator to produce a unique series, four years in the making. It will be the most expensive factual programme ever commissioned by C4.

The combination of drama, graphics and cutting-edge research will be reflected in a beautiful book with original C.G.I. images created specially for the book, bringing Ancient Egypt to life as never before…. As well as forming the ultimate, stand-alone guide to Ancient Egypt, the book will also focus on four very specific stories that give a full flavour of what daily life was like then. The book will also go behind the scenes to show how the series was made, and what new revelations about Ancient Egypt came to light through this.

Full colour spreads will depict the 137 sets and locations (comparable to any TV drama or even feature film) and reflect the scope of the production – including the 200 extras and over 1,000 costumes that were used.

This extraordinary book reflects the dramatic, groundbreaking TV series Ancient Egyptians, revealing what life was really like in this empire.
The text, which encompasses cutting-edge research, leads the reader through this ancient world. It is complemented by specially shot photographs and exclusively created computer graphics, which breathe life into the civilization to reveal it as never before.
Part one of the book follows the entire history of Ancient Egypt, from its start in 5000 BC through to the end of the empire. As well as offering an insight into the world of the Pharaohs, this comprehensive history explains all aspects of the culture, from architecture and warfare to medicine and women's rights.
Part two of the book focuses on four specific stories of ordinary Egyptians, as dramatised in the TV series, and gives a full flavour of what their lives were like. These stories are uniquely based on real texts that have been pieced together to show a living slice of this lost world.

Anton Gill was born in Ilford, Essex, and was educated at Chigwell School and Clare College, Cambridge, where he read English. After working in the theatre as a director, for the BBC as a radio drama producer, and in television, he became a full-time writer in 1984. Most of his work has been in the field of contemporary history, but he has been a keen amateur student of Ancient Eygpt since 1982, and has published a series of six thrillers set in the late Eighteenth Dynasty.