- Hardcover: 184 pages
- Publisher: Thames & Hudson; illustrated edition edition (28 Aug 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0500051070
- ISBN-13: 978-0500051078
- Product Dimensions: 24.2 x 17.2 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 456,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
This text draws together Egyptological advances in our understanding of the cult of Ra, from the 3rd Millennium BC to the Roman conquest of Egypt and the rise of Christianity. It explores Egyptian sources for the character of Ra, his pivotal role in creation, and the way in which Egyptians expressed the world as physical matter unfurling from the sun. The core of the book focuses on on the epicentre of the cult: the temple of Ra at Iunu.
About the Author
Stephen Quirke is a curator at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, University College London. He specializes in ancient Egyptian manuscripts, particularly of the Middle Kingdom, and has written widely on the subject.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
To understand the sun-worship in Ancient Egypt,
By
This review is from: The Cult of Ra: Sun-worship in Ancient Egypt: Sun-worship in Ancient Egypt from the Pyramids to Cleopatra (Hardcover)
Prof. St. Quirke is a fruitful Egyptologist, he wrote many scientific articles and books. I have had the opportunity to speak about his personality when I presented to Amazon Customers one of his basic studies ("Egyptian Literature 1800 BC: Questions and Readings"). As in each of his works, the text is written in a fluid, and elegant English, suitable for Egyptologists, and also for students of religion. Quirke's book is an exemplary piece of work, presenting step by step the most important aspects of the sun worship in Ancient Egypt. It is not a simple chronological overview of the cult the sun, one of the central elements of the religious system of Ancient Egypt. The author emphasized the following relationships: the cosmic god Re - the king as "son of Re" - the king as Horus (the ruling god on earth), and the dead king's identity with Osiris. The reader will have the choice to learn about the many aspects of the evidence for the beliefs in the sun god( i. e. the names of the divinity, the scarab as solar symbol, benu the bird of Re, the sun in creation myths, and the family of Re/the famous Ennead from Heliopolis/). A special chapter is devoted to the worship of the solar god, being presented above all the hymns addressed to him. Quirke creatively adopts the results of J. Assmann as concern the definition of myth, and the translations of the solar hymns. We have only scattered information about the lost capital of the sun god, Iunu or Heliopolis in Greek. Very useful are the information regards to the pyramids and obelisks as solar( and in case of pyramids as stellar) symbols. The author's intention was to follow the evolution of the solar divinity in Ancient Egypt, from the Old Kingdom onward, and presenting the most elevated form of his worship: the appearance of the Akhnaton's religious "revolution". In fact, the Old and the New Kingdoms are the two major epoch in the history of the sun god's evolution. Quirke exploring especially the data of the second period presented above, which culminated with the first attempt of "monotheism" in the history of religions. The methodology used by Prof. Quirke is more than logic, his points are cogently argued, and the written examples well chosen. To understand all the aspects related to the sun god's characteristics and evolution, you have to read page by page this well written, documented, and nice printed book.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
hard going, but thought provoking,
This review is from: The Cult of Ra: Sun-worship in Ancient Egypt: Sun-worship in Ancient Egypt from the Pyramids to Cleopatra (Hardcover)
'the cult of ra' is a difficult book to initially get into, but its worth the effort.the underscoring of art as vital + divine is thunderstriking stuff, with the author setting the scene by drawing u into the mindset of the ancient egyptians, + he does this in a believable + unique manner. from then on the book makes plausible the unbelievable. i came away staggered that my personal thoughts + theories were shared by such a scholar. and the chronological timeline that is drawn of the 'cult of ra' throughout the book is its main recommendation to serious studies of the egyptian theology. tho' never really brought to the fore, the implication of monotheism in ancient egypt, bubbles just under the surface + the documentation from source to uphold this theory is well reasoned and though provoking. the only 2 flaws i felt was: 1. that not enough emphasis was made on the sun cults premiere role in egyptian + cosmology. but this can be forgiven as u can find this in other works that specialise on this topic. 2. the authors use of technical terms + high syntax ... u'll need to sit with a dictionary, as well as re-read certain sentences to get the full import of whats being said. tho' this is a minor quibble, as im dyslexic. (as im sure uve quessed)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews) 4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Being the Sun,
By Edward King - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Cult of Ra: Sun-worship in Ancient Egypt: Sun-worship in Ancient Egypt from the Pyramids to Cleopatra (Hardcover)
An enlightening book on the royal temple cults of the divine and visible sun. Written in an academic style still accessible to lay-folk like me, it presents a very clear picture of how the ancient Egytians, worshipped the great sun-god Ra. Using the most recent Egyptological evidence, Quirke does a masterful job illustrating not only the outer political and religious significance of the cult, but also the Ancient's subjective view on these matters, e.g., the experience of Ra, the Pharaoh and the visable sun were one and the same, not symbololic of each other, but of one identity. My only significant criticism was the final chapter on Ankhenaten's revised royal cult. Although solar in nature, it was far enough removed from the old cult of Ra, a god among many divine powers, as to feel like a diversion and anti-climatic as a final chapter.
1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Cult of Ra,
By David A. Hiles - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Cult of Ra: Sun-worship in Ancient Egypt: Sun-worship in Ancient Egypt from the Pyramids to Cleopatra (Hardcover)
Excellent review of subject matter, details pertintent to subject. should be a read for all students of Egyptology
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