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This is a must-have book, at a very reasonable price for anyone interested in ancient Egyptian Military history. --Ancient Egypt Magazine
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During the Old and Middle Kingdoms, Ancient Egypt led the world in the construction of fortifications. The oldest was discovered on Elephantine Island and dates to c.2900 BC. This book investigates over 2,000 years of Egyptian fortification, including both fortified cities and military installations. It covers the most famous sites including the fortified town of Ayn Asil and the fortress of Buhen. The text also examines the specific defensive structures within the fortifications, including gates, walls, and towers, and looks at both the operation and social history of these ancient military strongholds.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Ancient Egyptian Forts
8 Dec 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have an intense interest in ancient Egypt, and a long standing, less intense one with military history. Osprey Publishing is noted for its many series of books on military matters. Each book treats a narrow topic in great depth, in a style accessible to the general reader. The author of The Fortifications of Ancient Egypt 3000-1780 BC is Egyptologist Dr. Carola Vogel who has specialized in Egyptian military forts of the Old and Middle Kingdoms. The 10 by 7 ¼ inch book has 64 pages. It is well illustrated in a large variety of ways: maps, photos in black and white and in color, diagrams, plans and cross-sections of structures, renderings by the artist (Brian Delf) of how the forts would have appeared, tomb paintings, and drawings of temple reliefs and of rock drawings. Nearly all illustrations are new to me, despite the existence of over 150 books on ancient Egypt in my library. My only quibble is that a small handful of the plans that come from scholarly sources are reproduced in such small scale that they are difficult to study. Some novel illustrations include a soldier getting a haircut, a soldier's bread ration token (wooden), and a game piece (?), two inches high, depicting a crenellated tower. The latter is accompanied by an artist's depiction, in a cut-away view, of the tower.
Some phrases from the Contents page may show the scope of the text: geographical features, chronology of fortification development, materials, defensive structures, gates, ditches, linear defenses, barracks, commander's residence, headquarters, treasuries, granaries, magazines, eating habits, hygiene, temples, private cult, make-up of the garrison, dispatches, storming the fortress, the sites today, further reading, glossary of Egyptological terms, technical terms, further reading, index.
Prior to buying this book, I was only acquainted with the famous mud brick fort of Buhen just north of the second cataract. (There is a large model of this fort in the Nubian Museum in Aswan.) The book treats in detail four forts and mentions over a dozen others. It lists the names (in hieroglyphics, with translation) of the 17 forts given in a papyrus called the Ramesseum Onomasticon together with possible identifications with known archaeological sites. Other hieroglyphic texts (with translations) include a stela from the Semna-west fort, and a rock inscription from Uronarti, both from the time of Senusret III. Other Ospry books include: Qadesh 1300 BC, Soldier of the Pharaoh, New Kingdom Egypt, and Bronze Age Chariots.
Some phrases from the Contents page may show the scope of the text: geographical features, chronology of fortification development, materials, defensive structures, gates, ditches, linear defenses, barracks, commander's residence, headquarters, treasuries, granaries, magazines, eating habits, hygiene, temples, private cult, make-up of the garrison, dispatches, storming the fortress, the sites today, further reading, glossary of Egyptological terms, technical terms, further reading, index.
Prior to buying this book, I was only acquainted with the famous mud brick fort of Buhen just north of the second cataract. (There is a large model of this fort in the Nubian Museum in Aswan.) The book treats in detail four forts and mentions over a dozen others. It lists the names (in hieroglyphics, with translation) of the 17 forts given in a papyrus called the Ramesseum Onomasticon together with possible identifications with known archaeological sites. Other hieroglyphic texts (with translations) include a stela from the Semna-west fort, and a rock inscription from Uronarti, both from the time of Senusret III. Other Ospry books include: Qadesh 1300 BC, Soldier of the Pharaoh, New Kingdom Egypt, and Bronze Age Chariots.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Egyptian fortifications: Good coverage
17 Dec 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I tend to be more pacifist than not. But I recognize the importance of warfare and all that which is associated with warfare in history. Here, we get an Osprey introduction to Egyptian fortifications from 3000 BC to 1780 BC.
The goal of the book (Page 4): "This book seeks to shed light on Egypt's early military architecture by discussing its development from the first known fortified structures (c. 3500-3300 BC) into an elaborate fortification system at the end of the Middle Kingdom (c. 1780 BC). It was interesting for me to learn that there are actually a fair number of pieces of evidence of such structures--including archeological remains that still exist.
There are plenty of maps outlining where the fortifications were. There is good description of why Egypt fortified where it did. There are diagrams illustrating what we think the fortifications actually looked like (one striking example--the fortress on an island, at Uronarti (see page 33).
All in all, a fascinating work. . . .
The goal of the book (Page 4): "This book seeks to shed light on Egypt's early military architecture by discussing its development from the first known fortified structures (c. 3500-3300 BC) into an elaborate fortification system at the end of the Middle Kingdom (c. 1780 BC). It was interesting for me to learn that there are actually a fair number of pieces of evidence of such structures--including archeological remains that still exist.
There are plenty of maps outlining where the fortifications were. There is good description of why Egypt fortified where it did. There are diagrams illustrating what we think the fortifications actually looked like (one striking example--the fortress on an island, at Uronarti (see page 33).
All in all, a fascinating work. . . .
Good introduction to Egyptian forts
8 May 2011
Format:Paperback
Usually when you think of ancient Egypt's army you think of chariots, often with the pharoah leading them. You don't always think of fortresses but the Egyptian's had them. This book discusses what we know of these early forts based upon archeology and other research. Well illustrated with photographs, maps and artwork. Especially of interest to those who want to know more about warfare in the ancient world.
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