Synopsis
Providing an accessible introduction to the people who lived along the Nile for almost 35 centuries, this collection of essays presents studies of ancient Egyptians arranged by social type - slaves, craftsmen, priests, bureaucrats, pharaohs, peasants and women. From the text the reader learns, for example, that Egyptian peasants could not afford burial (their corpses were abandoned on the desert fringe), and that it wwas the bureaucrats who made the Egyptian system work (the pyramids could not have been built without them). The portraits of individuals merge to create a larger picture of Egyptian culture, state and society. The framework of the Egyptian state, in particular, is touched upon in each essay, describing the meticulous administration and well-organized hierarchical system which fostered centuries of stability and prosperity.

First Sentence
From time immemorial down to the present day, Egypt has been, first and foremost, an agricultural country. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews   1 of 2 people found the following review helpful: Remarkable work, but not for beginners, 3 Mar 2001 By A Customer This review is from: The Egyptians (Hardcover) Being a beginner myself, I can't say that I enjoyed this book as an introduction to the Egyptians. The lack of a timeline and the assumtpion by writers that the reader is accustomed to the history of Ancient Egypt makes it difficult for someone who doesn't have a proper grasp of the ancient Egyptians' era to enjoy the reading. However, the portrait it gives of the various social groups which made up the Egyptian world is quite remarkable and can be enriching for any reader, even the unexperienced ones.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) › See all customer reviews...		Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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