The Great Pyramid: Ancient Egypt Revisited (Hardcover)

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Review
'If you read only one pyramid book this year, read archaeologist Romer's, a winner both in size and in substance. Romer does a fabulous job of breaking down our preconceived notions of the Great Pyramid. He re-examines all the old ideas, myths, and legends and washes away years of misinterpretation and misinformation … Highly recommended.' Melissa Aho, Metropolitan State University, St. Paul, Minnesota

'John Romer's book on the Great Pyramid does justice to one of the wonders of the world. I write that as someone who has spent several years working around the pyramid, following the work of the American archaeologist, George Reisner. Romer's study is of great interest and wonderful reading, and it should appeal to those with an amateur interest in ancient Egypt as much as to the professional Egyptologist.' William Kelly Simpson, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology, Yale University

'A vast amount has been published on the pyramids, but this book offers a refreshing and distinctive approach based on sound scholarship and written in a style that often strikes a spark in the reader's imagination. One comes away reminded what an astonishing building the Great Pyramid is …’ Barry Kemp, Professor of Egyptology, University of Cambridge

'This elegantly-written book manages to achieve the balancing act of focusing in some detail on the specific aspects of the nature, construction and functioning of the Great Pyramid, but also illuminating many aspects of Old Kingdom Egypt and ancient cultures generally. It brings to a wide audience the latest information on a venerable topic that still has a surprising amount of life and energy in it. Perhaps the greatest praise is that I would have been extremely pleased to have written it myself!' Ian Shaw, Senior Lecturer in Egyptology, University of Liverpool

The Great Pyramid is awe-inspiring: the book expresses Romer's awe for the pyramid, and instills it deep within the reader. Romer realizes for the reader the complexities of inventing the ideal pyramid, such as evidence for the plans of the pyramid, drawn at a one-to-one scale on the ground surface at the Giza plateau. Throughout, Romer's writing is impassioned … The Great Pyramid is a book I plan on revisiting many times in the future. The many many photographs, the depth of information and the writing style make this a perfect companion for people, like me, distant admirers of the Egyptian pyramids, seen floating in a desert mirage in our imaginations. K. Kris Hirst, About: Archaeology

' … the book is a great mine of information on this stupendous structure, and is a refreshing change from the usual mess of fatuous speculation and conspiracy theory that forms the stock-in-trade of so many books claiming to explore the mysteries of the pyramids, and the Great Pyramid in particular. Aidan Dodson, BBC History Magazine

'If you want an excellent, comprehensive overview of both the history of the pyramids and the controversies that have surrounded these great wonders of the ancient world, then this is about as good as you can get.' Sydney Morning Herald

' … a detailed yet highly readable account of what is known not only about Cheop's monument, but the pyramids in general … Romer has a clear eye for practicalities and a refreshing, irreverent style. He is an urbane one-off in a field dominated by earnest monographs or crackpot sensationalism. The early photographs, many of them giving a glimpse of the Great Pyramid before modern tourism, are another unique feature of this book.' Times Higher Education Supplement

'John Romer's The Great Pyramid is a detailed yet highly readable account…Romer has a clear eye for practicalities and a refreshing, irreverent style. He is an urbane one-off in a field dominated by earnest monographs or crackpot sensationalism. The early photographs, many of them giving a glimpse of the Great Pyramid before modern tourism, are another unique feature of this book.' Times Higher Education Supplement

'… this is not just another book. Romer had produced a classic which does justice to the great structure. …highly readable …lucid writing. … a must for any student of this unique structure.' CHS Newsletter

'… an important addition to the Egyptological bookshelf. Its focus is firmly directed towards the construction of the pyramid and its greatest strengths lie in its treatment of stone working and technology and in the skilled way it embeds the construction of the pyramid within the social, economic and religious context from which it emerged.' Egyptian Archaeology

Product Description
The Great Pyramid's eerily precise architecture has for centuries both astounded and puzzled archaeologists and has given rise to numerous modern fantasies concerning the so-called 'Mystery of the Pyramids'. Sweeping away centuries of myth and confusion, John Romer describes for the first time exactly how the Great Pyramid was designed and built. He argues that the pyramid makers worked from a single plan whose existence has long been doubted and even denied by scholars. Moreover, the Great Pyramid's unique architecture is integral to the way it was built, and for its builders the tasks of construction and design were not separate as they are now. By placing this awesome monument in its genuine contemporary context, this book underlines the extraordinary talents and the originality of the ancient Egyptians at the time of King Khufu.

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3 Reviews 5 star:  (2) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT WORK FROM A MASTER, 18 Sep 2008 By  Mr. A. M. Patel (London. U.K.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    I have read most books written by John Romer, and I must say I really admire his style of writing, and his command of subject matter. As always he has done it again with this masterpiece. His writing is thoroughly enjoyable, and I highly recommend this book for any one intersted in Egyptology, and lay person will enjoy this brilliant book too. Keep up the good work John, and can't wait for your next masterpiece. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   4 of 10 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on he subject, 13 April 2007 By  M. Allen "m214463" (Exeter, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Strangely. there is only few serious books on the subject of the Great Pyramid and oyramids in general, at least in English. To be honest I only know 3, The Pyramids of Egypt by IES Edwards and The Complete Pyramids, and now this one. The fact remains most books on the subject og the Great Pyramid are dubious to the point of sillyness. But I will leave the pyramidiocy to others. John Romwer has been a spokesman for Egyptology for over 20 years, writing in many way the deffinitive guide to the Valley of the Kings, This was not so much a guide or a fore runner of the Kent Weeks Atlas, but a introduction that covered the digging and then the rediscovery. Where available this is a good start to the Valley. His next book, at least that I liked, waqs Ancient People, the story of thr tomb builders. Again it is more in the style of David Attenborough, making the hard accesable to the neophite. There wsas another book published at the same tme, can't remember the title, which covered the same ground, bur was so dry you could have started a fire with it. There have been other books, but this is the first retrn to Ancient Egypt in about 20 years. Now instead of the Valley of the Kings, he tacklews the greatest mystery in history, the Great Pyramid. I'm still reading it, but there is an authenticity to this that passes even Edwards, who probably wrote the best book. If you want a good introduction tp the subject, it is both technical and light reading. think it will be a long time before there is another one better. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   1 of 2 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars Beware! An enjoyable but flawed interpretation, 12 Jan 2009 By  Mr Cheops (England) - See all my reviews This is an enjoyable read, to be sure, and a good introduction to the subject, but for the more serious reader it is let down by clumsy use of modern Christian language. The repeated references to "heaven", for example, can only serve to confuse readers and detract from our understanding of Egyptian cosmogony and cosmology. A more careful author would have explained the precise nature of the Egyptian cosmos and the terminology which the Egyptians used to describe it, as for example Alan Alford does in his wonderful book "The Midnight Sun".The Midnight Sun: The Death and Rebirth of God in Ancient Egypt Above all, Romer's naivety is exposed in his concluding remark about the burial of Khufu: "the physical act of interring Khufu's body into the Great Pyramid's sarcophagus would have quite literally placed him amongst the stars of heaven." This completely misses the point which he himself made that the king's spirit needed to rise up out of his body in order to ascend to the sky (not heaven, please!), necessitating of course a burial of the body at ground level or below. Or, as the Egyptians themselves used to say "the body to earth, the spirit (akh) to the sky"! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 3 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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