Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fascinating account of ancient Egypt, a pageturner., 22 April 1999
By A Customer
You may recognise the author, Bob Brier, from the Discovery channel's Egyptian documentaries. In these, he always manages to put the ancient world into a context that a modern audience can relate to easily. In this book, which is a thorough look at the life and death of the 19 year old Pharaoh Tutankhamen, last of the eighteenth dynasty to sit on the throne of Egypt, you get a highly readable story not only of ancient lifestyles and people, but also of the early work carried out by the first Egyptologists. The author never bores you, but holds your attention completely as he makes an extremely convincing case that Tutankhamen, the most famous Pharaoh of all time (with the possible exceptions of Ramses the Great or Cleopatra) was murdered for his throne. A most touching picture of the young king's early life and that of his father, the heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten who seemed to have a mysterious ailment that caused him to look deformed, is given in riveting detail. One is also given a history of the aftermath of the murder and what happened to the likely culprits and the fate of Tutankhamen's young half sister and widow, Ankhesenamen. Like I said above, a real pageturner...
|
|
|
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Motive, means, opportunity, but was it murder?, 8 Jan 2002
Egyptologists have analytical minds by nature of the subject they study and this book tests your thinking. Bob takes the reader by the hand and describes how his interest in the possible murder of Tutankhamen comes about and explores the theory. There is plenty of background information to set the scene and the author has the possible murderers act out their parts. The writer discusses the influence and impact of Akhnaten, the mysterious Smenkare and a jumble of pieces found in tomb KV55. The reader must make up their own mind based on the scientific evidence available today, the evidence available in 1922 and conjecture of what may have occurred in the 18th dynasty. There is plenty of evidence to examine; a 3000 year old skull of Tutankhamen, a tomb packed with pieces for the afterlife, pieces found in burial pits, a suspect ring indicating Tutankhamens widow re-married, private and royal correspondence and the attempted erasure from history of traces of Tutankhamen. If you want to be on the jury be prepared to listen to the expert witness Dr Gerald Irwin, and re-examine all the evidence from a fresh perspective. Plenty of people had the motive and could create the opportunity, but did anybody actually murder the king?
|
|
|
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Egyptian Epic Brought To Life!, 29 Mar 2001
By A Customer
I couldn't put this book down. It's mixture of history, forensic science, crime and story-telling provides the perfect details for the script of an epic 'Hollywood' film. It's like an Egyptian 'Gladiator', packed with twists, turns and loads of action. It's only a matter of time before this book is made into a major film.Not only do we learn about Tutankamen's fate but we are given an interesting and entertaining history of Egypt as a whole. The author should be congratulated for bringing ancient history alive and making it digestible for the modern audience. As well as the suspense of finding out who murdered the boy king and why, we really begin to care as we get to know Tutankamen's character, backed up with evidence from his tomb and mummy. A real mixture of story-telling and history which brings subjects like Egyptology and forensic criminology into an arena which is easy to understand and digest. Can't wait to see the movie!!!
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by Kent Weeks
by Joyce Tyldesley
by Christine El Mahdy
