Histoire de l'Égypte ancienne

by Nicolas Grimal

Les incessantes révisions qu'opère l'égyptologie - une discipline somme toute récente - sont parfois longues à sortir du milieu des spécialistes. Ainsi, pour la plupart, avons-nous, de la civilisation du Nil, une vision quelque peu traditionnelle et conventionnelle, le plus souvent tributaire de découvertes et de travaux remontant aux années 1950 et 1960, alors que des avancées décisives ont eu lieu depuis.
De ces acquis anciens et nouveaux un égyptologue propose ici une synthèse à la fois vivante et savante, portant sur l'ensemble de l'histoire de la terre des Pharaons (depuis la préhistoire jusqu'à la conquête d'Alexandre). Etayée sur la chronologie la plus sûre à ce jour et nourrie des informations livrées par un matériel archéologique de plus en plus abondant, elle fait une large part - et c'est là une de ses principales nouveautés - à l'économie, à la linguistique, à l'anthropologie, etc., à côté d'approches plus classiques comme le récit des événements et l'évocation des figures marquantes.
Abondamment illustré et enrichi de nombreux textes égyptiens, cet ouvrage ambitionne de donner à l'honnête homme de notre temps, au voyageur, à l'étudiant, une connaissance approfondie de la plus ancienne et assurément, la plus prestigieuse des civilisations du Bassin méditerranéen.

Né en 1948, directeur de l'IFAO du Caire, professeur à l'université de Paris-Sorbonne, Nicolas Grimal a jusqu'à présent publié essentiellement des articles et des ouvrages universitaires. Il est notamment l'auteur d'une thèse d'Etat sur Les Termes de la propagande royale, du Nouvel Empire à la conquête d'Alexandre , 1986.

Genres: History, Egypt, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Egyptology, Archaeology, Egyptian Literature

672 pages, Pocket Book

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Nicolas Grimal is a French Egyptologist.

After his Agrégation in Classics in 1971, he obtained a PhD in 1984. He has been a professor at the Sorbonne since 1988.

From 1989 to 1999, he headed the French Institute of Oriental Archeology in Cairo. Since 1990, he has been the scientific director of the Franco-Egyptian Centre for study of the temples of Karnak. He has held the chair of Egyptology at the Collège de France since 2000.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very solid expression of the state of mainstream Egyptology as of about twenty years ago. I'm not adequately familiar with the field to say how much has changed since then, but I consider it a good introduction for the educated lay-person, and probably a good starting point for more serious students as well. Grimal gives considerable detail in relatively few pages, and the book is supplemented by several maps and illustrations, and a very good index. The structure of the book is roughly chronological, with thematic chapters on important subjects such as funerary practices and religion. One fault I see is that Grimal often gives information without discussing the evidence in adequate detail, making it hard to tell where the legitimate debates differ from the more disingenuous revisionist efforts. For example, Grimal repeatedly asserts the certainty that the Great Pyramid of Giza served as a tomb, and not a grain silo or some other function. I accept it on the basis of his authority, but I also know that a lot of kooks have claimed otherwise, and I’d like to know why he and other archaeologists are convinced of this, in order to better understand what separates the experts from the amateurs. Probably it would require more technical detail than he felt was appropriate for a general-audience text, because there is a lot of good recounting of the research in other areas. In all, this is a very useful, if not a perfect, synthesis of information.

[Sean McLachlan · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know those books that you find kind of dull but you can't put down because they're teaching you so much you want to learn? This was one of those books for me. This is a detailed history of Ancient Egypt from the Predynastic Period until the end of the Late Period. Emphasis is on royalty and their great works of architecture. While this is all fascinating, I could have used more information about regular people, the economy, technology, and all the other aspects of this complex civilization.
I could have also used prose that was less dry, maps that were more complete, and more explanation of terms to lessen confusion.
That said, I couldn't put this book down. There was so much information packed in its dense type that I was learning several things I didn't know on every page, and I have a Masters in archaeology. Granted, my focus was early medieval Europe, but I've still read a lot of Egyptology. This is not a book for the lay reader, but rather someone who has done a fair amount of reading.
If you're looking for a good intro to Ancient Egypt, this is not it. If you have some knowledge and want to learn more, try this out.

[Anna C · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scholarly overview that manages to be extremely thorough despite fitting nearly 5000 years of history in only 400 pages. Probably not the best introduction to the topic, but a fantastically portable reference book for me to carry around the Egyptian wing of the Met and annotate for days and days. My only complaint is that it uses the old Hellenized / Europeanized spellings throughout, so "Snofru" for Sneferu, "Cheops" for Khufu, "Mycerinus" for Menkaure, etc etc.

[Haleth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si tratta, da quanto ho potuto capire, di uno dei testi principali in materia. Come ho letto in un commento in rete, la caratteristica principale di questo libro è che non fa del sensazionalismo, cosa che forse toglie qualcosa all'emozione della lettura, ma certamente dà molto dal punto di vista della comprensione dei meccanismi che hanno guidato la storia dell'Egitto.

Altra caratteristica peculiare (e indispensabile quando si parla di civiltà antiche) è come l'autore dipani la storia dell'Egitto attraverso i suoi monumenti, senza mai scindere storia e archeologia. In alcuni casi la focalizzazione sulle testimonianze archeologiche ed epigrafiche può rivelarsi un po' difficoltosa per chi ne sia a digiuno, ma niente di insuperabile.

La narrazione dei fatti si svolge dall'Egitto pre- e protostorico fino alla conquista da parte di Alessandro Magno. Il volume è integrato da diverse illustrazioni e alcune cartine chiarificatrici.

[Lonely Panda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid introduction to studies of Ancient Egypt. Although it is necessary to read other books to really grasp every concepts raised in this book.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forse uno dei testi migliori per documentarsi sulla storia dell'antico egitto. Nell'ambito archeologico il Grimal è considerato uno dei migliori manuali per l'introduzione all'egittologia. È una via di mezzo tra un testo universitario e un semplice manuale di storia. È realizzato in modo che risulti comprensibile anche a chi non è parte dell'ambiente archeologico. Sicuramente alcuni parti sono un po' troppo semplificate, ma il libro offre una panoramica esauriente sulla storia di uno dei popoli più importanti dell'antichità. Ben realizzato, dotato di molti schemi che facilitano la comprensione e riassumono le vicende principali, ha l'unica pecca di essere poco chiaro per quanto riguarda le parti finali della storia egizia (parte però molto complessa e confusa già di suo) e non aggiornato sulle nuove scoperte riguardanti il periodo iniziale, nel quale risulta un po' lacunoso. È comunque un ottimo libro, consigliato per iniziare a documentarsi.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A detailed chronological overview of ancient Egyptian history. I appreciate that it didn't take long to get into the history; other books on the subject spend too much time on Egyptology right off the bat. The book follows a general pattern of discussion each pharaoh's succession, conquests, and architectural works. One could find it repetitive after awhile. And if you're looking for a narrative organized around the broad characteristics of this civilization, you may want to look elsewhere. Also, the book concludes with the end of ancient Egyptian independence under Alexander the Great. So if you want to read about Cleopatra, you won't find it here.

[عبد الله محمد مسعد · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب تاريخي مهم و مرجعي و ملئ بالتفاصيل التي جعلته في بعض الأحيان في وصفه المعابد و الاثار الهندسية مملا قليلا إذ تبعادت الكلمات عن مواضيع المخططات في الكتاب و ربنا يرجع هذا الي اخراج النسخة العربية و لكن المهم حقا أن نقرأ هذا التاريخ في ظروفه الخاصة و بمشتملاته و صراعاته و حروبه لا أن نقتبس منه مفاهيم عامه و رومانسية ك " كم كانت هذه الحضارة عظيمة " أو " ياليت الزمن يعود بنا " كل هذا ما هو إلا تعبير عن فقدان الأمل في اللحظة الراهنة و فقدان الأمل في قدرتنا علي التغيير الا من خلال الماضي السحيق الذي انتهي و هذا مؤسف إذ في كل عصر انحط فيه الوضع كان هناك من يعيد الروح الي مصر و لكن اليوم فقط نحن نريد نقش الجامعات بصور الجعران و وضع توت عنخ امون علي الباسبور

[Luis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inicié este libro tratando de adentrarme en la majestuosa egiptología, ya que es algo que siempre me ha atraído mucho. Pero creo que iniciar con este libro es una decisión errónea, está lleno de periodos, civilizaciones, etc., desconocidas para mí, incluso tecnicismos. Por lo general en un libro, cuando no sé algo me nutro por internet, pero en este, era estar cada párrafo buscando que es qué.
En fin, es un gran libro para grandes conocedores de la egiptología.
Ojalá dentro de un tiempo vuelva a leer sobre la monstruosidad que abarca la egiptología en la historia, y por supuesto de la civilización faraónica.

[Andreas Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uhm, ricordi vaghi ... ?
Ho ricordi vaghi su questo libro, l'ho letto troppo tempo fa, all'epoca mi sembrava più o meno completo nella sua storia, anche se al giorno d'oggi, non so se il mio giudizio sarebbe il medesimo. Comunque sia, i punti salienti che una persona può ricordare sono sempre i soliti: Ramsete (1° o 154millesimo, va' a ricordarteli) e quanto dominò a bordo del suo carro; quando l'Egitto divenne dominio personale degli imperatori di Roma.

[Starlight ~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il libro dà una visuale completa sulla storia egizia, dal periodo preistorico fino alla conquista romana. Non lo consiglierei però per chi vuole approcciarsi alla disciplina, in quanto, essendo abbastanza datato, molte delle informazioni che vi si trovano sono state smentite dalle ricerche recenti. Rimane comunque una lettura affascinante, una buona guida generale dei processi e dei modi di pensare che si trovano in questa civiltà.

[Dave Cárdenas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un poco difícil de seguir por la masiva cantidad de nombres, además de que es muy díficil resumir tantos siglos de historia en un libro pequeño.

Al finalizar uno no puede evitar sentirse triste por el fin de una civilización tan única, tan diferente a lo que le siguió; ciertamente la humanidad perdió un gran pedazo de su diversidad cultural cuando el Antiguo Egipto y sus dioses y su idioma fueron definitivamente olvidados.

[Aesirae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonostante molte delle informazioni storico-archeologiche siano state superate dalle moderne ricerche, questo testo é veramente immersivo. Nonostante la lunghezza e, a tratti, la pesantezza ho amato ogni pagina.
Veramente interessante per chi vuole avere un quadro ben fatto della storia dell'Antico stato Egiziano.

[Danko Herrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can see why this is almos a classic when you are trying to deepen your insight on Egypt's history in antiquity. Grimal's approach is fond of architechture and the way constructions relate to society. I loved the conclussion too.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to the subject, but Mertz is more accessible. If you have studied archeology and have some perspective on ancient civilizations, you will enjoy this book. It's a little technical, and can be slow going. The narrative is dry, so it functions better as a reference, than something to excite you about Egyptology.

[LaFleurBleue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un livre sur l'histoire de l'Egypte antique écrit par un érudit, malheureusement un peu trop érudit à mon goût
Le style est assez aride, les explications parfois un peu trop compliquées, les références très nombreuses. Bref, ce livre est intéressant mais est très compliqué à lire pour un novice.
Mon mari a réussi à le finir. Moi pas !

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid but somewhat dry introduction to the long and proud history of one of the oldest known civilisations. While this book will probably not generate many new Egyptologists, it is well worth the time if you are already interested in the subject.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid introduction to the field.

[Roberta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molto interessante.

[Karlos Dearma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trabajo reciente de egiptología desde el punto de vista de la arqueología. Muy bien documentado y organizado, de lectura fácil. Recomendable.

[Alessio Cariddi · Rating 5 out of 5]

La Bibbia dell’egittologia, è bello lungo, ma alla fine avrete un panorama completa sulla cultura egizia

[Sonia]

recommended by Sarah