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Древен Египет: религия, митология, история
Книгата представлява пълен исторически преглед на развитието на египетската цивилизация от зараждането и през 5000г.пр.н.е. до арабското нашествие през 4 век сл.Хр. Обхванати са всички аспекти на живота в древното общество: образование, официална религия, народни вярвания, митология, изкуство, архитектура, схващания за живота и смъртта, за сътворението и отвъдния свят. Богове, гробници, фараони, магии, пророчества, обреди са само една част от свят, съществувал хилядолетия наред и оставил много все още неразгадани тайни, свят на мумии, заклинания и пирамиди, който продължава да ни очарова.
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
42 people are currently reading
789 people want to read
About the author
Rosalie David
32 books19 followersFrom Ancient Egypt Magazine:
PROFESSOR ROSALIE DAVID OBE has achieved world renown for her pioneering work in investigating mummies using non-destructive techniques. She is Director of the KNH Centre for Biological and Forensic Studies in Egyptology at The University of Manchester. For over 25 years her Certificate Course in Egyptology has been consistently oversubscribed. The Distance Learning Course in Egyptology has proved equally popular.
Prof David was the former Keeper of Egyptology at the Manchester Museum, and is Director of the International Mummy Database and Director of the Schistosomiasis Investigation Project. Her research work into this disease, a scourge in the ancient as well as the modern world, was recognised recently with a prestigious award from the Anglo-French Medical Society. Prof David is the author of numerous books and articles on mummies and the religious practices of the ancient Egyptians, a presenter of TV and radio programmes, and an extremely popular lecturer all over the world.
Rosalie David was the first woman professor in Egyptology in Britain, and the first to receive an OBE in recognition of her services in Egyptology.
PROFESSOR ROSALIE DAVID OBE has achieved world renown for her pioneering work in investigating mummies using non-destructive techniques. She is Director of the KNH Centre for Biological and Forensic Studies in Egyptology at The University of Manchester. For over 25 years her Certificate Course in Egyptology has been consistently oversubscribed. The Distance Learning Course in Egyptology has proved equally popular.
Prof David was the former Keeper of Egyptology at the Manchester Museum, and is Director of the International Mummy Database and Director of the Schistosomiasis Investigation Project. Her research work into this disease, a scourge in the ancient as well as the modern world, was recognised recently with a prestigious award from the Anglo-French Medical Society. Prof David is the author of numerous books and articles on mummies and the religious practices of the ancient Egyptians, a presenter of TV and radio programmes, and an extremely popular lecturer all over the world.
Rosalie David was the first woman professor in Egyptology in Britain, and the first to receive an OBE in recognition of her services in Egyptology.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 3, 2016
Ancient Egypt is one of those civilisations where we seem to know far more about Egyptian death than Egyptian life, far more about the attitudes and arrangements relating to funerals, gods and the afterlife, than we do about their daily lives, their domestic arrangements, social interactions and hierarchy. This is because, obviously, most of what has survived from Ancient Egypt are burials, tombs and temples - those relics of civilisation that were built for eternity, rather than the more earthly and temporal homes and workplaces of the population.
As a result, our mental images of Ancient Egypt have been shaped to place religion and death in a central position that may not entirely have reflected reality - any more than our own day-to-day lives are currently defined by our deaths or our thoughts on the afterlife. In fact, religion and spirituality probably plays more of a role in daily life today than it did in antiquity - modern faith reflects a universalism and a personal relationship with the divine than did not exist in antiquity. The gods were ever-present, it's true, and controlled all life on earth, but few required any kind of moral code or rules for living, at least from the mass of the population.
Rosalie David takes a chronological approach in this book, working from the very earliest days of Egypt as an identifiable unified country, all the way up to the end of pharaonic rule with the death of Cleopatra VII - an immense sweep of time. She explores not just the current knowledge of the practice religion and magic in Ancient Egypt, but how and why archaeologists and scholars have come to the conclusions we have. Personally I found the discussions about the archaeological digs as interesting as the conclusions drawn from them, much of which, as is inevitable, is speculation. You simply cannot learn about a civilisation in entirety from its burials, grave goods and religious precincts - anymore than a survey mosques and Catholic churches could adequately tell the story of modern Europe, for example.
The downside of this chronological approach is that the author cannot tell the story of religion in Ancient Egypt without also telling the history of Ancient Egypt - and to narrate the sweep of thousands of years of history, and its impact and influence on religion, in less than 500 pages, means it's a very cursory and shallow exploration of both. I was quite frequently lost, and the pace at which the text proceeded meant that it felt patchy and jumpy, immediately proceeding from a contextual historical explanation to some new religious or magical fact with no real bridge between.
So whilst this book was interesting in places, overall I found it a letdown. Perhaps the scope was just too large, too ambitious for such a slim book; or perhaps such a complex subject, with so much conjecture, extrapolation and scholarly interpretation, just cannot adequately be condensed into 500 pages and still remain coherent and enjoyable to the average reader.
As a result, our mental images of Ancient Egypt have been shaped to place religion and death in a central position that may not entirely have reflected reality - any more than our own day-to-day lives are currently defined by our deaths or our thoughts on the afterlife. In fact, religion and spirituality probably plays more of a role in daily life today than it did in antiquity - modern faith reflects a universalism and a personal relationship with the divine than did not exist in antiquity. The gods were ever-present, it's true, and controlled all life on earth, but few required any kind of moral code or rules for living, at least from the mass of the population.
Rosalie David takes a chronological approach in this book, working from the very earliest days of Egypt as an identifiable unified country, all the way up to the end of pharaonic rule with the death of Cleopatra VII - an immense sweep of time. She explores not just the current knowledge of the practice religion and magic in Ancient Egypt, but how and why archaeologists and scholars have come to the conclusions we have. Personally I found the discussions about the archaeological digs as interesting as the conclusions drawn from them, much of which, as is inevitable, is speculation. You simply cannot learn about a civilisation in entirety from its burials, grave goods and religious precincts - anymore than a survey mosques and Catholic churches could adequately tell the story of modern Europe, for example.
The downside of this chronological approach is that the author cannot tell the story of religion in Ancient Egypt without also telling the history of Ancient Egypt - and to narrate the sweep of thousands of years of history, and its impact and influence on religion, in less than 500 pages, means it's a very cursory and shallow exploration of both. I was quite frequently lost, and the pace at which the text proceeded meant that it felt patchy and jumpy, immediately proceeding from a contextual historical explanation to some new religious or magical fact with no real bridge between.
So whilst this book was interesting in places, overall I found it a letdown. Perhaps the scope was just too large, too ambitious for such a slim book; or perhaps such a complex subject, with so much conjecture, extrapolation and scholarly interpretation, just cannot adequately be condensed into 500 pages and still remain coherent and enjoyable to the average reader.
September 17, 2023
There are things to praise as well as criticism in this history of political and religious history of Egypt. Overall, this is a very good overview of religious tradition in Egypt. So tightly bound to politics, David is forced to address essentially the development of religion in a political context, which massively enlarges the scope of her purpose and sometimes overwhelms it. Spanning thousands of years, she does an admirable job of combing through the archeological record to present chronologically the development of religion. Frankly, I would have appreciated more of the “why” or significance of religious belief. At times, David recants more of the “what happened.” Interesting and well written, however, I don’t know of a better work I. The subject. Recommended.
April 10, 2022
This book contains a huge volume of information about ancient Egypt, and I am assuming that this is the reason that other reviewers have awarded five stars. I would estimate that less than half of the information is in any way relevant to the topic of religion and magic, however. Instead of being a discussion of religion and magic, the book attempts to provide a sweeping history of the entire span of ancient Egyptian civilization. Unfortunately, this history is presented as an endless succession of often unrelated facts with no attempt to draw out interesting patterns and relationships and scant attempt at analysis and explanation. The lack of connection and analysis makes the writing at times almost incoherent. The style of writing can be seen in the following extract from the beginning of a paragraph `Although weak or foreign dynasties tried to revive the myth of the god-king in order to support their own royal status, the political power of the king continued to decline, along with his influence on religion. However, there appears to have been an increased association between the temples and lay people.' After reading the first sentence of the paragraph, I expect it to be further developed with an explanation of the ways in which the power of the king and his influence on religion declined and some explanations of why this might have been so. Instead, the paragraph goes on to discuss some completely unrelated customs involving lay people in temples. Though the book does have some moments where interesting analysis takes place, for the most part it is not even attempted.
The writing also contains a fair number of contradictions. At one point the author claims that priests were not allowed to wear animal skins and then two pages later she describes a priest wearing a panther skin. There must be a logical explanation for this contradiction, but the author offers none. The Pharaoh Akhenaten is described as revolutionary because he introduces monotheism to Egypt and allows no other gods to be worshipped. Within a few pages we suddenly find out that a second deity, the goddess Ma'at was supposedly retained. Once again, no explanation for this contradiction is offered.
The lack of analysis also means that there are occasions when problematic or disputed information is offered up as fact. The author mentions the discovery of Minoan-style paintings in tombs in Egypt and claims this to be unusual since in Minoan civilization wall painting were reserved for palaces. In fact, many scholars would argue that the so-called Minoan palaces were actually mortuary complexes.
In general, the dry, repetitive, disconnected style makes the book a difficult read. History books do not need to be dry. The substance of history is fascinating, but only if the various pieces of information are connected through analysis and explanation into a coherent picture of the subject being portrayed. This book unfortunately does not succeed in achieving that.
The writing also contains a fair number of contradictions. At one point the author claims that priests were not allowed to wear animal skins and then two pages later she describes a priest wearing a panther skin. There must be a logical explanation for this contradiction, but the author offers none. The Pharaoh Akhenaten is described as revolutionary because he introduces monotheism to Egypt and allows no other gods to be worshipped. Within a few pages we suddenly find out that a second deity, the goddess Ma'at was supposedly retained. Once again, no explanation for this contradiction is offered.
The lack of analysis also means that there are occasions when problematic or disputed information is offered up as fact. The author mentions the discovery of Minoan-style paintings in tombs in Egypt and claims this to be unusual since in Minoan civilization wall painting were reserved for palaces. In fact, many scholars would argue that the so-called Minoan palaces were actually mortuary complexes.
In general, the dry, repetitive, disconnected style makes the book a difficult read. History books do not need to be dry. The substance of history is fascinating, but only if the various pieces of information are connected through analysis and explanation into a coherent picture of the subject being portrayed. This book unfortunately does not succeed in achieving that.
June 14, 2021
I was game for a chronological history of religion in Egypt, but the conception followed here doesn't really work. Religion is so intimately connected to politics in Egyptian history that one can only really either write a history of Egypt with extra emphasis on religious issues or a history of religion that is more interpretative and takes much of the historical background for granted. David chose the former route, and I don't think it is really distinct enough from a general history of Egypt to make sense as a project. What one really wants to read is a general introduction like The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt: The History of a Civilisation from 3000 BC to Cleopatra and then more specialist books on religion like The Search for God in Ancient Egypt.
January 22, 2019
More an overview of Ancient Egyptian history from the pre-dynastic period to Roman times than a study of Egyptian religion and magic. It's a fairly useful primer if, like me, one's knowledge of Ancient Egypt is based on the odd visit to the British Museum. But it reads like it's been compiled from various lecture notes, and is severely limited by a lack of schematics of temples and tombs.
July 27, 2018
Surprisingly readable for a history book, but the title is a misnomer; this was a general Egyptian history, not about religion and magic specifically or very much at all.
May 12, 2024
One of my many obsessions is ancient Egypt. Well written and concise. Very much enjoyed.
July 26, 2019
The writing is perfectly serviceable, though without any distinguishing characteristics. It's like those MFA bores all are.
January 17, 2024
Unlike most books on Egyptian religion, this one is organized chronologically rather than thematically. Its main value, then, is giving a general picture of how Egyptian religion developed over time. David is more of an expert on mummies and burials than on religion per se, as one might guess from the amount of space she devotes to funerary customs in each period. Perhaps for that reason, the book can feel a bit superficial and old-fashioned when it touches on the deeper questions of Egyptian religion, despite its fairly recent publication date and its references to some of the most influential scholars of the topic.
The biggest problems are that the book spends more time on political history than is really necessary to understand the religious developments, and that its discussion of events after the New Kingdom—nearly 1500 years, stretching to the fourth or fifth century AD—glosses over a lot of religious changes and takes up less space than the 500 years of the New Kingdom. On a more minor level, David dates some ancient Egyptian wisdom literature to the Old Kingdom, despite the current consensus that none of it dates earlier than the Middle Kingdom. She also spends a few pages discussing the Exodus—even though it's irrelevant to ancient Egyptian religion—and treats it as a real event whose date has never been nailed down, rather than a legend with only minimal basis in history, as most scholars today treat it. A few other points also bother me, such as the assertion that the fall of the Old Kingdom discredited Ra, the patron god of the Old Kingdom rulers, and that Osiris, Montu, and Amun rose in importance during the early Middle Kingdom to fill the vacuum. I don't know of any evidence that Ra was discredited, and his enormous importance in the New Kingdom suggests otherwise.
That said, this is the only accessible description of how Egyptian religion evolved over time, which makes it worthwhile as long as it's not the only book you read on the topic. Other books that might round out this one include The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt by Richard H. Wilkinson, and Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt by Emily Teeter.
The biggest problems are that the book spends more time on political history than is really necessary to understand the religious developments, and that its discussion of events after the New Kingdom—nearly 1500 years, stretching to the fourth or fifth century AD—glosses over a lot of religious changes and takes up less space than the 500 years of the New Kingdom. On a more minor level, David dates some ancient Egyptian wisdom literature to the Old Kingdom, despite the current consensus that none of it dates earlier than the Middle Kingdom. She also spends a few pages discussing the Exodus—even though it's irrelevant to ancient Egyptian religion—and treats it as a real event whose date has never been nailed down, rather than a legend with only minimal basis in history, as most scholars today treat it. A few other points also bother me, such as the assertion that the fall of the Old Kingdom discredited Ra, the patron god of the Old Kingdom rulers, and that Osiris, Montu, and Amun rose in importance during the early Middle Kingdom to fill the vacuum. I don't know of any evidence that Ra was discredited, and his enormous importance in the New Kingdom suggests otherwise.
That said, this is the only accessible description of how Egyptian religion evolved over time, which makes it worthwhile as long as it's not the only book you read on the topic. Other books that might round out this one include The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt by Richard H. Wilkinson, and Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt by Emily Teeter.
June 16, 2010
What is it about anicent Egypt? Would I like to go and live back in that time? No, I like, really like, indoor plumbing. There is something about anicent Egypt that interests many people. Maybe it's because it gave the world arkwork like the tomb paintings.
This book is an overview in layman's termso of Egypt's religion. It is not a collection of myths, but it is an examnation of religion and how it effected Egyptians.
The book is highly informative, though having some general knowledge about Egypt helps. At times, however, the writing is a little dry.
This book is an overview in layman's termso of Egypt's religion. It is not a collection of myths, but it is an examnation of religion and how it effected Egyptians.
The book is highly informative, though having some general knowledge about Egypt helps. At times, however, the writing is a little dry.
October 27, 2016
Fantastic account of ancient Egypt's religion. Rosalie David tells the story of thousands of years of religion in a very readable way. It's a great book for the new to Egypt reader and the more experienced reader.
May 6, 2010
An encyclopedic volume of information and sources for reference.
September 6, 2019
Excelente livro sobre a história da civilização egípcia. A historiadora é bem séria e a leitura de fácil compreensão.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews