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Les prêtres de l'ancienne Égypte
The gods were everywhere in Ancient Egypt. Represented by statues, bas-reliefs, and funerary paintings, they even walked among the Egyptians in the person of Pharaoh, considered to be a living god, son of the divine Ra. What better way to understand that distant culture than by becoming familiar with the people who served those gods?
Using as his sources the Egyptian texts and the testimony of classical authors, Serge Sauneron illuminates the role of the priesthood in Ancient Egypt. He re-creates the system of thought of one of the great civilizations of antiquity, addressing such topics as priestly functions, the world of the temples, holy festivals, tombs, and pyramids.
Sauneron describes the ceremonies of daily worship, considered vital in preventing the world's descent into chaos. He takes us deep into the sacred precincts of the temples-- home to the divine statues in which a part of the god was believed to dwell. One of the duties of the priests was to maintain these sacred effigies, to nourish, clothe, and protect them from attacks by evil spirits.
This edition of The Priests of Ancient Egypt, an augmented version of the 1957 classic, was published in France in 1988, and has been translated authoritatively by David Lorton.
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
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About the author
Serge Sauneron
30 books2 followersSerge Sauneron (1927–1976) was a French Egyptologist. He was Director of the Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale from 1969 to 1976. Notable publications include his work on the Priests of Ancient Egypt, entitled, Les prêtres de l'ancienne Égypte (1957) and Les songes et leur interprétation, published in 2 volumes (1959).
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 27, 2014
Not a light read, but extremely informative. This book is for the serious egyptophile!
November 12, 2023
I gather that the substance of this book is pretty much unchanged from the original edition published in the late 1950s. In a few places it does betray its age. For example, we actually don't know much for certain about the political interaction between kings and the priests of Amun, but, like most Egyptologists until recent years, Sauneron assumed there was major tension between them.
As I've said in other reviews, some French Egyptologists seem prone to rather imaginative embellishment, and Sauneron was among them. His wry style does make for interesting reading when he provides the anecdotes about the character of Egyptian priests, ranging from the apparently genuine piety of Petosiris to the incredibly corrupt behavior of the priests of Amun at Teudjoi.
Despite a few flaws, Sauneron's discussion of the varied classes of priests, how they were appointed, the rites they performed, and the wide range of knowledge they recorded is so extensive and readable that no book has supplanted it yet.
As I've said in other reviews, some French Egyptologists seem prone to rather imaginative embellishment, and Sauneron was among them. His wry style does make for interesting reading when he provides the anecdotes about the character of Egyptian priests, ranging from the apparently genuine piety of Petosiris to the incredibly corrupt behavior of the priests of Amun at Teudjoi.
Despite a few flaws, Sauneron's discussion of the varied classes of priests, how they were appointed, the rites they performed, and the wide range of knowledge they recorded is so extensive and readable that no book has supplanted it yet.
March 8, 2021
A fairly technical book but it gave me new, and interesting, insights into Ancient Egyptian society, its structure and the power of the priests.
August 5, 2015
Book Review: The Priests of Ancient Egypt: New Edition by Serge Sauneron, David Lorton, Jean-Pierre Corteggiani
This is one of the few books which emphasizes the duties of the priests and their functions in the entire sphere of ancient Egyptian religion. While most books on ancient Egyptian religion discuss the ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses and their roles in the mythologies of the ancient culture, Sauneron (I keep thinking of Sauron the White from Lord of the Rings when I read his name), instead chooses to place his emphasis on the daily life of the actual priests.
The book is vast in its contents and touches on everything from the corruption in the priesthood and the bribery which inevitably happens in every vast religious organization, to the mundane in regards to dietary restrictions, cleanliness, fornication, and dress code. Some of the more elaborate chapters which I liked focused on the actual rituals of morning prayers, mid-afternoon prayers, and evening prayer rights.
Because I’ve had to read an enormous amount of books on ancient Egyptian religion for my series, Legends of Amun Ra, I was still amazed to find out how little I knew about the actual priests themselves and their daily rituals. Most of what I’ve done for my series has been extracted from my imagination of what ancient priests would have acted like. But now, by reading The Priests of Ancient Egypt, my series could be more realistic with how priests actually conducted themselves.
But, the best thing about this book is that it is not a dry or slow read like most non-fiction books. Sauneron makes the study of the priests and ancient Egyptian religion fun and exciting. His book was well balanced, neither praising the ancient priests nor lambasting them for odd practices and beliefs. My only complaint was that he used too many Greek translations instead of using the original Egyptian verbiage.
This is one of the few books which emphasizes the duties of the priests and their functions in the entire sphere of ancient Egyptian religion. While most books on ancient Egyptian religion discuss the ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses and their roles in the mythologies of the ancient culture, Sauneron (I keep thinking of Sauron the White from Lord of the Rings when I read his name), instead chooses to place his emphasis on the daily life of the actual priests.
The book is vast in its contents and touches on everything from the corruption in the priesthood and the bribery which inevitably happens in every vast religious organization, to the mundane in regards to dietary restrictions, cleanliness, fornication, and dress code. Some of the more elaborate chapters which I liked focused on the actual rituals of morning prayers, mid-afternoon prayers, and evening prayer rights.
Because I’ve had to read an enormous amount of books on ancient Egyptian religion for my series, Legends of Amun Ra, I was still amazed to find out how little I knew about the actual priests themselves and their daily rituals. Most of what I’ve done for my series has been extracted from my imagination of what ancient priests would have acted like. But now, by reading The Priests of Ancient Egypt, my series could be more realistic with how priests actually conducted themselves.
But, the best thing about this book is that it is not a dry or slow read like most non-fiction books. Sauneron makes the study of the priests and ancient Egyptian religion fun and exciting. His book was well balanced, neither praising the ancient priests nor lambasting them for odd practices and beliefs. My only complaint was that he used too many Greek translations instead of using the original Egyptian verbiage.
December 11, 2012
Excellent book. This book covers most all aspects of the life of the clergy in Ancient Egypt. Truly informative and enjoyable.
February 4, 2015
The classic 1957 popular account of the ancient Egyptian priesthoods. Good.
April 9, 2014
Perfectly informative on what I found to be a gap in the records.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews