Ancient Egypt: An Illustrated Reference to the Myths, Religions, Pyramids and Temples of the Land of the Pharaohs

by Lucia Gahlin, Lorna Oakes

Discover the world's first civilization! This beautiful volume is a fascinating guide to the myths, religions, pyramids, temples, and more that make up the allure of ancient Egypt.

Readers will gain a unique understanding of this captivating culture through breathtaking, full-color illustrations, in-depth text, detailed maps, and comprehensive chronologies. You'll read about:
- Famous burial sites
- The mortuary temples of the many gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt
- Gods and goddesses
- Pharaohs
- Festivals
- Offerings
- Superstitions
- And more! An invaluable reference to one of the most intriguing periods of history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Egypt, Reference, Egyptology, Art, Mythology

512 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed a book to give me an overall picture of the history and works of ancient Egypt and this one has certainly fit the bill. Filled with an overwhelming amount of data and pictures, it is an easy volume with which to digest the greatness of the Pharaohs.

This is not a chronological overview of how the Egyptians came to be. Instead it puts most of its focus on how religion came to dominate the land of the Nile through temples and mummies and the many different gods. I have always found the archaeological digs surrounding the pyramids and tombs to be fascinating, especially since they say there are still many undiscovered Egyptian finds.

This would be a five-star book but for the fact that I kept having to go back to the list of Pharaohs and map locations to figure out what was being highlighted. I mean, not difficult, but time-consuming. Still a very lovely book which has made me hungry for a better understanding of just how that great empire came to be.

Book Season = Spring (weighing of the heart)

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The photographs and illustrations in this book are WONDERFUL but the book's organization leaves something to be desired. It tries to lay things out by theme but with so much jumping around in the time line it's difficult to get a good understanding of how Egyptian culture developed and changed over time.

[Victor Alvarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

"It was removed for shipment to England, but was unfortunately lost in a storm at sea".

Egyptian most-fascinating culture and original ideas seem also somehow to have been looted and lost in the ocean of time. Otherwise, the book is a thoughtful and well illustrated - though chronologically disorganised - compound of the European 'rediscovery' of Egyptian archeology and history.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been looking for this on here for a while - it's a book I remember reading so much when I was younger and in my Ancient Egypt phase. I'm currently in that phase again thanks to Assassin's Creed Origins!

[James Urban · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth the read for anyone interested in Ancient Egypt!

[Hillary · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This book is divided into two halves. The first is written as a guide to the ancient monuments, temples, and other ruins from Ancient Egypt. Like a guidebook the prose is quite dry and very factual but lacks the narrative quality of most non-fiction work and so I found this part dry and a bit of a slog. Most the text is devoted to describing the images on the walls and there is only a set number of times I can read about pharaoh after pharaoh having themselves depicted making an offering to Osiris before my eyes start glazing over. The second part of the book focuses on the actual religion and religious life of Ancient Egypt. This part is much more interesting. For example, there was an annual festival called the Festival of the Nile and Drunkenness. For some priests and the pharaoh it was taboo to eat fish; there were instances where the pharaoh was not able to meet with local princes because they were consumers of fish. Some demons were thought to live in an 'inverted netherworld' which meant their faces were where their anuses should have been and as a consequence they ate their own feces. The story of 'The Contendings of Horus and Seth' was worthy of being on the Jerry Springer show and there was a goddess of the 'birthing bricks' who was always shown as having a human head with the body of a brick, although unfortunately there was no picture provided of what this looked like.

This book is not meant to be read straight through I think and doing so is what most of my problems with this book are about. I think this is more of a coffee table book even though it is smaller in size then most of those. It is very picture heavy with is nice but information is repeated in different sections over and over because it is meant to be browsed. I can't count how many times I read how Isis was the mother of Horus or how Osiris' enemy was his 'wicked brother Seth.' I do think some information was not repeated which I think should have been or at least explained. 'Nw pots' were mentioned several times as being show on the walls of several temples in the first half of the book but it wasn't until over 300 pages into the book that it told us explicitly what these were. I wasn't familiar with the term 'cenotaph' before and maybe I should have been but cenotaph temples were mentioned and describe several times and it was only around pg. 350 that the text directly told me what these were. There seems to be a weird combination of some things that were mentioned ad nauseam, such as listing what each god ruled over each time they were named ('Osiris, the god of the dead and the afterlife,...') and other times were information would have been welcome but was not given at all or not until much later. There were also several typos. However like I said I think the idea was that readers would flip through this book and read the sections that caught their eye rather then this being a book someone would sit down and read cover to cover as I did.

Also there was one point early into this book were the text confidently informs us that Hadrian founded Antinoopolios in memory of his 'friend' Antinous and I don't care how you slice it it is just plain wrong to tell people that Antinous and Hadrian were just friends so I don't know why they did that but it made me wonder what else wasn't said or perhaps incorrectly portrayed in the text.

Oh, also when talking about the belief of the ancient Egyptians that human breast milk had certain medicinal and magical properties the text says that 'Even today, in Britain and other Western counties, mothers are commonly advised to treat their babies' eye infections with breast milk.' Now maybe this is a British or European thing but as an American I have never heard this like ever. I don't have children, true, but I have 5 siblings and I feel like I would remember my mother doing this with one of my sisters when young if she had. There are some really weird things in the text like this that made me go 'huh??' but at least made for interesting reading.

Basically, I think the biggest problems I had with this book is because I read it from cover to cover and I don't really think it was designed to be read like that but I wanted to read about ancient Egypt and with the libraries being closed I had to choose what I had on my own shelves. The pictures, of which there are many and at least one on every page, are beautiful, in color, and the paper is of that good, slick quality of art or coffee table books. Without the pictures and images the book would have really suffered and honestly I am not sure if I would have finished it. If you come across this book I would recommend flipping through and reading what catches your eye and not reading it from cover to cover like I did.

Overall this was an 'eh, it was okay I guess' book for me which is not a great recommendation I know but it's not the worst either so there's that at least.

[Jasmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a beautifully crafted exploration of Ancient Egypt, offering a rich tapestry of historical insights in a refreshingly accessible manner. The author expertly balances scholarly depth with simplicity, making it an enjoyable read for history enthusiasts and young readers alike. The well-curated illustrations further enhance the experience, bringing the grandeur of Egypt’s ancient civilization to life. Whether you're a seasoned history buff or just beginning to explore the wonders of Ancient Egypt, this is one of the finest books you could add to your collection. An absolute must-read!

[Israel Morrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an encyclopedic reference, so it's not a good starting point. If you are studying or have studied ancient Egypt, however, the book's copious photographs, illustrations and topical organization make it a helpful reference. The main drawback is the length of the articles is constrained to one or two pages even for complex topics that deserve a more thorough treatment. Still, it was helpful to me as I was writing about Egyptian mythology in Gods of the Flesh.

[Aileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to give up at 58% through after 8 months of reading. Very, very detailed and very interesting, but the tiny print just wasn't practical to keep on with. May go back and finish some day.

A perfect all-rounder for those fascinated with life in ancient Egypt and has given me some ideas for other books on specific topics to look out for.

[Belle Meade School]

932

[Phillip · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 / 5.0

Lots of pictures, but not well connected to hard to follow text.

[Edward Gwynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, informative overview of the Ancient Egyptians. Not too dense, not too simple, just right.

[Bnschmid · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting insight into the lives of the secretive and seemingly magical ancient Egyptians.I really enjoyed the photographs,but part of me thinks that perhaps they shouldn't have desecrated the tombs of these people.On the other hand,someone was bound to do it eventually,and we get to enjoy seeing and learning about these awesome people.Plus,you gotta love the whole brain-through-the-nose thing!

[Darcia Helle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The photos are amazing. The topics cover a wide range of Egyptian history, including their religious practices, their burial rituals, their pharaohs, and their political structure. The information is not in-depth and does not cover Egyptian history in chronological order. Instead, Oaks divides the book into specific topics and offers just enough information to give the reader the feel of what Egyptian life was like.

[Hamza · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thing=k this book for me is very boring for several reasons. First, It only talks about how people were suffering before and it was a very hard time. Second,
for me it was not that interesting for me talking about how the pyramids were built. The only thing I thought it was interesting is the hieroglyphics and how it was related to the way to get inside the pyramid. Finally, Until now people do not know how to enter some pyramids.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't let the size of this tome deter you from turning its beautifully illustrated leaves, on which are concisely written the wisdom of Ancient Egypt, as if Seshat and Thoth themselves had inscribed it with their reed pens. I recommend this "Book of Thoth" to be in any serious Egyptologist's or learner of Ancient Egypt's reading collection.

[Hello Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book is about an ancient egypt on a sweltering moring the egyptians sun beat down on a scene of frenized activity in the nile river delta. this man had force himself to move cheerfuly among his men.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me forever to finish this book. No reflection on the book, though - it was fascinating and full of information. I loved the pictures - every page was full of them. I wish that my brain could retain all that I read.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since I went to see the Tut exhibit I have been fascinated by Egypt.
The book is not only an excellent read, but also I reference I find myself dipping into occasionally when reading other books about Egypt to refresh my memory.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid reference guide to all things Ancient Egypt; a very useful book with nice photographs of sacred objects and maps of the important temple areas along the Nile. It was nice to have while I listened some in-depth lectures on the Old Kingdoms of Egypt.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ancient Egypt: An Illustrated Reference to the Myths, Religions, Pyramids and Temples of the Land of the Pharaohs
Gahlin, Lucia
a good resource for students on Egypt
great pictures of the artifacts

[Katrina]

This is a very basic overview. But for someone who has done research in egyptology, the entire thing comes off as slightly repetitive and seems to contradict itself. Also it was shockingly difficult to get through which did completely surprise me.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful pictures along side a plethora of information

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful reference book!

[Jennifer Barbee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm reading this for research for the book I'm trying to write.

[Jonathan Diaz(2nd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about how the ancient Egyptians constructed pyramids to bury their pharoaohs. This book is also about ancient myths and stories once told by the ancient egyptians.

[Raphaelus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining general info big book with lots of pictures.

[Clarinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of information, if you're just interested in the mythology though it's a lot more than just mythology in this book.

[Vijayreddy]

egyptology

[Tahlia Fernandez]

This was my first book on Ancient Egypt back when I was in high school and is a good starting point for anyone developing an interest in ancient Egypt.