Secrets of the Pharaohs: Ancient Egyptian Civilization and Culture―From Pyramids and Mummies to the Rosetta Stone

by Ian McMahan

Mankind's fascination with Ancient Egypt has never waned in fifty centuries. The magnificent Pyramids, colossal temples and brooding sphinx still awe and enthrall us. Now you can explore all the secrets of one of the world's first and most mysterious civizations. Mankind's fascination with Ancient Egypt has never waned in fifty centuries. Now you can explore all the secrets of the world's first and most mysterious civilization. Ian McMahan surveys all the aspects of Ancient Egypt that have made it so irresistible to historians and enthusiasts for centuries the Rosetta Stone, the hieroglyphsics, mummies, the pyramids, and much more. A concise history of Egypt from the rise of civilization on the river Nile through the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms, the book paints a vivid portrait of everyday life throughout those periods. Presenting the most updated information and featuring a Guide to Ancient Egypt on the World Wide Web, SECRETS OF THE PHARAOHS unveils the astonishing history, culture, and customs of a fabled civilization.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1998

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting and immensely accessible book on the subject of Egyptology. The author covered a variety of fields from daily life in Ancient Egypt to the succession of dynasties and, of course, inevitably grave robbers. Educational without being pedagogic. This is a fairly small book, so to study any particular subject to a greater extent one might require additional reading, for some of which the list is generously provided in the addendum. More of an overview, great place to start, perfect for autodidacts, polymaths and ambitious dilettantes and curious minds. Would have optimally had some pictures and/or photos, but it does offer a hieroglyph crash course and a way to figure out how to write your own name in the language of the pharaohs. Recommended.

[Alyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

have always been interested in ancient civilizations and this book has met my expectations (and more!). unlike other reference materials which delve on a specific time frame and lives of well-known pharaohs, the book gives an insight of the everyday lives of the common people. why they constructed towns along the nile, why they constructed the pyramids in the desert, how they bury their dead, develop their writing, establish their social class, etc.

the author managed to impart concise information without being too technical. he did not speculate on areas which the experts have no answers but rather speculates on what is left (for us) to learn.

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short easy read book whose chapters include,mummies, the Rosetta Stone, hieroglyphics, Valley of the Kings, and some well known archaeologists. Pretty much a review of what I read in other books.