Texts from the Pyramid Age

Writings from the Ancient World #16

by Ronald J. Leprohon

Ancient Egypt is well known for its towering monuments and magnificent statuary, but other aspects of its civilization are less well known, especially its written texts. Now Texts from the Pyramid Age provides ready access to new translations of a representative selection of texts ranging from the historically significant to the repetitive formulae of the tomb inscriptions from Old Kingdom Egypt (ca. 2700-2170 B.C.). These royal and private inscriptions, coming from both the secular and religious milieus and from all kinds of physical contexts, not only shed light on the administration, foreign expeditions, and funerary beliefs of the period but also bring to life the Egyptians themselves, revealing how they saw the world and how they wanted the world to see them. Strudwick’s helpful introduction to the history and literature of this seminal period provides important background for reading and understanding these historical texts. Like other volumes in the Writings from the Ancient World series, this work will soon become a standard with students and scholars alike.

Genres: Egyptology, Egypt, Nonfiction

522 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2005

Reviews

[Kristopher Swinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like this author. I really do. I view him as a trustworthy tour guide (see his statement on translation/interpretation, 57), except this took us into a deep ravine and avoided all the main attractions. His introduction was a fair and still-informative warning, such as: "I trust that the frequency of such formulae in this book gives the impression of their ubiquity in tombs, without trying the patience of the reader" (32). Too bad - that's exactly what happened.

I think I'll stick with his conclusions and pardon his blissful thought that we find his source material fascinating. This was a yawner for a rather serious historian who is left to wonder just how specific an audience this was for; by sheer force of effort I read the 400+ pages, because I'm just that way. The returns were not worth the effort. I extracted only the most minimal beneficial information for my purposes, rather obscure but unusual inscriptions with similarities to items of historical/theological/social interest, and the like.

I still look forward to reading his analytical books, since every bit of commentary he offered was instructive. You can tell he's a real character, with such statements as: "Whether the vast increase in graffiti in later times is due simply to improved levels of literacy is to me less than certain" (52).

Oh, and I can't fathom why the Society of Biblical Literature published this. There's nothing even transparently Biblical about this, except that Egyptian eulogies are exaggerated (see 45, and believe the voice of hard-won experience plowing through all of them) in the direction of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, dealing right, aging perfectly, speaking no evil, etc.