Exploring Religion in Ancient Egypt

by Stephen Quirke

Exploring Religion in Ancient Egypt offers a stimulating overview of the study of ancient Egyptian religion by examining research drawn from beyond the customary boundaries of Egyptology and shedding new light on entrenched assumptions.

Discusses the evolution of religion in ancient Egypt – a belief system that endured for 3,000 years Dispels several modern preconceptions about ancient Egyptian religious practices Reveals how people in ancient Egypt struggled to secure well-being in the present life and the afterlife

Genres: Egypt, Egyptology, History, Religion, Nonfiction, Ancient History

276 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Iset · Rating 3 out of 5]

I debated how to rate this one, because it really depends on the audience. Stephen Quirke has produced a book of intensive research; thorough, professional, deeply and vitally critical in just the sort of rigorous and innovative manner that is good for the field of Egyptology. From an academic standpoint, I struggle to fault it, and I have absolutely no doubt that it is immensely useful to experts in refreshing and rejuvenating examination, critical analysis, and debate. However, by the same token, this book is quite clearly not for everyone. I could not recommend it at all to a general audience, as much of the level of detail is above and beyond what they would want to know, and even I have to admit the dryness and technical language sometimes made it a chore to read. As such, I would say this book is high quality and useful to a narrow target audience, but outside that group it probably loses its usefulness and ability to engage the reader.

[Isabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

very informative but a bit dry

[DAJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ancient Egyptian religion sprang from a worldview wildly different from ours, and it does not match Western preconceptions of what a religion is, or what priests are, or what myths are. Therefore, a lot of Egyptological writing about religion spends a long time on what can feel like tiresome hemming and hawing: agonizing over definitions and dispelling preconceptions. It's necessary, but it's rarely pleasant or interesting to read. This is an entire book dedicated to the hemming and hawing. On the topics of temples, festivals, myth, ethics, and funerary customs, Quirke describes a litany of barriers to our understanding of so alien a culture.

As an example, no texts from before the middle of the New Kingdom tell myths as cohesive stories, and even after that point such stories are rare. Thus, for about half of the history of ancient Egyptian religion we have only brief references to the same mythic events that later show up in cohesive narratives. Egyptologists often assume that coherent myths were passed down orally even if they weren't written down, but Quirke points to anthropological research that has shown how much of the human learning process depends on non-verbal instruction, and he suggests that the brief bits of myth that we find in sources like funerary texts may have been passed down by some process like this. How might that have worked in practice? Quirke doesn't say; he just says Egyptologists should study the possibility.

This is my biggest frustration with the book. There are very few conclusions, only problems and possible avenues for future study. Quirke does make some valuable points. For instance, he emphasizes Egyptian burials that don't fit the standard Egyptological description of Egyptian funerary customs, and he points out that Egyptologists' reluctance to translate the word maat (which he renders as "what is right") makes ancient Egypt seem somehow apart from every other human culture, all of which have concepts of right and wrong. But, overall, this book feels very unsatisfying. People seriously studying ancient Egyptian religion should probably have it on hand, as a constant reminder of how our preconceptions get in the way of understanding a strange society, but it works better in giving future Egyptologists a jumping-off point than in informing people about ancient Egyptian religion.

[Cathy Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much more interesting than I expected, after having read the first chapter. It was jam packed with sources/ evidence. Some parts were difficult to read because of Quirke's habit of referencing the author of the information actually in the sentence. (I would have preferred an asterisk and reference below so as not to spoil continuity.) There were also a couple of misprints in my copy. What made it less valuable for me however, is my own lack of knowledge of Egypt. I should have read a history book on Ancient Egypt first, (the time frame was so enormous) and maybe a book on Egyptian deities.
I think it is a book I shall refer to as my knowledge increases and since the chapters and sub-headings are well named, it should be easy to find whatever evidence or cross reference I'm searching for.

[Jason Malone · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a dull and tedious read, which is why I have rated it 3 Stars. It is rigid, and Quirke’s referencing style constantly breaks continuity and the boring presentation of its information makes every chapter a chore.

What saves this book from a 1 or 2 Star rating, however, is the fact that what this book lacks in style, it makes up for in information. Quirks clearly knows his stuff, and has presented us with a wealth of information from sources both written and archaeological. It is a difficult, but useful read.

I would not recommend this book to those who wish to learn about Ancient Egyptian religion as a hobby, but for any student of Egyptian history and archaeology, this book is a gem.

[Santiago González · Rating 2 out of 5]

No he acabado de leerlo porque no me parece que de momento me merezca la pena, es verdad que hay información pero está esparcida en un estilo desestructurado, cortante y árido (que la traducción al castellano no puede resolver). No me importa que me den información pero no creo que esté bien planteado. Me alegra que haya textos primarios y también fotos.

Edit: Al final lo he leído porque he visto que es lo único que hay (serio, por lo menos que haya visto) sobre el tema y creo que he hecho bien al darle una oportunidad porque es cierto que la información que da es buena. No le veo mucho sentido a muchas de las fotos, cortan el rollo si lees la explicación. Lo recomiendo para empezar.

Nota final: 2.5/5. Le daría 3 estrellas pero así se refleja también mi opinión inicial, aunque al final lo he acabado recomendando

[Seth Kenlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book about the way the religion of ancient Egypt developed across the region, how subtle aspects of belief affected life, and how subtle aspects of life affected belief. This makes the complex pantheon of ancient Egypt make a lot more sense; consider it required reading if you intend on studying the stories of Egyptian deities.