Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt

by Bob Brier

The Teaching Company brings you the fascinating histories of the most famous Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. From King Narmer to Cleopatra, this course gives the listener a wealth of information. The Course Guidebooks include lecture outlines, reading suggestions, a map, timelines, and a glossary. Lecture 1. King Narmer—The Unification of Egypt 2. Sneferu—The Pyramid Builder 3. Hatshepsut—Female Pharaoh 4. Akhenaten—Heretic Pharaoh 5. Tutankhamen—The Lost Pharaoh 6. Tutankhamen—A Murder Theory 7. Ramses the Great—The Early Years 8. Ramses the Great—The Twilight Years 9. The Great Nubians—Egypt Restored 10. Alexander the Great—Anatomy of a Legend 11. The First Ptolemies—Greek Greatness 12. Cleopatra—The Last Pharaoh

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Egypt, Biography, Ancient History, Religion

Audio CD

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Robert Brier (born December 13, 1943), also known as Mr. Mummy, is an American Egyptologist specializing in paleopathology. A Senior Research Fellow at Long Island University/LIU Post, he has researched and published on mummies and the mummification process and has appeared in many Discovery Civilization documentaries, primarily on ancient Egypt.
Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, Brier earned his bachelor's degree from Hunter College of the City University of New York. From 1966 to 1970, he was on the research staff of the Institute of Parapsychology (formerly the Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man) in Durham, North Carolina, where he worked on such books as Parapsychology Today and Test Your ESP. He earned his PhD in philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1970 and began teaching at Long Island University in 1972. He served as chairman of the philosophy department from 1981 to 1996 and has also served as the director of the National Endowment for the Humanities' "Egyptology Today" program. He was appointed Senior Research Fellow at LIU Post in 2004. In addition to his career at Long Island University, Brier has taught ancient Egyptian at The New School and Egyptology at Webb Institute for many years.
Brier has conducted research in mummification practices worldwide. He has investigated well-known mummies such as Tutankhamen, Ramses the Great, Vladimir Lenin, Eva Perón (more commonly known as Evita), and the Medici family.

In 1994, Brier and a colleague, Ronald Wade, director of the State Anatomy Board of Maryland, claimed to be the first people in 2,000 years to mummify a human cadaver using ancient Egyptian techniques. This research earned Brier the affectionate nickname "Mr. Mummy" and was also the subject of the National Geographic television special of the same name, which made him a household name. He is also the host of several television programmes for the TLC Network including The Great Egyptians, Pyramids, Mummies and Tombs, and Mummy Detective. His research has been featured in Archaeology Magazine, The New York Times, CNN, 60 Minutes and 20/20.
In 1999, Brier gave a series of 48 specially-prepared lectures entitled "The History of Ancient Egypt" for The Teaching Company. He later did another series of 12 lectures for them, focusing on "Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt". Brier is a recipient of Long Island University's David Newton award for Teaching Excellence.
He leads tours to Egypt for Far Horizons Archaeological and Cultural trips.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, but...
I thought this was going to be a deeper dive into some of the more influential pharaohs but what it ended up being was the skinny version of The History of Ancient Egypt, which is also by Bob Brier.



Which is good if you don't want to spend 24-plus hours on a course about ancient Egypt.
But bad if you thought this was going to have more information on pharaohs and had already listened to 24-plus hours about ancient Egypt.
I'm guessing you know which side of that fence I happened to fall on.



Bottom line?
Everything here is covered in the longer course.
And I would recommend anyone who is interested in the subject to just go ahead, bite the bullet, and grab the biggun. It's awesome and there's just so much cool information covered in that course that I think you should just go for it.



However, if you're maybe just wanting to test the waters? Dip your toes in without committing to a seemingly daunting lecture because it seems too scary?



Well, then by all means grab this one.
It's excellent.
Recommended.

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this 4 potential stars because I was so engrossed and then poof it’s over. I’m on a huge Egyptian kick right now and I don’t have many books to go with this kick. I think what remains in my collection is Wilbur smith. Anyway I’ve never listened to one of these tutorial books so I thought I’d check this one out. The professor spoke from experience, he rattled of the names of the pharaohs like they were Jack and Jill. I wish it had been longer , but he hit the major players , the ones that had purpose or still have an effect on us today. I think I’ve learned to no longer pass these up. Sorry for any typos I just woke up in he middle of the night so I thought I’d check out my currently reading mess.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Professor Brier translates well to an audio book. In this installment he covers Pharaohs from their beginning to end with little tidbits and details.

The best part of this series is the enthusiasm he brings.

OVERALL GRADE: B.

[R. S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to the history of ancient Egypt.
It covers the lives of the most famous pharaohs: Narmer, Sneferu, Hatshepsut, Akhenaten, Tutankhamen, Ramesses the Great, the 25th dynasty, Alexander the Great, Ptolemy I, and, finally, Cleopatra VII. It also goes into detail about how the archaeologist Howard Carter found Tut's tomb.
If you're already familiar with ancient Egyptian history, then you might not learn anything new from this lecture, but it's still a good refresher.
It was recorded in 2005, so a few of the theories that are mentioned are no longer in vogue (such as Kiya being the mother of Tutankhamen), but for the most part it has aged well.

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the Great Courses series (many of which, remarkably, are free on Audible) you know you almost always are going to be in good hands. A somewhat awkward idiom, since hands are not at all involved - not even my own as I listened to this on audio. But shut up, "always in good mouth" sounds stupid as well as unfittingly sexual. But I digress.

Of the several Courses I have listened to so far, there was only one I didn't find that enjoyable personally - the one about the Persian Empire. Otherwise, they are always exceptional. Yet this one was extra surprising to me, so much so that I feel like, while a four star rating would be perfectly acceptable, I feel an internal push to award it that final extra star I only reserve for the very best, or else those books that just somehow manage to resonate with me so deeply that I feel a special gratitude for having read them.

This one - by all accounts an absolutely listenable and accessible foray into Egypt's most influential or notable pharaohs - managed to score extra points from me for the following reasons ...

I was, for starters, not even really casually interested in Ancient Egypt. Sure, I'd love to visit the country (and almost did as part of my honeymoon, before my wife chickened out over a heightened terrorist risk at the time). But that is more because I am drawn to the Islamic world, primarily in the Middle East but also Northern Africa. Despite it nearly killing me after three unforgettable days, I fell in love Morocco for similar reasons back in 2013. Ancient Egypt, however, was to me a stale subject I was mildly scarred by, after enduring it more than once in high school.

Understandably, I was much more interested in the girl who had to sit next to me in Ancient History - more than I could ever give a damn about Hatshepsut, or Cleopatra, or the most famous Tutankhamen. This was not the fault of the school or teachers, I must hasten to add. I was a dumb and boring teenager whose reading interests went no further than Harry Potter and the occasional Stephen King which I always failed to finish. It was useless to try and get me interested in Ancient Egypt.

To me, the pharaohs even when alive were basically like mummies. They were just stone-faced, somewhat creepy-looking Pagan slavers, cracking whips and building impressive but unnecessary pyramids. I still have the same ingrained lack of interest in other ancient histories which is probably not at all fair and just betrays my incumbent ignorance all the more: Sparta, Pompeii, the Romans - I almost couldn't care less. Granted, reading the Bible (even more particularly, the Old Testament) did a lot to ignite my interest in the ancient world. And I also now love the work of Homer and, even more so, Thucydides.

But these excellent lectures by Bob Brier - a renowned Egyptologist of the University of Long Island - have absolutely and single-handedly demolished that wall of indifference for me. Not only was Brier's knowledge and palpable excitement so infectious - almost, dare I say, ASMR-like to listen to - but he brought each and every pharaoh alive in a such a way that I really saw them, for the first time, as breathing, feeling, hurting humans. He helped me to both appreciate just how old and historically unique this empire was, and also recognise how very much the people inhabiting it were hardly different to all of us today, apart from their ancient trappings.

Sure, an ultra-cynic, or a sniffy academic with little blood to his passion, might say Brier dumbs it all down a little too much in order to make the stories and characters more relatable to the average layperson or wandering student. But, aside from simply being unfair and plain incorrect to assume such subjects can only be treated dispassionately, it is also an absolute fact that I have never learned more, nor wanted to continue learning more - nor genuinely enjoyed the experience of learning - about the ancient Egyptians.

With Brier's stated determination to not focus on dates, nor even the pyramids, nor get too bogged down in a distant anthropological perspective, he has ironically reintroduced me to this fascinating subject in a way I am confident I will never forget and mentally dispose of as mere stale data from a dead and irrelevant world.

[Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lecture series is awesome. Professor Brier makes history about people, and it comes alive as he navigates through the greatest pharaohs in history. I love the memorable ways he tells stories, particularly when he connects external cultures or stories through archaeological or historical evidence. History is ALIVE!

[Shakir Shaikh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish history was taught like this in our class. It was engaging, informative and to my surprise, I enjoyed all the lectures and din't find any of them to be dull.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

You have twelve lectures and you spend 4 of them on: Carter discovering Tutankhamen's tomb, Alexander the Great, Ptolemy I, and Cleopatra VII. That's a third of your time spent on non-Egyptians. It's fine, but could have been a lot better. Also the way Bob Brier speaks reminds me of Columbo.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful! This was my first experience with Great Courses and if this is representative then I am 100% on board. Egyptologist Bob Brier, whom I had not heard of before, is my new favorite historian. Of course I googled him and learned that he has several books and a few other audio lectures, so I shall be seeking those out in the months and years to come. His knowledge, storytelling ability, choice of topics (ie, what to highlight and what to skip), his enthusiasm, and above all his unbridled JOY at getting to share his knowledge of ancient Egypt just absolutely drew me in from the opening remarks and never let up. The stories were fascinating and funny and poignant and human. Do yourself a favor and listen to what this guy has to say. I'm so grateful to have found this one. Superb.

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

It contained some unproven theories presented as facts, such as Ramses II being the biblical Pharaoh from Moses' story, or Cleopatra killing herself with a snake. I still give it 3 stars because Bob Brier seems to genuinely love the subject matter and his enthusiasm was palpable throughout the lecture.

[Jessica Tourney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok *nerd alert* this is not the first time I have listened to this course…but I like the instructor Bob Brier (he also does a 30-hour lecture series on the complete history of ancient Egypt which I have listened to - twice) and it’s a nice abridged way (4-hrs) to learn about the history of Egypt through the pharaohs who made the most impact to the civilization. I’m pretty sure I’ll listen again at some point 😬.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 ⭐️
LOVED this! So engaging and interesting - loved that there were no dates as well! Only wished the Cleopatra chapter was bigger!

[Jeremiah Lorrig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid lectures on the pharaohs.

[Chad Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this review of the kings of Egypt. You might expect it to be crammed full with dates or lists of who descended from whom. Instead, it touched on several key aspects of what made Egypt interesting, as well as just a carefully handselected few of the pharaoahs of Egypt. This book talks about how the Egyptians first decided to make pyramids, how the Nile made them special, why "upper" Egypt is in the south and "lower" Egypt is in the North, about when the Nubians ruled Egypt and when the Greeks ruled Egypt, including, of course, Cleopatra.

The only concern I have is that the author occasionally uses some cringeworthy language. Perhaps as a historian he's used to terminology that are no longer socially acceptable.

[Christopher Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this was a fun and informative introduction to ancient Egypt and some famous/significant pharaohs in particular. The lecturer is clearly enthusiastic about the material and knows what he's talking about. This helps to make it more interesting but at times, it can also feel a little insular - we can only share the excitement if we really understand the context properly and this isn't always the case.

I like the approach which is to focus on key historical figures and analyse them more as human beings rather than abstract names with dates attached to them. It means that we can get a broad overview of Egypt without being bogged down in some of the more boring details that inevitably exist between the big, consequential changes. It makes it easier to connect to the individuals since we learn about their personalities and background. We get a feel for the motives they had at the time and under what circumstances - we can put ourselves in their shoes.

There are some annoying flaws though. Bob Brier frequently uses the term "great" without ever once defining it. This is frustrating. What does it mean to say that "Sneferu was a great pharaoh, just a great pharaoh" for example? That he brought prosperity to his people? That his life was interesting and eventful? That he was a big personality who inspired love and/or fear from his people? That he was ahead of his time? It's not clear what Brier's trying to say - why is he so impressed? Yes, we get to hear the story of his life but still, the adjective "great" comes up again and again, whatever it actually means. He also repeats certain phrases. Repeats certain phrases. I think this is just a mannerism of his. A mannerism. I did start to get used to it a bit.

Also, Brier tends to start sentences at a higher pitch and then move to a lower pitch. That's okay except the end of sentences can sometimes be TOO low and a bit tricky to hear properly. So if the last few words are the most important, that's quite an inconvenience. The other thing is pauses. He'll... start talking and then... kind of... pause before continuing. This isn't terrible, you get used to it and absorb the information when it comes. But it's a bit off-putting that his speech is so haphazard and can make it a little more confusing than it needs to be.

Other than those flaws, the fact that I rushed through this lecture series bodes well for its general quality. I'm excited to have waded my first steps into the vast ocean that is ancient history (or history in general) and can't wait to learn more!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of lectures feels like it is snippets of the previous set The History of Ancient Egypt. It is just the pharaonic lectures, so the title is accurate. There are a few highlights such as Narmer (the 1st pharaoh), Sneferu (Bob's homey, also a great builder), and the cool pharaoh's of Egypt: Hatshepsut (first female pharaoh), Akhenaten (heretic and husband to Nefertiti), Tutankhamen (but not really about Tut, mostly the archaeological discovery), and Cleopatra.

The fuller series mentioned above definitely gets more in-depth, but this one, as others have said, spends way too much time on the Western academic perspectives of the Egyptian history. That's a more than fair critique of this whole series. We experience over and over what academics and explorers think and experience about Egypt. To be fair to Bob, that is his experience. He is an Egyptologist/archaeologist. He likely looked up to Carter and was inspired by the explorations of Napoleon and Ibn Battuta.

I think, given his perspective, it's also important to consider what his intent was in writing this. He wants to whet the appetite of (likely Western) people who are interested in a broad overview of a specific facet of Egyptian history with a pharaonic lens. This is why he hits the highlights and talks about the Western perspective. He wants to excite people to dig deeper into the topics themselves --and I think he does that. (I certainly never really thought about make up grinders as historically significant artifacts.) I don't think this is a disservice, but it certainly modifies the scope when one factors in his intention. He wants average people with little knowledge of Egypt to learn about some highlights and some critical/unique moments in Egyptian history.

So, rather than going dynasty by dynasty, he does a broad overview to discuss the style of leadership and living in Egypt as well as how they modified over time.

[Nerine Dorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of The Great Courses offerings, possibly because I'm a frustrated academic at heart. I've also been following some of Bob Brier's videos on YouTube, so I was on familiar turf when I downloaded Great Pharaohs of Egypt, which forms part of The Great Courses: Ancient History series.

First off, Brier is eminently listenable. He was a wonderful, conversational style that really brings his subject matter to life – especially when we consider personalities who existed so far back in the mists of time that it's almost impossible for us to even imagine what their lives must have been like. Brier's boundless, breathless enthusiasm for his subject matter is a joy to behold. And his sly humour certainly adds an extra dimension to a subject that could otherwise be as dull as dishwater.

As the name of the course suggests, we're deal with the lives of some of ancient Egypt's greatest pharaohs in a period that spans three thousand years. Merely thinking about that amount of time for an entire culture to exist and flourish breaks my head a little – especially if I think of how *recent* some of our contemporary nations are – a mere drop in the bucket compared to ancient Egypt.

Something that struck me as quite profound was Brier's statement that ancient Egypt's people is what made the ancient nation great. He draws the focus away from the tombs and monuments, to the individuals who ruled, crafted, built, and cultivated. And there certainly were some remarkable rulers – he examines the likes of Hatshepsut (my favourite pharaoh), Cleopatra, Narmer, Tutankhamen, and a whole host of others over 12 lectures.

Even as a seasoned veteran of armchair Egyptology, I found myself enthralled by how Brier spoke about these rulers, imbuing them with life in a way that didn't feel as if he was making too many assumptions with pet theories (a real danger for any historian, according to another of my favourite Egyptologists, Barbara Mertz). Whether this is your introduction into this amazing culture or if you've steeped your spare time in ancient Egypt, this course is both entertaining and informative, and very much falls under the banner of 'not to be missed'.

[Esoteric Grimoire · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt" is an offering from the Great Courses series. This particularly entry is presented by Dr. Bob Brier, an eminent Egyptologist who specialized in mummification and paleoanthropology. I would say that this course was a mixed bag for me. Some of the lessons were superb, namely those addressing the early pharaohs such as Narmer (literally Fish Chisel) who was the first king of a united Egypt circa 3200 BCE. Brier with all his speciality in Egyptology walks the listener through an intimate survey of the Narmer Pallet, the archaeological inscription that shone light on Egypt's first head of state and also the World's oldest known written document, quite literally the beginning of "history" as archaeologists and historians would define, the birth of record keeping. I found that some of the lessons were rather short, as a trained historian and theologian I think I went into this course hoping for something a little more than survey level. I will say however, that I learned a lot about the early days of archaeology. I just wish that Brier would've presented a little more on the pharaohs themselves, namely Ramses II, whose legacy still reaches the mists of time and awes us to this day or a little more about Amenhotep IV (later to rename himself Akhenaten) "the Heretic Pharaoh" who attempted, in 14th century BCE, to convert the Egyptian state to a monotheistic religion centered on the worship of a, up until then, minor Sun God, Aten, represented by the solar disk. All-in-all I would recommend Brier's courses to anyone looking to cut their teeth on Egyptian history, it's like a leisurely swim before a deep dive.

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like these Great Courses. This author and speaker is witty and fun to listen to. So much to learn about ancient Egypt. I guess so with 3500 years of history!

The world did not know about Tut for a long time because history was erased by Aye and Horemheb. This was not new for Pharoahs. Ramses the Great claimed credit for much of his father’s work by writing wis own name on his dad’s work. Hatshepsut had her name removed by Thutmose III. Akhenaten was erased along with his city Al Amarna.
What about the statement that countries with multiple Gods did not fight about religion unlike countries with only one God. Monotheism vs polytheism.
Can you imagine building without trees? They needed 3 kinds of wood for chariots. Strong for axel, bendable for wheels plus light for the body. The floor was woven to help the archer stand firm to shoot and not fall out.
Nubia, the "evil Kush", (now Sudan), had some trees but no stones for building. Nubia is where the Pharoahs got most of their gold.

[Elwin Kline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it.

The Great Courses continues to uphold the reputation of providing incredibly educational and entertaining material about interesting and exciting subjects. Bob Brier (another PhD holder) is a fantastic speaker and does an outstanding job in this presentation of the Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt.

This was so good, I found myself taking notes as I went along, almost two (2) pages worth.. which is always a true indication that I am listening to something really great.

Being a Egyptology newbie and me currently being on a big ancient Egypt kick, this was a perfect follow-on book after just finishing Ancient Egypt: History in an Hour (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...).

I highly recommend this to anyone who is new to Egyptology, wants to learn more about the great pharaoh's, suffering from "Egyptomania" / just cannot get enough ancient Egypt... this is a great addition to your collection.

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a summary of the history of ancient Egypt until the reign of Cleopatra. It is a view from 10,000 feet. It seems like a leisurely pace but he is covering a lot of ground. You are trusting that he is getting things right. Since I am not an expert I assume he is correct. I didn't catch him out on anything obvious. He especially made it clear why the pyramids were built and the Valley of the Kings and why Egypt finally fell from power. Cleopatra made a valiant effort to stop the decline and almost succeeded but failed.

The professor also commented on the enslavement of the Jews and the Exodus from Egypt. It is mostly educated guesses, but it seems that the general nature of Egyptians was to erase from the records anything they found too embarrassing to remember.

I'm not sure that I will listen to this audio course again, but I would like to listen to more from this professor and more about Egyptian history.

[Allison Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was only intending to listen to one of these lectures but I wound up listening to the whole thing. Bob Brier is very passionate, engaging and entertaining. However I did find some of his claims a bit odd, namely his assertion that Hatshepsut and her overseer Senmut were lovers based on pornographic graffiti of the two found at Dier el-Bahri (when the drawing could have easily been done by workmen having a nasty lark), and his claim that the Biblical Exodus occurred in the later half of Ramses the Great's reign, based on the fact that two of his oldest sons died and that Ramses appeared "broken" in the latter part of his life. Hmmm, I'm not convinced. The 'Tutankhamun was murdered' theory is also interesting with quite a bit of evidence to support it, and not quite so unbelievable.

Still, awesome stuff. I particularly liked the Nubian king lecture, as I was totally unaware that Egypt actually *does* have a black African history.

[Don Heiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2004 The Teaching Company released Professor Bob Brier’s 12 lecture course “The Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt.” The course begins with 3 lectures that feature King Namer who is Egypt’s first Pharoah unifier; the second lecture profiled Pharaoh Snrferu (2,500 BCE) who was the first “step-pyramid” Egyptian builder; and the third lecture is about Hatshepsut who was the first female pharaoh. The next set of three lectures feature Akenhaten who was an heretic pharaoh, followed by a lecture that profiles Pharaoh Tutankhamen (King Tut) who served from 1341 to 1323 B.C . This lecture is then followed by a lecture about the mysterious murder of Pharaoh Tutankhamen. Lectures 7 , 8 and 9 feature Ramses the Great’s kingdom. The Ramses lectures are followed by a set of lectures about the great dynasty years of the Nubian rulers. The course ends with lectures about Alexander the Great’s “Anatomy Legend,” the greatness of “Grecian Ptolemies,” and the dynasty of Cleopatra who served as the last Pharaoh. These lectures are all exceptionally well done, and very insightful. (P)

[Catherine Puma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prof Bob Brier excels at exactly what he sets out to accomplish. He highlights key eras in Egyptian history through the biographies of its most pivotal pharaohs. Without getting bogged down by too many names and dates, and without the pressure of having to memorize everything, how Egypt grew in prosperity & changed over time is described through the lens of these pharaohs' lives.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the Egyptian section in museums, even if you are primarily just excited by the mummies. There is a lot of interesting information here that I think could spark a deeper appreciation for Ancient Egypt even in the passing spectator.

I would definitely listen to this again!

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative but light Intro 101 highlights of the rulers of Ancient Egypt.

Brier states he wants to focus on the pharaohs being people rather than just carvings in stone. I think he does a fairly good job showing them as humans with feelings and emotions, but the tone is a little too breezy, skimming over a lot of the day to day hardships.

Also, a few times he gets into the later history of the people who would come along to dig up the pharaohs, which felt like it should have been a separate topic.

A good introduction on some of the pharaohs, but only at the very beginner level. My favorite part was the Ptolemaic dynasty - but even then I was annoyed at him skipping over some of the known facts.

[Fil Garrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly one of the most interesting lecture series I've listened to. Bob Brier's enthusiasm for the subject is palpable, and it seeps into every one of these lectures. His approach to humanizing the pharaohs beyond their stations and historical significance is a new one, and adds a LOT of depth to understanding of these sometimes mythical figures.

The series jumps through the 3000 year history focusing on some of the most important figures from the beginning to the end of Egypt's grand history. It's told almost like a story, and the grand finale of Cleopatra caps the whole series of lectures off in an extremely narratively satisfying way.

Highly recommended to anyone who is looking for a basic view of Egyptology with a slight narrative focus - this is no textbook

[Ashley Bartlome · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this if you want a brief overview of Egyptian history from a leadership standpoint.

I’m assuming if you pick this up it’s because you love Egypt. This book is written by someone who followed ancient Egyptian practices to mummify someone in the 21 century. He’s been to all the tombs, temples, and places he’s describing, and he’s describing them first hand and it’s fascinating.

What you’ll learn about:
-theory that King Tut was murdered
-how Julius Caesar was murdered because he brought Cleopatra the 7th home with him to Rome
-the library of Alexandria and how it completely vanished
-theory that Rameses 2 was the Pharaoh during the biblical exodus
-a general overview of the big picture events of Egypt

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a broad and ambitious sweep of the highlights of Ancient Egyptian leadership. It also describes the link with the Greek, Roman Empires, as well as the earlier Hittite, Assyrian, Israelite peoples. Very thought-provoking that while our modern Western culture finds its roots in Greek and Roman civilization, the ancient Greeks had proudly attributed their intellectual and cultural heritage to this more ancient African civilization.

This work puts into context Shelley's line about one of the Ramses (whom Brier informs us that the Greeks called Ozymandias): "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A knowledgeable lecturer whose passion for his subject is obvious from his presentation. I could wish that he had spent more time on some of the earlier, lesser-known pharaohs than devoting two out of three lectures to the relatively unimportant (at least in his own time) Tutankhamun and three to Alexander the Great, the Ptolemies in general, and Cleopatra, but they were interesting all the same.

This is from 2004, and unfortunately, his theory about King Tut being murdered has not stood the test of time. The machinations that we do know happened could also be explained by the chaos that would ensue when a young king dies suddenly without heirs.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Bob Brier brings Egypt back to life through the lives of these great Egyptian pharaohs. The entire course is engaging, easy to follow, and for those who are not familiar with Egypt - a great starting point to jump into different areas of study. From Narmer to Cleopatra, these ten pharaohs made great strides in history, leaving their mark - even if they were erased for a period of time by other pharaohs.
While we are getting highlights, there are so many different areas to jump into for research, and Dr. Brier truly knows his history. Loved this series!