Pharaohs & Mortals reveals how little human nature has changed. Here are brought to life human types very much like those of our own the lonely soldier at a far-flung outpost; the grubby schoolboy; the career woman; the propagandist; the demagogue; the bootlicking minor executive; the conservative--all variety of personalities that make up a highly complex civilization. Nor have human hopes & disillusionments changed much over the centuries. In Pharaohs & Mortals readers will find postwar questionings, the enthusiasms of new deals & new frontiers, labor conflicts, & the threat of opposing economic & political systems to the establishment. Thru all the skillfully selected episodes in Pharaohs & Mortals shines the continuum of history.
Although translated from the Swedish, this survey of Egyptian history from the earliest records through Coptic monasticism is a very easy read. The author presents a coherent narrative which may raise the eyebrows of colleagues, but it does serve the interest of the general reader in fleshing out the culture and its long history. What's lacking, however, are maps and footnotes, even to direct quotations.