In the Shadow of the Pyramids: Egypt during the Old Kingdom

by Werner Forman, Jaromir Malek

During the five centuries of Egyptian history known as Old Kingdom, the ancient Egyptians first realized their aspirations and developed the most advanced civilization of their time. The Old Kingdom was an era of prosperity, stability, and confidence.

For many people, the pyramids and tombs, stelae and statues of the Old Kingdom epitomize Egyptian civilization, and most books on Egypt are based on description of these monuments. Jaromir Malek and Werner Forman’s approach is fundamentally different, however. In this book they present a complete picture of ancient Egyptian society, placing the Egyptians of the Old Kingdom in the context of climate and geography, art and industry, politics and economy —examining all the factors that shaped daily life. Malek shows, in fascinating detail, that every aspect of Egyptian life was bound up with religion and that the Egyptians lived, both literally and metaphorically, “in the shadow of the pyramids.”

Werner Forman’s 120 stunning color photographs of the monuments, works of art, and landscapes of the Old Kingdom bring to life the world of ancient Egypt. Incorporating the latest scholarship, an original approach to the subject, and Forman’s exceptional illustrations, In the Shadow of the Pyramids is a major addition to the literature on ancient Egypt.

Genres: History, Egypt, Egyptology, Nonfiction, Art

130 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1992

Reviews

[DAJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

There aren't many books specifically about the Old Kingdom, and discussions of Egyptian daily life in particular focus on the much more abundant evidence from the New Kingdom. But there's more evidence about Old Kingdom life than is commonly recognized. Forman's spectacular photographs include all the iconic monuments and artifacts from the period, but he seeks out lesser-known works of art that illustrate episodes of daily life, including not just the more common scenes of hunting, fishing, and herding but scenes of children at play, metalworkers forging jewelry, and workers dragging statues on sledges. Málek's text begins with the emergence of the Egyptian state in the Early Dynastic Period and ends with the collapse of the Old Kingdom, but most of it is a non-chronological discussion of economy, state, religion, and art.

To anyone familiar with the more sophisticated society of the New Kingdom, the differences are readily apparent. Old Kingdom Egypt had a population of maybe a million, and the only major population center was the region of Memphis, but the Egyptian state vastly outmatched the less populous and less organized peoples to the west and south. There was no standing army, internal trade seems to have been very limited, and there was no wheeled transportation. The vast majority of people lived at a subsistence level—even more so than in the Bronze or Iron Ages—and all wealth and power was connected with the state. The impression one gets is that the great Fourth Dynasty pyramids were made possible because the state so thoroughly dominated what little organized activity took place in their time. If the king decided to divert all that activity toward one immense monument, immense that monument would be—a kind of summation of all the ability in Egypt.

[Joeri Ryckaseys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mooi verhelderden werk over de geschiedenis en structuur van de periode van het Oude Rijk binnen de Egyptische geschiedenis. Boeiend om te lezen de staatseconomie een bijna communistisch kantje had maar dat hierdoor de welvaart mooi verdeeld werd. Iedereen pikte een graantje mee met de gigantische bouwprojecten en de offercultus voor de overleden farao's. Zonder goed draaiende economie en georganiseerde samenleving zou men nooit binnen vier generaties drie gigantische piramiden kunnen bouwen (Gizeh). De overgang van de Horus-cultus naar de cultus van Ra binnen de vierde dynastie wordt ook mooi omschreven. Ook de ondergang van het Oude Rijk wordt beschreven. Wel jammer dat de auteur weinig aandacht geeft aan de positie van de vrouw binnen het Oude Rijk. Hij heeft wel de eerlijkheid om te vermelden dat er gewoon weinig geschreven bronnen zijn buiten de funeraire scenes.

[A.L. Sirois · Rating 3 out of 5]

More background reference reading for my upcoming MG series set in ancient Egypt, specifically in the Old Kingdom's 3rd Dynasty. This is an informative book, not as long as some I've read, with plenty of pictures. I've read so many books on Egyptology by now that I'm getting a bit weary with them. :-) But I have several more to go!

[Lisa]

very good

[Dreamersemporium]

very good