Ancient Egypt on 5 Deben a Day

Thames Hudson 5... a Day

by Donald P. Ryan

It's 1225 BC, and one of the mightiest pharaohs of them all, Ramesses II, rules a land that is both powerful and wealthy. Egypt is stunningly beautiful with a pleasant climate year-round, and if that alone isn't a big enough draw for the time-traveler, the fruits of Egyptian civilization are plentiful and worthy of contemplation. Pyramids and temples to the gods abound, and colossal statues of Egypt's divine rulers are seemingly everywhere. The Egyptians, however, are not particularly fond of foreigners, and just getting to Egypt can be arduous. Here is the inside scoop on how to enter and travel through Egypt, conform to its customs and expectations, and appreciate its often mysterious culture. You'll travel the Nile from north to south, stopping at such intriguing places as Memphis, Akhetaten, Abydos, and Thebes, where Egypt's grand past and present unfold before you. Egypt has long been a subject of broad popular interest, and this book provides an enjoyable glimpse of the ancient empire and its industrious people. Advice for the traveler in ancient Egypt: Foreigners might be bewildered by animal-headed deities and what appear to be numerous contradictions in Egyptian theology. Not to worry: there's a system behind it. Don't bring up the topic of the renegade pharaoh, Akhenaten, among new acquaintances. Many wish he hadn't existed. Should you need to visit an Egyptian physician, there's agood chance he'll prescribe a purge of one sort or another, accompanied by a magic spell.

Genres: History, Egypt, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Travel, Egyptology, Mythology

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Donald P. Ryan is an Egyptologist and archaeologist who has spent more than twenty years excavating in the Valley of the Kings.

―The American University in Cairo Press

Reviews

[Raluca Daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute little book that presented Egypt during the reign of Ramses the Second, as it would be seen by a tourist. There were lovely illustrations and you could tell it was very well-documented. However, sometimes the author's bias showed up a bit more that I enjoyed (judging those past achievements through modern eyes or resorting to data revealed hundreds or thousands of years later). Still, it was a short, fun (and often funny), informative read that really managed to immerse me in the atmosphere of Ancient Egypt.

This book actually reminded me of another I read with a similar premise, but relating to Ancient Greece: Traveller's Guide to the Ancient World: Greece in the year 415 BCE

For more about Ramses the Second, I recommend: Ramesses The Great: Warrior And Builder and for more about Ancient Egypt as a broader subject, I recommend: An Illustrated Introduction to Ancient Egypt

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun overview of Egypt around 1250 BCE.

Pros:
-All the major (and some minor) temples, cities, and tombs are overviewed.
-The book is easy reading.
-It's fun to imagine oneself as a tourist in ancient Egypt.

Cons:
-The book sometimes forgets its premise of being a guide book for a tourist of 1250 BCE and the author's modern vantage point shows at times.
-The book is only an overview so details of any one site, practice, or custom are left out.

Overall I recommend this book as long as the reader is looking for a fun, easy read, not in-depth scholarly information.

[Jorge Zuluaga · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Que nota de librito! Una manera muy original manera de presentar la vida cotidiana y los lugares más relevantes del antiguo Egipto, en el estilo de una guía turística moderna.

En mi caso, después de leer varios libros sesudos de Egiptología (sesudos pero divulgativos también), este libro represento un excelente "remanso literario", un acercamiento más informal a lo que sería la impresión directa que tendría el Egipto faraónico para los habitantes, nacionales y extranjeros de la época.

El libro tiene un tono bastante informal (como una buena guía turística) con un toque humorístico e irónico, que lo convierte en una lectura muy entretenida y amena.

La edición que leí en español (editorial AKAI) es muy bonita, tiene papel fino, ilustraciones muy bien logadas y varias páginas con láminas a color, de modo que el libro vale la pena la inversión.

El libro se divide en 9 capítulos, en el que el turista extranjero (el personaje principal de la descripción) hace un recorrido de norte a sur por el Egipto de los años finales del reinado de Ramses II (Ramses el grande). A lo largo de los capítulos, se van sucediendo en distintas secciones, descripciones de los lugares, las costumbres, algunos personajes históricos, que va encontrando el visitante. A lo largo del texto hay unos recuadros con información complementaria y datos curiosos que hacen la lectura, aún más entretenida.

De todos me llamo particularmente la atención el nombre completo de Ramses II:

El poderoso toro; amado de Maat; protector de Kemet; el que domeña enemigos extranjeros; rico en años y victorias; rey de las dos tierra; Usermaatre-setepenre, la justicia de Ra es poderosa; Ramessu-meryamun, elegido de Ra engendrado por Ra el amado de Amón

Casualmente un día antes estaba estudiando cómo descifrar los jeroglíficos con los nombres de los reyes más notables, y me encontré justamente con el nombre que había conseguido descifrar Usermaatre-setepenre (nombre de trono), Ramessu-meryamun (nombre de nacimiento). Esto me demuestra que además de ser un bonito y entretenido libro, esta soportado en información académica rigurosa.

Del texto (o más bien, de la traducción) no me gusto que las transcripciones de algunas palabras egipcias estuvieran escritas para ser leídas con la fonética del inglés. Así por ejemplo, cuando habla de la palabra "gato" en el Egipcio antiguo, (transliteración jeroglífica miw), la escriben como mioo en lugar de miu. Así, quién no conozca las palabras (es decir, casi todos los que leemos el libro), las pronunciara de forma equivocada. Recomiendo que lean las palabras en itálicas como las pronunciaría un gringo.

Todo el librito es delicioso, pero al final hay una sección titulada Frases útiles que me hizo desternillar de la risa y que se debería llevar el premio a la guía lingüistica más inútil. Como su nombre lo indica allí encontrarán una lista de frases que cualquier viajero puede necesitar en su viaje por el Egipto faraónico y su respectiva transcripción fonética (con el defecto mencionado en el párrafo anterior). Las preguntas son geniales; van desde los clásicos "Hola, me llamo..." o "Necesito pan y cerveza", hasta los impredecibles (¡pero seguramente muy útiles!) "¿Crees que este taparrabos me hace ver gordo?" o "Doctor, ¿de verás cree que tiene que purgarme?". Punto para el autor.

Un librito que cualquier #KemetLover debe tener en su biblioteca.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever wanted to visit the land of the pharaohs in the reign of Ramesses II? Been worried about how to get there, what souvenirs to get, what to see and how to get around? Well, look no further than Donald P. Ryan's Ancient Egypt on Five Deben A Day! A must-have guide to affordable travel in Pharaonic Egypt that allows for ease of mind. It even includes a glossary and phrasebook!

I didn't approach Ancient Egypt on Five Deben A Day expecting a great tract of scholarly work. Knowing the title riffed on Frommer's Europe on 5 Dollars a Day , I thought it was likely that this book could be this little cute read to have on my book shelves. And it is a little, cute read, but it's also a good primer on Ancient Egypt and gives a succinct overview of everyday life for the Ancient Egyptians.

But it's also a really fun read. I felt as though Donald P. Ryan had fun writing this book and I had a lot of fun reading it. Take this bit of advice, on advising about taking home a personalised papyrus souvenir:

You might want to check with a second scribe to make sure that the first one didn't write something to the effect of 'the superiority of the Egyptians is obvious everywhere', 'go home, vile foreigner' or 'I went to Egypt and all I brought back was a sheet of this paper'.

(As Ryan points out in earlier chapters, the Egyptians had something of a superiority complex and weren't fond of foreigners.)Or, when discussing the Egyptian military's practice of cutting off the hand of the enemy dead to count the tally:

For accounting purposes, one hand per victim provides an accurate assessment of casualties. Throwing both on the heap, though, makes a bigger pile, a larger count and a happier Ramesses.

Maybe I'm weird, but I do love seeing this touch of humour in discussions of the Ancient Egyptians.

Occasionally, there are deliberate anachronisms – for example, Ryan quotes Herodotus who was born nearly 800 years after Ramesses II reigned or, after discussing the Egyptian barter system, mentions the eventual introduction of currency – but these didn't bother me.

I really, really enjoyed Ancient Egypt On Five Deben A Day a lot. I may not have learnt a lot, but I had a lot of fun reading it.

[Rebecca Huston · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very amusing, rather tongue-in-cheek look at ancient Egypt through the eyes of a traveler in the reign of Ramesses II. Full of maps and illustrations and a very funny phrase selection. Hey Doctor! Is that purge really necessary? This would make a grand gift for that teenager or older child who is mad about Egypt. Not very long, and easily gotten through in an evening. Overall, four stars.

For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Donald...

[Hannah Mc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but enjoyable read on every day Egyptian life.

Touches on food, drink, travel, religion and temples, the elite and the every day worker.

Such a fascinating time in history, I wish I could have experienced what life was like back then

[Soph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for school. I love Egypt and Archeology so this was an enjoyable book to read.

[Alexa Billow · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's briefer and less detailed than I would have liked. All the same, it is a fun, quick primer on ancient Egyptian history and culture. It would be very good for a quick, easy-to-read introduction. (I was hoping for just a tiny bit more meat.)

Although it's a history book disguised as a travel book, it would actually make a good companion for a present-day visit to Egypt. As it described temples and monuments that I visited, I found myself remembering them in great detail. Although it wasn't quite what I wanted, for someone looking for an introduction or a quick guide to the sights it would be quite suitable.

[Elaine Newville · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good read. The pictures are great and make you feel you are there when theve been freshly painted. The humor is refreshing and the descriptions of your surroundings as you go really add to the experience of making a visit there. This was a true joy to read.

[Annetje.10.H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great! Wow! It’s just like I’m in Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II in 1225 b.c.e., and I’m having a great time! I love the premise that this booklet works as an actual guide book to the ancient world, and that it’s readers are just traveling through using nothing more than some theatre of the kind and some good research (included in your guide). The descriptions were short but sweet, and covered a really broad range of topics.

While it’s not like, a research book or anything (it is sometimes more modern than I think it intends to be, and certainly more focussed on wit and narrative than straight fact-telling), I don’t think that’s a downside. It’s an engaging and easily-accessible read. It opens this world up to new viewers and explorers, and so for me it doesn’t need to be impartial and a mile deep on each subject. It’s doing it’s job as an introductory text, and it’s doing it well!

Plus I love the drawings, poems, and added tidbits of lore or art scattered through the guide. It feels refreshing to run into those breaks and learn some tangential but cool information.

[Julian Abagond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can be plodding at times, but I love the idea of a time traveller's guide. Especially since many books on Ancient Egypt tend to framed in terms of archaeology, which is like looking through the wrong end of a telescope. This book gives you a good sense of the lay of the land. But it does not give you a good sense of Egypt's history - another common failing of books I have seen on Ancient Egypt, which is why next I am going to read Barbara Mertz's "Temples, Tombs & Hieroglyphs" (2007):

[Siiri *⁠。♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading I felt the same exhaustion and sadness as after a real trip. Even though I did not physically move from my comfortable spot on the couch, I was glad to be back home while also longing to visit ancient Egypt once more. The book held a lot of information but was quite easy to read with lots of pictures for the traveler and a helpful map. All I can say is that my trip was a certain success!

[Buck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish it had more information on the day-to-day life of the Egyptian people. The book in this series on ancient Rome did a better job of painting a picture of the food, customs and activities of the common folk.

[Rory Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second book of this series I read and I love it just as much as the first!
There are so many details and fun facts that I haven't come across before!
Can't wait to read the rest of the series, since one never knows when the old time machine in the garage starts going crazy again!

[Rodrigo Infante · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and interesting content on the culture, society and monuments of ancient Egypt. Its format, following a trip down the Nile river makes it both entertaining and easy to follow. It will enhance the experience of anyone traveling to Egypt.

[Brendan Howlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky idea, a travel guide for tourists to Ancient Egypt where they don't like foreigners but really entertaining and informative.

[Raquel Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um conceito interessante, um guia turístico ao Egipto de Ramsés II.
Completo com glossário com frases úteis como "O meu burro está doente".
A não perder pelos entusiastas do antigo Egipto.

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it's a cool concept but for someone who know (too) much about Ancient Egypt not really entertaining. If you're an amateur however, could be really fun

[Luz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It provides fascinating insights into what it might have been like to visit Egypt in 1250 BCE. I find the format of a time travelling guide book a pleasant change from the more academic approach.

[Ekaterina Gavrilova · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[Emma]

Fun book written as a travel guide for Egypt at the time of Rameses II. Style of the book is sometimes hard to read, but overall is well written.

[Laura Bullock · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A charming concept of a travel guide for ancient egypt. Liked it even after the novelty factor had worn off.

[Alison Bullock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun idea but I found this book heavy going. Some really interesting information along the way.

[Julian · Rating 3 out of 5]

the word for cat being 'mioo' is the best thing i have ever learned

[Kiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Bronwyn Lok · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review at https://bronzelock619.blogspot.com/2020/11/ancient-egypt-on-5-deben-day-donald-p.html.

This book is a history book about Ancient Egypt framed as a (time-travel-esqe) tour guide, during the rule of Ramesses II at 1250 B.C. First off, you have to know how to get there, and the book introduced different options to do that, by land and by sea. As it is mentioned in the title, the Ancient Egyptians used precious metals weighed in the unit "deben", in addition to using grain as salary and for bartering other goods.
This guide introduces various sights centered around the important cities such as Memphis and Thebes, as well as the interesting temples and tombs nearby, such as the all-iconic Great Pyramid of Giza. The most fascinating about these tours are that the temples and tombs are depicted as they would in that era - in their full glory, or abandoned after years of historical erasure such as those built by Akhenaten. It advices you on whether you could convince or bribe your way in to check out the interior, or if you are only able to look at the exterior from afar. There are tons of maps and illustrations, an introduction to local flora and fauna such as the lotus and scarab beetles, various Egyptian gods and the mythologies associated with them, and more.
Some of the favourite parts of this ancient guide book are the list of festivals that you can join in or sit out and the souvenir suggestions for when you return home. You can bring back some amulets, or paper, which is quite a novelty to other civilizations at that era. You can also get some weird gifts like monkeys and stone pillows, although those are more like souvenirs you give to people you hate. The list of useful phrases attempts to inject humour into this guide, such as "Do any of you peasants read hieroglyphs?", "I am just a foreign fool.", and "Does this loincloth make me look fat?". This summary of Ancient Egypt in that era is presented in an interesting time-travelling scenario, and is a creative way for readers to learn about ancient civilizations.

[Jansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been fascinated with Ancient Egypt since I was a child. It all started with Saturday morning viewings of "The Secrets of Isis" back in the '70s. Watching Andrea Thomas lift her amulet and utter those magical words, "Oh, Mighty Isis" used to give me shivers. But more importantly, the show was my first glimpse of an ancient civilization so unlike any other before it or since.

This book is formatted like a modern travel guide and is set during the rein of Rameses II. The reader is assumed to be a foreigner visiting Egypt for the first time, and the pages that follow give a fairly thorough account of the things one might encounter.

Until I read this book, I had no idea that Egypt was such a closed civilization. Border guards interrogated foreigners trying to enter and quite often turned away visitors deemed undesirable or lacking a valid reason for admittance. Ancient Egyptians saw themselves as being stewards to the gods and their pharaohs were living gods to be revered. Xenophobia, sadly, was the order of the day.

Once inside, tourists found themselves surrounded by a people who viewed them with suspicion. It was best to adopt Egyptian styles of dress, customs, and language if your own culture wasn't exotic enough to be admired.

Because ancient Egypt was so heavily centered around religion and paying reverence to the pharaoh, much of the book deals with visiting ancient temples, grand statues of the pharaoh and his queen, and interacting with temple staffers.

For me, this book really shines when it reveals the little tidbits about daily life in Egypt. One tidbit that fascinated me was the prevalence of a paddle-shaped doll that was popular amongst Egyptian girls. Another tidbit was a handy phrase guide toward the back of the book that had some rather humorous phrases and their phonetic translations.

As with any book dealing with ancient cultures, or any part of the past where there are no living members to give their personal accounts, I did try to read the book with some healthy skepticism. We always look at the past filtered through the eyes of the present, so some of the accounts, details, or attitudes described may be wildly off the mark when looked at from today's standards. An example of this is watching an old movie about ancient Egypt or ancient Greece and seeing unpainted statues scattered throughout the scenery. We now know that statues were often brightly painted with attention to detail. How embarrassing to know that now and see the mistakes in our interpretation.

All in all, this book was a fascinating little read, and one that I would recommend to everyone from school kids doing research to retirees getting ready to head to Egypt as tourists. The book gives a nice overview of the times, although I wished it gave some deeper insights into the daily lives of the commoners. But, then again, that's why further reading was invented, and now I have a good springboard for my own exploration.

[S. J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5 to 5 Stars*

*The Gush*
First let me say that Ancient Egypt is not my most favorite of subjects. I'm not a fan of mummies and learning almost totally about how awesome the pharaohs were is not my idea of interesting historical fact. I like something a little closer in time to me. However, that said, I really liked this book.
The premise is a travel guide to ancient Egypt with all the sights, people, and things to see. It talks about what you would eat, wear, social customs, etc. just as any travel guide would do. At the very beginning it mentions being an adventurous time traveler (can't you just see a collection of these books on a shelf in the TARDIS for the Doctor to pull out and tell his companion "Don't embarrass me.") but you can just as easily read it as a travel guide of the day for most of it.
The book does an excellent job of helping the reader understand what daily life would have been like during the time period. While of course the Pharaoh is mentioned often (the book is set during Ramesses II reign), the book centers more on the food the average person might eat, where they might live, what jobs you might see people doing, and the like.
The religious aspect, with the numerous temples and gods is woven throughout the book, so that one does not feel like all the intricacies of Egyptian religious practices are being shoved down ones throat. Indeed, I learned more about Ancient Egypt life, religion, afterlife, and all that jazz from this book than all my years in school and personal reading.

*The Negative*
The only thing I can say that wasn't perfect was the fact that the religion and the pharaonic history was so spread out. While that helped with keeping the reader from being bored, it would have been helpful to provide a time line of pharaohs and a tree of the gods and goddess-who's married to whom and the like. Was a bit hard to keep track. This did not, however, detract from my learning nor my having fun with the book, so it is a minor issue.

*Conclusion*
If you get a chance, check this out from your library or pick it up at the bookstore. I'm really looking forward to others in the series such as Shakespeare's London and Colonial New England. This is a really unique and fun way to learn a little bit of history. Particularly every day history which so often gets overshadowed by this war or that politician. A really neat little book.

[Amalia Carosella]

This is a pretty fun overview of life in Egypt (and major landmarks) during the reign of Ramesses II. It kind of jumps around through historical periods prior, because it addresses history geographically as you "tour" from the northernmost point of Egypt to the southern cataracts of the Nile, so if you're looking for a more linear timeline of monuments, building projects, and pharaohs, this isn't the book for you. But if you just want a general idea of what life was like during the 19th dynasty, (or the Greek Bronze Age) then this is a perfect, if casual, launch point and foundation for your research.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

A light, breezy tone, making the ancient world come to life, completely accessible to the modern reader - I recommend to anyone of any age, and any level of knowledge of ancient Egypt.