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Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide.

Print Price: $29.99

Format:
Paperback
544 pp.
8pp halftone plates, 129 mm x 196 mm

ISBN-13:
9780192804587

Copyright Year:
2004

Imprint: OUP UK


The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt

Ian Shaw

The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt uniquely covers 700,000 years of ancient Egypt from the stone age to the Roman conquest. The story of the ancient Egyptians, from their prehistoric origins to their conquest by the Persians, Greeks, and Romans makes for fascinating reading, with subjects ranging from the changing nature of life and death in the Nile valley to some of the earliest masterpieces of art, architecture, and literature in the ancient world.

An international team of experts in the field address the issues surrounding this distinctive culture, vividly relating the rise and fall of ruling dynasties, exploring colourful personalities, and uncovering surprising facts, such as the revelation that Scotland Yard possesses a print taken from the hand of a mummy. A well-rounded picture of an intriguing civilization emerges.


Readership : General readers and students interested in ancient Egypt; archaeologists and ancient historians.

Reviews

  • `Review from previous edition
    The approach combines traditional chronological history with cultural and social historical material to produce a well rounded picture ... chapters covering prehistory and the intermediate periods are particularly good, with Seidlmayer on the First
    Intermediate Period and Bourriau on the Second Intermediate Period outstanding. Bryan's chapter on the 18th Dynasty before the Amarna Period is also particularly good.'
    Antiquity
  • `If you only want to read one book on Egypt, then read this one ... even people who consider themselves as experts on Ancient Egypt will find much to set them thinking: And while such Egyptologists will have a field day, the casual reader will find plenty to arouse their interest, ranging from the story of the world's first strike ... to the revelation that Scotland Yard possesses a print taken from the hand of a mummy.'
    The Northern Echo
  • `splendid, lavishly illustrated book ... the only single-volume work to cover 700,000 years of Ancient Egypt from the stone age to Roman conquest ... Lucidly edited by Ian Shaw ... you get the facts without the dust. An excellent choice for enthusiasts and novices alike; even better if you can persuade someone to buy for you as a present.'
    Roddy Phillips, Aberdeen Press and Journal
  • `From the Stone Age to the Roman occupation in the fourth centry AD, the mighty Egyptian dynasties are brought to life in almost 450 pages ... never anything but deeply informative, without losing sight of the essential attribute of any book - readability ... both stimulating to the casual reader or keen-to-learn holiday maker and the serious student alike.'
    Peter Leach, North West Evening Mail
  • `brimming with ... intriguing facts ... also provides a first-rate overview of - le progrès Egyptien - from the period when Homo erectus first stalked the land right up to Octavian's triumphant entry into Egypt in 30 BC.'
    Douglas Kennedy, The Times

List of Maps; Acknowledgements
Introduction
Prehistory: Palaeolithic and Neolithic
Predynastic Period
Late Predynastic and Early Dynastic
The Rise of Eqyptian Civilization
The Old Kingdom
The First Intermediate Period
The Middle Kingdom
The Second Intermediate Period
The New Kingdom: Pre-Amarna
The New Kingdom: Amarna and Post-Amarna
Egypt and the Outside World
The Third Intermediate Period
The Late Period
The Ptolemaic Period
The Roman Period
Further Reading; Chronological Tables; Acknowledgement of Sources; Index

There are no Instructor/Student Resources available at this time.

Ian Shaw studied Archaeology and Egyptology at Cambridge University, gaining a PhD on the archaeological remains at Tell el-Amarna. He later undertook research into Egyptian quarrying and mining sites as a British Academy Research Fellow at New Hall, Cambridge. His other publications include Ancient Egyptian Warfare and Weapons (1992), The British Museum Dictionary of Ancient Egypt (1995), The Dictionary of Archaeology (1999), and Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technology (2000)

Writing History - William Kelleher Storey and Mairi Cowan

Special Features

  • 'brimming with intriguing facts ... a first-rate overview' (The Times)
  • Subject of enormous general interest
  • The contributors are well known and respected scholars
  • Sets events from the early Stone Age to the time of the Romans within their historical context
  • Includes the most detailed examinations of the three so-called 'intermediate periods' in Egyptian history, which were previously regarded as 'dark ages' but are now beginning to be better understood