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    The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt
    The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt
    The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt
    Audiobook18 hours

    The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt

    Written by Toby Wilkinson

    Narrated by Michael Page

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    In this landmark work, one of the world's most renowned Egyptologists tells the epic story of this great civilization, from its birth as the first nation-state to its final absorption into the Roman Empire-three thousand years of wild drama, bold spectacle, and unforgettable characters.

    Award-winning scholar Toby Wilkinson captures not only the lavish pomp and artistic grandeur of this land of pyramids and pharaohs but for the first time reveals the constant propaganda and repression that were its foundations. Drawing upon forty years of archaeological research, Wilkinson takes us inside an exotic tribal society with a pre-monetary economy and decadent, divine kings who ruled with all-too-recognizable human emotions.

    Riveting and revelatory, filled with new information and unique interpretations, The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt will become the standard source about this great civilization, one that lasted-so far-longer than any other.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateSep 12, 2017
    ISBN9781541477377
    The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt
    Author

    Toby Wilkinson

    Professor Toby Wilkinson is an internationally acclaimed Egyptologist, and the prize-winning author of twelve books which have been translated into twelve languages. His books include The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt, The Nile and A World Beneath the Sands. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and the Royal Historical Society, and a member of the international editorial board of the Journal of Egyptian History. He is the Vice-Chancellor of the Fiji National University and a Bye-Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge.

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    Reviews for The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt

    4/5

    162 ratings12 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Thorough and a good acknowledgement of the daily life realities of ancient Egypt, as opposed to the romanticized line more typical.
    • 5/5
      Another great novel by Toby Wilkerson.
    • 5/5
      This book presents the latest research on ancient Egypt in an engaging fashion. It answers many questions: who was the first pharaoh, why did the pharaohs build pyramids, why did they stop, was the pharaoh's retainers executed and buried with him when he died, why were the Hitties successful in their attack on Egypt, who was the heretic pharaoh and why did he fail, why was Ramesses II the greatest pharaoh, why was his 67 reign a problem, which pharaoh became a "God" in his own lifetime, why was there a flowering of literature in the Twelfth Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom, why did Pepi II's six decades on the throne end the Old Kingdom, were the great pyramids built by slaves or craftsmen, what caused the development of hieroglyphic writing, why was cuneiform used in diplomatic correspondence, who was the man behind the Great Pyramid, was the afterlife just for the pharaoh or for everyone, did the Egyptians invent the "soul", the last judgment, one God, the resurrection, the afterlife, the struggle between good and evil, etc., could a commoner become a pharaoh, could a woman become a pharaoh, what was so impressive about Pharaoh Senusret III's reign and his sculptures, how did the Egyptians defeat the invasion of the Sea People when their opposition had better weapons and armor, how did the Egyptians free themselves from the Hyksos, why was Nubia a constant threat for the Egyptians, how did Thutmose III win the battle of Megiddo and was he the greatest pharaoh, did pharaohs rob from their predecessors to build their own memorials, why didn't the Egyptians establish colonies overseas like the Greeks, what was the significance of the Luxor Temple and why was it different from other temples, what was the importance of the ka and the ra, did tomb robbing defeat the pharaohs' claims for rebirth and an afterlife, were the Jews ever slaves of the pharaohs, why were all the great pharaohs removed from their graves and placed in a common cave, why is there only one reference to the Jews in Egyptian inscriptions (a 1208 BC reference to the tribe of Israel by Pharaoh Merenpath), and after 3,000 years what caused the fall of the Egyptian Empire.
    • 5/5
      A thorough and well reasoned travelogue through ancient Egyptian history from the earliest settlements to the death of Cleopatra, focused primarily on the Archaic Period until the close of the New Kingdom. Much of the work does focus on the "great men" since their records have been preserved, but the author will supplement with what can be known about the lives of "average" Egyptians throughout the period. The author does well with high quality socio-political and cultural analysis of ancient Egyptian history. From beginning to end Egypt is understood both in its own terms and as part of its greater world: the ancient Near East, the Nubians/Kushites, and the Greeks, and their influences are explained. The author analyzes how the fundamental principles of the civilization developed in the predynastic, Archaic, and early Old Kingdom periods, and how that time was Egypt's most stable even if most autocratic. He explains the crisis that led to the collapse of the Old Kingdom well, and the disaster of the civil war known as the First Intermediate Period. He set forth how the Middle Kingdom established itself in response to these events, and how they succeeded and failed. Much more is made of the Hyksos than anything else in the Second Intermediate Period, and for good reason; the author is fair in regards to his assessment of them and what they attempted to do, and set forth how the descendants of Sequenra Taa proved more successful than he did and defeated both the Kushites and the Hyksos to establish the New Kingdom. Much is made of the New Kingdom, its empire, the building programs, the ideology, the foreign policy, and how it all collapsed under its own weight and emphasis on the army. The author then framed the Third Intermediate Period as first Libyan and then Kushite rule over Egypt; the humiliation of the Kushites by the Assyrians (perhaps being a bit too harsh on the Kushites); and considered the Twenty-Sixth dynasty to be outmatched by the situation in which they found themselves, considering the invasion and defeat at the hands of Cambyses all but inevitable. The last flowering of native rule and its love of animal mummies is described; the Ptolemies are given decent coverage, even though the conclusion with the priesthood of Ptah and the last Cleopatra is a little overdone. The author concludes with the long-term influence Egyptian civilization has provided over the West.A magisterial and highly recommended history of ancient Egypt.
    • 4/5
      If you're looking for a one-volume overview of Egyptian history, look no further. All problems of interpretation and chronology are ironed out into a driving narrative that's told with real imagination. Wilkinson signposts some of the problems in the notes. There's also a massive bibliography. A nicely produced book with good illustrations and clear, simple maps. It's well written. Particularly good is the opening sequence with it's geographical overview of the country. Very useful for people who don't live in a long thin country.
    • 3/5
      As the title suggest, The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt covers over 3000 years of history and like the Nile river runs shallow and long. Be prepared for a pageant of royal names which all sound alike, or are exactly the same, followed by a small bit of their reign before moving onto the next exulted king. Like the names, events seem to repeat as well. It lacks some texture of the period being mostly a plain political history. I found the authors style to be a little grating at times, at the beginning he informs us Egypt is the history of 2-bit despots. Great. That may be true but his lack of enthusiasm for the subject wears off on the reader. It seems to try and be a counter-weight to popular culture romanticization. That's OK but c'mon, Egypt really was pretty fascinating and always will be. Anyway this book has slightly turned me off from Ancient Egypt but I'm not convinced there isn't more there to be found of interest.
    • 5/5
      This is one of the best history books i have ever read. With such a long period to cover and so much materials on the subject, i think the author really did a good job in weaving a good and interesting story. The author was able to connect each period with ease, providing good transition between each chapter of Egypt's illustrious history. The author also did a good job in ensuring that dates, names and places will not overwhelm the reader by omitting those which are unnecessary to the larger narrative of Egypt's history. I would highly recommend this book.
    • 3/5
      A very comprehensive look at the history of ancient Egypt. Interesting, but reads too much like a textbook to be really engaging.
    • 4/5
      Very good one-volume overview of Ancient Egyptian history, in contrast to multivolume works, or watered-down picture books.

      Covers some 4970 years, from unification of Upper/Lower Egypt to fall of Cleopatra. Does good job of incorporating some new conjectures as well as recent archaeological discoveries. Does tend to focus on dynastic elements a bit much, but does cover a lot of ground and does so very well, so some things may be excused. It may well be all that we know about some eras. Author characterizes ancient Egypt as a 'superpower' and a 'nation-state', both of which are debatable.

      A very enlightening book. Resurrected my knowledge and interest of ancient Egypt from the mummy's tomb (pun intended).
    • 4/5
      Professor Wilkerson’s comprehensive and sweeping history of ancient Egypt is tied together by several strands that run through the book: the pull of separation between Upper and Lower Egypt, the opportunity and danger represented by Nubia, and the relationship between the pharaoh’s power and the gods. Although Wilkerson emphasizes the role of the Nile, he also insists on the importance of the desert trading routes both to the Red Sea and to the oases in the Sahara.Accessible to the general reader, the book has enough footnotes and bibliography to enlighten and benefit a more specialist audience. The book would benefit from larger, more legible maps and from a time line. These would help the non-specialist appreciate the course of events and the sheer length of pharaonic culture. Please note that the book gives a relatively short treatment to Ptolemaic Egypt, although it offers a concise summary. I would have liked to have learned more about the relationships between the native Egyptians and their Greek/Macedonian overlords.
    • 5/5
      I have read this 2x as I find the story of the Pharohs to be so amazing. No other culture survive as long as them. Just think: we are closer in time (2000 years) to the last pharaohs than they were to the beginning of Egypt(5000 years ago). They employed their own archaeologists to help decipher their own past. And this comprehensive history gives not only the facts but the flavor or ancient Egypt.
    • 4/5
      This enjoyable history covers the start and end of Ancient Egypt and everything in between. In the introduction Wilkinson states, “Scholars and enthusiasts alike are inclined to look at pharaonic culture with misty-eyed reverence”. He reminds us that even while pharaohs, like Ramesses II, were making such wonderful monuments to the gods and themselves, much of the regular population was malnourished and poor. The book still does focus on the pharaohs’ lives and what monuments they built and what wars they lead, but Wilkinson stops here and there to remind us of some of the harsh realities of life in ancient Egypt under such extreme rulers.