Ancient Egypt: A Guide to the Gods, Pharaohs, Dynasties, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt: A Guide to the Gods, Pharaohs, Dynasties, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt by Patrick Auerbach
English | 2016 | ISBN-10: N/A | ASIN: B01ED10GOQ | 72 pages | ePUB | 160 KB

Ancient Egypt’s impact on later cultures was immense. You could say that Egypt provided the building blocks for Greek and Roman culture, and, through them, influenced all of the Western tradition. Today, Egyptian imagery, concepts, and perspectives are found everywhere; you will find them in architectural forms, on money, and in our day to day lives. Many cosmetic surgeons, for example, use the silhouette of Queen Nefertiti (whose name means “the beautiful one has come”) in their advertisements.

Ancient Egyptian civilization lasted for more than 3000 years and showed an incredible amount of continuity. That is more than 15 times the age of the United States, and consider how often our culture shifts; less than 10 years ago, there was no Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube.

While today we consider the Greco-Roman period to be in the distant past, it should be noted that Cleopatra VII’s reign (which ended in 30 BCE) is closer to our own time than it was to that of the construction of the pyramids of Giza. It took humans nearly 4000 years to build something–anything–taller than the Great Pyramids. Contrast that span to the modern era; we get excited when a record lasts longer than a decade.

Ancient Egypt - June-July 2016

Ancient Egypt – June-July 2016
English | 68 Pages | True PDF | 11 MB

First Civilizations: Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, 2nd Edition

Robert Chadwick, “First Civilizations: Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, 2nd Edition”
English | ISBN: 1904768784, 1904768776 | 2005 | 291 pages | PDF | 66 MB

First Civilizations is the second edition of a popular student text first published in 1996 in Montreal by Les Editions Champ Fleury. This much updated and expanded edition provides an introductory overview of the civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. It was conceived primarily for students who have little or no knowledge of ancient history or archaeology.

The book begins with the role of history and archaeology in understanding the past, and continues with the origins of agriculture and the formation of the Sumerian city-states in Mesopotamia. Three subsequent chapters concentrate on Assyrian and Babylonian history and culture. The second half of the book focuses on Egypt, begining with the physical environment of the Nile, the formation of the Egyptian state and the Old Kingdom. Subsequent chapters discuss the Middle Kingdom, the Hyksos period,and the 18th Dynasty, with space devoted to Hatshepsut, Akhenaten, the Ramesside period. The text ends with the Persian conquest of Mesopotamia and Egypt.

First Civilizations also contains sections on astronomy, medicine, architecture, eschatology, religion, burial practices and mummification, and discusses the myths of Gilgamesh, Isis and Osiris. Each chapter has a basic bibliography which emphasizes English language encyclopedias, books and journals specializing in the ancient Near East.

The Journey to Tahrir: Revolution, Protest, and Social Change in Egypt

The Journey to Tahrir: Revolution, Protest, and Social Change in Egypt by Jeannie L. Sowers, Chris Toensing
English | 2012 | ISBN: 184467875X | 320 pages | EPUB | 2 MB

The toppling of Hosni Mubarak marked the beginning of a revolutionary restructuring of Egypt’s political and social order. Jeannie Sowers and Chris Toensing bring together updated essays from Middle East Report—the premier journal covering the region—that offer unrivaled analysis of the major social and political trends that underpinned these tumultuous events.

Starting with the momentous eighteen days of street protest that compelled Mubarak’s resignation, the volume moves back in time to plumb the state’s strategies of repression and examine the mounting dissent of workers, democracy advocates, anti-war activists, and social and environmental campaigners. Leading analysts of Egypt detail the demographic and economic trends that produced wealth for the few and impoverishment for the many. The collection brings clear-headed, first-hand understanding to bear on a moment of intense hope and uncertainty in the Arab world’s most populous nation.