Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilisation

"This fully revised and updated edition of the bestselling Ancient Egypt seeks to identify what gave ancient Egypt its distinctive and enduring characteristics, ranging across material culture, the mindset of its people, and social and economic factors. It identifies the ideas by which the Egyptians organized their experience of the world and explains how they maintained a uniform style in their art and architecture across three thousand years, whilst accommodating substantial changes in outlook. The underlying aim is to relate ancient Egypt to the broader mainstream of our understanding of how all human societies function. This comprehensive survey of Egyptian society and history transforms our understanding of this remarkable civilization." "Ancient written documents often provide the essential information and these are used where necessary. However, the book highlights the contribution that archaeology makes, seeking an integration of sources. It uses numerous case studies, illustrating them with artwork expressly prepared for the book from specialist sources." "This revised edition adds new chapters on who, in ethnic terms, the ancient Egyptians were, and on the final ten centuries of ancient Egyptian civilization. Barry Kemp's book is an indispensable text for all students of ancient Egypt and for the general reader."--BOOK JACKET.

Barry J. Kemp is Professor of Egyptology at the University of Cambridge