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Writings from Ancient Egypt

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Writings from Ancient Egypt
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Toby Wilkinson
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:384
Dimensions(mm): Height 198,Width 129
Category/GenreAnthologies
Egyptian archaeology and Egyptology
ISBN/Barcode 9780141395951
ClassificationsDewey:932
Audience
General

Publishing Details

Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Imprint Penguin Classics
Publication Date 25 August 2016
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

The essential writings of ancient Egypt, from songs to stories, newly translated 'Man perishes; his corpse turns to dust; all his relatives pass away. But writings make him remembered.' The fascination Ancient Egypt holds in our minds has many sources, but at the heart of it lie hieroglyphics. This extraordinary writing system was for many years seen as the ultimate challenge and puzzle before finally being cracked in the 1820s. Preserved carved in stone or inked on papyri, hieroglyphic writings give a unique insight into an awe-inspiring but also deeply mysterious culture. Toby Wilkinson has translated a rich selection of pieces, ranging from accounts of battles to hymns to stories to royal proclamations. This book is both very enjoyable and an essential resource for anyone wanting to study one of humankind's great civilizations.

Author Biography

Toby Wilkinson is a Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge. He has written a number of major books on Ancient Egypt, most recently The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt (Bloomsbury, UK; Random House, US)which won the Hessell-Tiltman prize. He has excavated at the Egyptian sites of Buto and Memphis.

Reviews

Until now few people beyond specialists have been able to read the texts, many of them inaccessible within tombs ... hieroglyphs were pictures but they conveyed concepts in as sophisticated a manner as Greek or Latin script, [Toby Wilkinson] said. Filled with metaphor and symbolism, they reveal life through the eyes of the ancient Egyptians. Tales of shipwreck and wonder, first-hand descriptions of battles and natural disasters, songs and satires make up the anthology. -- Dalya Alberge * The Guardian * This book offers a taste of the vast body of ancient Egyptian literature. In addition to glamorous accounts of war and royalty, it's packed with extraordinarily personal tales of life and the social anxieties of the time. -- Caitlin Hu * Quartz *