Introduction
As a 5-year-old child, I only ever wanted to spend my Saturdays at the British Museum looking at the mummies – until my own mummy started to think I was odd. But nothing is odd about mummies (the ancient Egyptian or the parental kind). The Egyptian mummy was a fundamental part – albeit a small part – of Egyptian funerary beliefs and culture. The mummy has now become an iconic image of Egypt, and many horror films have given it a bad name. Other than questions about mummies, the first thing anyone ever asks me as an Egyptologist is ‘So who built the pyramids?’ or ‘Was Tutankhamun murdered?’ As valid as these questions are, Egyptology (the study of ancient Egypt) offers so many more interesting things to discover and explore than these age-old queries. (And while others have answered these questions frequently and well, I offer my plain-English answers too in this book.)
In my opinion, some smaller pieces of research in Egypt are far more impressive than the pyramids, such as examining clay objects that still bear the fingerprints of ancient craftsmen, discovering the specific diseases an individual suffered from prior to being mummified, or reading a note from a woman to her dressmaker stating she ‘has nothing to wear’ (we’ve all been there). These small insights into the lives of the people who make up a history that is now world famous better answer the question ‘Who were the Egyptians?’ After you know who the ancient Egyptians were, figuring out how they built the pyramids doesn’t seem like such a monumental question.
The ancient Egyptians were just like modern humans: They wanted to build pyramids, so they used all their available resources and did it. No mystery. In fact, I’m sure the ancient Egyptians would have loved a book entitled Westerners of the 21st Century AD For Dummies, so they could learn about this futuristic society that is so primitive it can’t even build pyramids!
I think it essential to stop thinking of the ancient Egyptians as some bizarre civilisation so far removed from modern life that the people are undecipherable. They were amazingly similar to us, with the same drives, motivations, emotions, and weaknesses. I hope this book goes some way to helping you make a connection with this fascinating culture and the colourful individuals who created it.
About This Book
Egyptian history has been described as a jigsaw with half the pieces missing, no picture, and no indication of how many pieces there are – it is a daunting task to try to recreate a history that makes sense. Every year, new excavations uncover information that changes or adds another dimension to the available history of this culture. What this means in regard to this book is that I present the history of Egypt as it stands today. In ten years’ time, it may look different due to new discoveries and new interpretations of the evidence – and this book would need to be updated.
The Nile Valley (a romantic way of saying Egypt) was relatively small and only covered about a mile on each side of the Nile river, but its people achieved so much. Generals waged numerous battles and went on expeditions, priests honoured a pantheon of gods numbering nearly 1,000, and hundreds of kings with what appear to be unpronounceable names (many of them the same – for example, there are eleven King Ramses) produced great architectural feats. In addition to the pyramids, the most iconic image of Egypt, ancient Egypt featured an array of temples, palaces, villages, and subterranean tombs, all with religious elements and iconic imagery, built and added to over hundreds of years.
Hundreds of texts are available from ancient Egypt that help explain the lives and beliefs of the kings, the priests, and even the ordinary people. This book weaves together all these stories to create a complicated but beautiful tapestry of the lives of the Egyptians.
If you think you’ll mispronounce all those odd names, confuse the religious practices, and get your dynasties in a diddle, relax. This book presents more than 3,000 years of history as a straightforward outline of eras and periods. To the basic sketch, I then add clusters of intriguing details about ancient Egyptian lifestyle, culture, religion, and beliefs. Further chapters layer on insights about the incredible art and buildings produced by the ancient Egyptians. It’s a fascinating journey, and you’re going to love it.
Conventions Used in This Book
The dating system used in ancient Egypt was complicated. Surviving records use regnal years (for example, ‘year 16 of Ramses II’) rather than a centralised calendar (‘1450 BC’). However, the Greek traveller Manetho divided ancient Egypt’s 3,000-year history into 30 dynasties, and his system is still applied today. This is what this book uses.
Ascertaining exact dates for these dynasties is difficult, but I have added accepted chronological dates to give an idea of when events happened, although I also refer to general eras such as the 18th dynasty, 19th dynasty and so on. All dates are BC (before Christ) unless otherwise stated. Many people prefer BCE (before the Common Era), but I opt for BC because it’s more traditional.
The names of kings are often spelt differently from publication to publication, sometimes with Greek versions of the name being used (Cheops instead of the Egyptian Khufu, for example). As an Egyptologist, I use the Egyptian version of the name that the people themselves would recognise, except when the Greek is the better known (for example, I use Thebes rather than Waset for modern Luxor).
Foolish Assumptions
I assume, perhaps wrongly, that you:
Are interested in Egyptology through watching popular television shows, going to movies, and visiting museums
Know a little about pyramids, Tutankhamun, and Cleopatra, but do not know how these flashy topics and figures fit into the wider history of ancient Egypt
Find general books on Egypt and history dry, confusing, and uninviting
Want to find out more – as long as the journey is interesting
How This Book Is Organised
You can either read this book from cover to cover, or you can dip in and out if you prefer. You can jump from chapter to chapter as their contents interest you. You can even skip around in each chapter, because each subsection offers information on a specific, selected topic. I also provide numerous cross-references between sections and chapters so you can easily jump from topic to topic and quickly locate the parts of the book that cover the specific aspects of Egyptology that you find most captivating.
The following information gives you an idea of what you can find in each part of the book.
Part I: Introducing the Ancient Egyptians
The landscape and ecology of Egypt were fundamental to the formation of the civilisation and are essential to understanding the culture, government, and even religion that developed along the Nile river. This part looks at the foundations of the ancient Egyptian culture, including its villages, careers, and social arrangements (marriage, divorce, and more). The social structure of Egyptian civilisation was particularly important, with the king at the top and everyone else beneath him, as this part details.
Part II: Stepping Back in Time
This part is the true story behind all the monuments. It covers the personalities who built them, fought for them, and later dismantled them. I take you on a chronological journey through more than 3,000 years of history, starting at the very beginning of Egyptian civilisation in the pre-dynastic period, and travelling down the timeline to the Roman invasion at the death of Cleopatra in 30 BC. This history is pitted with battles, especially in the period known as the New Kingdom, when Egypt had its first permanent army. This part investigates the life of a soldier, including the gruesome battle techniques, the victories, and the near misses.
It also considers the role of Egypt’s women – including notable queens as well as working-class wives and mothers. This part ends with the collapse of the Egyptian civilisation after a period of constant invasion and divided rule – the sobering end to a dynamic culture.
Part III: Living Life to the Full: Culture and Beliefs
The Egyptians loved life – partying, hunting, eating, dancing, and chatting with their friends. Compare the intricacies of your own social life with that of the Egyptians and be amazed at the similarities. Sadly a part of life, now and then, is disease and illness, and the Egyptians suffered many of the same ailments as modern humans – although I wouldn’t recommend their cures!
When the cures didn’t work, death often followed and involved a great number of funerary beliefs and practices. Nowadays, mummification is synonymous with ancient Egypt, although the Egyptians were not the only culture to practise it. Mummification practices were slow in developing, but quickly became an essential part of the afterlife of the deceased, because without a body, the afterlife is pretty dull. To further prevent boredom, all the deceased’s belongings were dumped in tombs for use after rebirth.
The Egyptians loved life so much they wanted it to continue for as long as possible. However, mummification and funerary practices are not the only religious beliefs covered in this part. The temples in Egypt were closed to the public, so the Egyptians developed two forms of religion – a complex state religion with the king as a direct communicator with the gods, and an equally rich household religion with a completely new set of gods to help with specific aspects of life, such as health, fertility, and childbirth.
Part IV: Interpreting Egyptian Art and Architecture
Part IV starts with the deciphering of the Egyptian hieroglyphic language, one of the most fundamental discoveries of Egyptology. Artwork is also a substantial part of any document (and of architectural remains), and being able to ‘read’ artwork is as important as reading the texts. This part explains some of the fundamental characteristics of Egyptian art.
This part also includes a study of the monumental structures of the Egyptians, including temples, tombs, and pyramids. The Egyptians did nothing randomly or because it looked nice (but it has to be said it all looks nice as well). Instead, a religious ideology influences every ancient Egyptian architectural element. So as I explore these incredible structures, I also introduce you to the inspiration behind them.
Part V: The Part of Tens
This part gives you easy-in, easy-out information, including a list of ten famous Egyptologists and ten critical discoveries and milestones in the discipline of Egyptology. You meet ten Egyptian personalities who helped the culture develop, as well as examples of the top achievements of this culture. I also present my list of ten great places to visit in Egypt.
Icons Used in This Book
Egyptology gets people thinking and coming up with their own interpretations of a complex history and culture. I use a number of icons to help highlight some of the points you may be thinking about.
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Where to Go from Here
Well, tradition says start at the beginning and continue until the end; but the thing about traditions is that someone years ago made them up because they seemed good ideas at the time. New traditions can be created right here! Simply jump in and out of the following pages and read them in whatever order you like. All the information is fun and interesting (I promise!), so does it matter what order you read it in?
If you’re interested in the pyramids, dash to Chapter 14, or if you want to join the troops in the military, march to Chapter 3. If you want the gruesome details of mummification, flip to Chapter 10. But if you’re a stickler for tradition and want to build your understanding of the roots of this intriguing culture, simply turn to the next page.