The Pharaohs

Description

With its geographical isolation, Egypt developed a unique and self-contained culture whose religion, customs, art, architecture and social structures changed little over 3000 years. This title provides an illustrated history of the kings who ruled over this extraordinary land, narrating the story of 30 dynasties starting around 3100 BC.

Author description

Dr Joyce Tyldesley has a degree in the archaeology of the eastern Mediterranean from Liverpool University and a doctorate from Oxford University. She is currently Lecturer in Egyptology in the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology at the University of Manchester, a Fellow of the Manchester Museum, and an Honorary Research Fellow at Liverpool University. Her main area of interest is the Egyptian New Kingdom. She has worked on many excavations in Britain, Europe and Egypt, and is the author of many published works on Ancient Egypt.

Table of contents

Prologue: Finding the Pharaohs. The First Pharaohs: A Tale of Two Lands (the Valley and the Delta, c.5300-3050 BC); The Horus Kings (Menes and Narmer, c.3050-3000 BC); The Evidence from Abydos (Egypt's first royal cemetery, c.3000-2686 BC). Pharaohs and Pyramids: Stairways to the Stars (the step pyramids, c. 2686-2613 BC); The Great Builders (Snefru and his family, c.2613-2494 BC); The Children of Re (from Userkaf to Unas, c.2494-2345 BC); Decentralization and Drought (the end of the OId Kingdom, c.2345-2181 BC). Pharaohs Reinvented: Local Rule (the first intermediate period, c.2181-2055 BC); Reunited (the warriors of Thebes, c.2125-1985 BC); Peace and Prosperity (Amenemhat and his descendants, c.1985-1773 BC); Decline (the end of the Middle Kingdom, c.1773-1650 BC); Invasion and Expulsion (the second intermediate period, c.1650-1550 BC). The Fighting Pharaohs: Egypt Restored (the expulsion of the Hyksos, c.1550-1504 BC); Valley of the Kings (housing the royal dead); Developing the Empire (the Tuthmoside kings, c.1504-1427 BC). Pharaohs of the Sun: Sunrise (Amenhotep II and Tuthmosis IV, c.1427-1390 BC); The Dazzling Sun Disk (Amenhotep III, c.1390-1352); High Noon (Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten and the Amarna Period, c.1352-1336 BC); Sunset (the experiment fails, c.1338-1295 BC). The Ramesside Pharaohs: A New Beginning (General Ramesses and his son, c.1295-1279 BC); Master of Propaganda (Ramesses II, c.1279-1213 BC); An Inextricable Decline (from Merenptah to Tawosret, c.1213-1186 BC); Rise and Fall (eight kings named Ramesses, c.1186-1069 BC). Pharaohs and Foreigners: Divided Rule (Tanis and Thebes, c.1069-945 BC); Chaos and Confusion (the Libyan Pharaohs, c.945-715 BC); Brief Stability (the Nubian Pharaohs, c.747-656 BC); A Backwards Glance (the Saite Pharaohs, c.664-525 BC); A Hated Overlord (two Persian invasions, c.525-332 BC). The Final Pharaohs: Salvation (the Macedonian Pharaohs, 332-305 BC); A New Empire (Ptolemy I to Ptolemy III, 304-221 BC); Change (the beginning of the end, 221-51 BC); The Last Pharaohs (the fall of the House of Ptolemy, 51-30 BC). Epilogue (after the Pharaohs). Glossary. Index. Further references.