Summary
A great civilization that grew up around the Nile River, ancient Egypt had sophisticated irrigation systems that held back the desert, writing and record keeping that tracked every event in the region, and some of the greatest architects and engineers the world has ever seen.
Featuring full-color photographs and maps, summaries of key people and key sites, primary source documents, a chronology, glossary, bibliography, and up-to-date further resources, Empire of Ancient Egypt, Fourth Edition sorts through the myths of popular culture and contradictory historical evidence to give a clear, detailed picture of the life and history of the ancient Egyptians. It explains why religion played such an important part in Egyptian politics, who stood atop the Egyptian social pyramid, what games Egyptian children played, and why Egypt eventually succumbed to the Roman Empire. Connections to our modern world include everything from licorice, cosmetics, and the domesticated cat to architecture, farming practices, and baseball.
About the Author(s)
Wendy Christensen is an award-winning writer and illustrator and a member of the Egyptologists' Electronic Forum (EEF).
History consultant Dr. Josef Wegner is associate professor of Egyptology in the department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also associate curator of the Egyptian section of the Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. He has conducted numerous excavations of sites in Egypt.