Ancient Egypt is one of the great wellsprings of human civilization, first developing around the city of Memphis on the Nile River in the fourth millennium BCE. Egyptian life was centred on a complex system of religious rituals, with the pharaoh (king) seen as a living god among the people. Mighty pyramids, tombs and monuments were built to celebrate the pharaohs, many of which can still be seen in all their grandeur today. Arranged by dynastic period, Pharaohs offers a compact history of the reign of these god- kings, from Menes, who united the north and south kingdoms, to the Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra, who was defeated along with her lover Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium (31 BCE) by imperial Rome. Along the way the reader will learn about the Great Pyramid constructed by Khufu, the last of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world; Queen Hatshepsut, a rare female pharaoh whose name means "foremost of noblewomen" and who launched a massive building programme at Luxor; the young pharaoh Tutankhamun, whose tomb was discovered intact in the Valley of the Kings, complete with the fabulous trappings of his divine status; and Ramesses II ("the Great"), who is thought to have enslaved the Israelites, built the magnificent temple of Abu Simbel, and defeated the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh (1274 BCE) riding his trade-mark chariot. Carefully researched, superbly entertaining and illustrated throughout with more than 180 photographs and artworks, Pharaohs is an accessible history of the kings who ruled Ancient Egypt for more than 4,000 years.

Illustrated history of the great rulers of Ancient Egypt from the Old Kingdom to Cleopatra

About the Author
Phyllis G. Jestice is Professor of Medieval European History and former Chair of the Department of History at the College of Charleston, South Carolina, where she regularly teaches about vikings, crusaders, and the 100 Years War. A devoted teacher, Jestice enjoys writing for both academic and popular audiences. Her most recent monograph is Imperial Ladies of the Ottonian Dynasty: Women and Rule in Tenth-century Germany> (Palgrave Macmillan 2018).

Reviews

"Jestice has presented a beautiful, concise book designed to enlighten . . . Pharaohs: The Rulers of Ancient Egypt for over 3000 Years has an engaging narrative for the beginner worthy of its extensive color illustrations."

-- Robert S Davis * New York Journal of Books *



Book Information
ISBN 9781838863166
Author Dr Phyllis G Jestice
Format Hardback
Page Count 224
Imprint Amber Books
Publisher Amber Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 865g
Dimensions(mm) 250mm * 192mm * 20mm