
Pyramids and People in Ancient Egypt
Joyce Filer(Author)
British Museum Press
Published on 7. November 2005
Book
Hardback
48 pages
978-0-7141-3102-3 (ISBN)
Description
The pyramids of Egypt are famous around the world and have captivated visitors and scholars for centuries. These silent, brooding monuments have a great deal to tell us about the world of the ancient Egyptians some four thousand years ago, and the pyramids still inspire architects and builders today. This book tells the story of the pyramids from their earliest beginnings. These monuments developed from the first 'step' pyramid, to the amazing Great Pyramid of Giza. Unlike most books on the subject, this volume describes not only the pyramids themselves but the whole complex of temples and walls that surrounded every one, and the stories of the kings and builders who created them. Joyce Filer follows the story of pyramids through a study of six individual sites, each with something different to tell us about the construction of the pyramid complexes, the architects who designed them, the workers who built them, the kings who were buried in them, and the robbers who plundered them.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
80 colour and 10 b/w illustrations
Weight
300 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7141-3102-3 (9780714131023)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Joyce Filer is an Egyptologist and a specialist in human remains. She was a Special Assistant in the Dept of Ancient Egypt and Sudan in the British Museum for 13 years and is the author of The Mystery of the Egyptian Mummy (BMP 2003).
Content
1. Introduction, timeline and map; 2. Before the pyramids: The house-shaped 'mastaba' tombs; 3. Egypt's earliest pyramid: the Step Pyramid at Saqqara; 4. The first true pyramids: The Red Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid; 5. The Pyramids at Giza: the pyramid complex: temples and other buildings; the kings who built the pyramids. New information about the workers and their tombs at Giza; 6. Pyramid of Unas at Saqqara: Pyramid texts: religion and writing; tomb robbers; 7. The end of the great era of pyramid-building: Middle Kingdom pyramids and the labyrinth; 8. Non-royal pyramids: The tombs of the workers at Deir el-Medina; 9. Pyramids outside Egypt (Mexico, Mesopotamia); 10. Pyramids forever: Modern structures based on pyramids, e.g. Louvre Museum; 11. How to build a pyramid; Further reading; Index.