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The History of Ancient Egypt

By: Bob Brier,The Great Courses
Narrated by: Bob Brier
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Publisher's Summary

Ancient Egyptian civilization is so grand our minds sometimes have difficulty adjusting to it. It lasted 3,000 years, longer than any other on the planet. Its Great Pyramid of Cheops was the tallest building in the world until well into the 19th century and remains the only Ancient Wonder still standing. And it was the most technologically advanced of the ancient civilizations, with the medical knowledge that made Egyptian physicians the most famous in the world.

Yet even after deciphering its hieroglyphs, and marveling at its scarabs, mummies, obelisks, and sphinxes, Egyptian civilization remains one of history's most mysterious, as "other" as it is extraordinary. This chronological survey presents the complete history of ancient Egypt's three great Kingdoms: the Old Kingdom, when the pyramids were built and Egypt became a nation under the supreme rule of the pharaoh and the rules of Egyptian art were established; the Middle Kingdom, when Egypt was a nation fighting to restore its greatness; and the New Kingdom, when all the names we know today-Hatshepsut, Tutankhamen, Ramses the Great, Cleopatra, and others-first appeared. Professor Brier's 48 lectures glisten with the kind of vivid anecdotes and human glimpses that make this ancient world breathe again.

"The fun of history is in the details," he notes. "Knowing that Ramses the Great was crippled by arthritis for the last decade of his long life makes us more sympathetic to the boastful monarch who fathered more than 100 children. If we understand what it was like to be a miner sent to the turquoise mines in the Sinai mountains in the summer, we will feel a kinship with our long-dead counterparts."

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©1999 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)1999 The Great Courses

What listeners say about The History of Ancient Egypt

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Amazing

Such an interesting series of lectures. The telling of history through stories makes it so engaging and I learned so much. Only distraction was the narrator’s inability to pronounce the letter H - YUGE!

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5 people found this helpful

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Great, well worth it

It's well worth it, but honestly I felt like it went too fast and didn't cover enough detail. But the course was still 48 episodes of great information! It's just Egyptian history is so long.
This is the book to read to get a map of Ancient Egypt in your head. It's an intro, and you could spend another 6 episodes on each episode in the course.

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4 people found this helpful

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Fascinating subject but...

Bob Brier certainly brings a lot of enthusiasm to the subject. However at times his style of constant repetition is hard to listen to. Combine this with a number of biases he displays and some really tortured logic and specious conclusions.
That aside there is still a lot to learn if you can last the pace.

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2 people found this helpful

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incredibly interesting and fascinating

I found myself coming back to this every evening before sleeping to wind down. the lecturer is very knowledgeable and great at presenting the Egyptian history in a way that makes sense and left me wanting more. might just listen to it all again.
if you're interested definitely pick this up.

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Captivating

Bob creates a perfect mix of facts and story telling that keeps you wanting more. He has a special talent for narrating and his passion is very addictive. The book is perfectly laid out and split into manageable chapters. I'm having a great experience.

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The style of the lecturer is repetitive, annoying.

I found this too slow moving and, coupled with the lecturer's repetitive style, just not worth the time; I gave up after three tries. The subject is fascinating, however, and I will look for another source.

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Out of date and taught with bias

Many of the facts taught in this course are very out of date. The teacher also displays a clear bias when drawing links between Ancient Egypt and Christianity. He also rarely references dates, so it is hard to place the dynasties he is talking about in the context of world history. The repetitive style of speaking also got annoying after a while.

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Fantastic study of Ancient Egypt

Excellent overview of ancient Egyptian history, engaging presenter and fascinating topics. Also has course notes to further investigate specific areas of interest.

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Great broad history of Egypt

Couldn’t stop listening to this. Throughly enjoyed the entire book. The lecturer does a fantastic job of guiding you through the history.

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Love

This is the best Egypt book u will find
I recommend this to anyone who loves Egypt or is starting to get interested, for me it was the 2nd, and it got me right in.

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