On Egypt - My reading recommendations

I recently wondered as to when my fascination with ancient Egypt began. Was it after reading the 3 chapters of my Grade 5 history textbook, The Ancient World - An illustrated history, or was it after reading the comic TinTin: Cigars of the pharaohs? Its no surprise nor strange that my young impressionable self was drawn to anything related to ancient Egypt. A more pointed introspection would be to determine what in particular captures and, more importantly, holds my attention. Is it the ancient Egyptians’ deep obsession over death and the customs and practices surrounding the mummification process? Is it the colossal pyramids, the sphinx, obelisks, and temples? Is it the art, language and and the written hieroglyphics on the tomb and temple walls? Is it the grandeur of the pharoahs from the old, middle and new kingdoms? Is it the religion and the colorful gods? Is it Akhenaten, the heretic pharaoh, in particular and his hand in planting the seeds of monotheism? Is it the powerful women who ruled Egypt - Sobekneferu, Nefertiti, Hatshepsut etc.? Or is it something more recent - Shakespeare’s stories on Cleopatra or Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankamon’s tomb?

The obvious answer will probably be some combination of all of the above. Regardless of how the magic began, if you are wondering of getting a bit more serious in Egyptology then this blog post is for you. Read on.

My goal was to put together a concise reading list, which, if completed would give you a fairly decent knowledge on this topic without, hopefully, putting you through an experience that is equivalent to a boring university course. I have divided the reading list into four sections: A comprehensive and chronological history of ancient Egypt and the region, a pre travel must read, Language and finally the fun stuff - Fiction and comics with an Egyptian setting.

History and culture

If you decide to test the waters first to see to determine if you want to invest more time on ancient Egypt then this audible course from Prof. Bob Brier would be an excellent starting point. I cannot recommend the course enough. This delivery is captivating and more sermon like. Talking of sermons, Prof. Brier also has a few lectures on topics that covers the Egyptian’s contributions to our modern monotheistic religions, engineering and other modern day to day practices.

This course has 48 lectures with a runtime of more than 24 hours. Brier delivers a pretty comprehensive rundown of nearly 3000 years of history covering the three kingdoms - Old, middle and new. There’s enough anecdotes, did-you-knows to keep you hooked as if listening to a good storyteller while sitting around a camp fire.

If not for anything else, listen to Brier just to know how being so passionate towards your field of interest and expertise feels like.

Toby Wilkinson is a renowned Egyptologist who has written extensively on the topic and on archeological findings. This book is his most significant contribution to the field.

The book should be considered as a text book and reference on the subject and therefore, I recommend the read only to those who want to invest some time in studying history. The book does have a gentle flow to it but the sheer details and topics covered make necessary an investment of several hours.

This book is a must on the shelf and be prepared to regularly reach out for it for reference.

Elizabeth Peters (Barbara Mertz) is a writer and holds a doctorate in Egyptology. She has written several fiction that are set in Egypt, mostly similar to Agatha Christie’s mystery. Her main character is a Victorian woman named Amelia Peobody. This book, though, is more of a companion to her series of fiction, and includes pictures of characters and places that appear in her work.. I have included this book in this list mostly because it acts an excellent pictorial guide to places and names which you will read about in books related to Egyptology. I found the pictures, in particular, to be of great help to visualize events and people. Barbara also walks you through what Egypt - Cairo, tombs, temples etc. looked like a 100 years ago.

This book is also Barbara’s last book and what a fitting celebration to the life and work of Amelia Peabody.

Travel

Another great work by Toby Wilkinson. We follow Toby as he travels from the upper Nile till the river reaches the Mediterranean. Its a must read for anyone who wants to travel to Egypt with Toby acting as a virtual tour guide. He suggests both famous and lesser known pit-stops for a fellow traveller if one is to take a dahabiya ride down the Nile.

When there comes a day when I make my dream trip to Egypt, this book will be in my backpack.

Language

Hieroglyphs are pictures used as signs in writing that were used by the ancient Egyptians. Knowledge to read and understand these pictures would prove helpful to a fellow traveler who visits the tombs and temples in Egypt and for those who visit the Egyptian section of museums around the world. Of course, this is only recommended for those who are truly into studying Egyptology.

This book is a good text book to kick start the learning process to read Hieroglyphics and get you prepared to impress your travel companions and even your tour guides by starting to reading off the temple walls or sarcophagi.

Fiction and Comics

Now for the fun stuff..

For kids, light readers and for the uninitiated, this TinTin comic would get my highest recommendation. Herge and the animators of this comic deserve my appreciation for getting me deep into Egyptology.

Elizabeth Peters (Barbara Mertz) features again in this list. The the Amelia Peabody series is set in the late 1800s and has a Agatha Christie feel. These book is recommended if you are into adventure mysteries.

Wilbur Smith’s Egyptian series follows the life of Taita, a brilliantly smart and shrewd slave who lived during the times when the pharaohs ruled Egypt. The series, though not historically accurate, provides a peek into life in Egypt thousands of years ago. The books are quite entertaining and I recommend that you pick these up from your neighborhood library or from a second hand store for a bed time read. This series is also suitable for teenagers and young adults.