The First Pharaohs
Their Lives and Afterlives
Aidan Dodson author Aidan Dodson editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:American University in Cairo Press
Published:26th Oct '21
Should be back in stock very soon
A richly illustrated account of the rulers of the first three dynasties of the ancient Egyptian civilization by renowned Egyptologist Aidan Dodson
A richly illustrated account of the rulers of the first three dynasties of the ancient Egyptian civilization, written by renowned Egyptologist Aidan Dodson
The five centuries that followed the unification of Egypt around 3100 BC—the first three dynasties—were crucial in the evolution of the Egyptian state. During this time all the key elements of the civilization that would endure for three millennia were put in place, centered on the semidivine king himself. The First Pharaohs: Their Lives and Afterlives looks at what we know about the two-dozen kings (and one queen-regent) who ruled Egypt during this formative era, from the scanty evidence for the events of their reigns, through to their surviving monuments. It also considers how they were remembered under their successors, when some of the earliest kings’ names were attributed to allegedly ancient ideas and events, and the ways in which some of their monuments became tourist attractions or were even wholly repurposed.
Aidan Dodson recounts how two centuries of modern scholarship have allowed these rulers to emerge from an oblivion so total that some archaeologists had come to doubt their very existence outside the works of ancient chroniclers. Then, within a decade at the end of the nineteenth century, archaeological discoveries revealed a whole series of tombs and other monuments that not only confirmed these rulers’ existence, but also showcased the skills of Egyptian craftsmen at the dawn of history.
"A comprehensive, well-written, and profusely illustrated survey of what is known about the pharaohs of the first three dynasties of ancient Egypt . . . Recommended"—CHOICE
"Aidan Dodson is steadily building up quite a library of well-presented coffee table books (his Lives and Afterlives series) aimed at the general reader, each focusing on a specific pharaoh. While this is possible for New Kingdom rulers, we of course know far less about the earliest kings of Egypt. So this latest volume covers the monarchs of the first three dynasties, but within the same framework, detailing their lives and monuments, their immediate legacy and their afterlives in modern times. "—Ancient Egypt Magazine
"Richly illustrated. . . . offers an overview and good pictures of many monuments."—Bibliotheca Orientalis
PRAISE FOR TUTANKHAMUN, KING OF EGYPT:
"Dodson’s historical work is ever reliable, and this volume of Tutankhamun is no exception."—Kara Cooney, When Women Ruled the World
"By far the best book on Tutankhamun on the market."—Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Cardiff University
PRAISE FOR NEFERTITI, QUEEN AND PHARAOH OF EGYPT:
"The most objective and well-balanced summation of her career to date."—Morris Bierbrier, Egyptian Archaeology
"Writing an overview of Nefertiti's life and times is essentially an impossible task. . . Only a few people are up to this task, and thank Heavens that one of them is Aidan Dodson. Bravo!! Buy this book." —Stephen Harvey, Ahmose and Tetisheri Project
"Recommended."—CHOICE
"Dodson goes beyond prior scholarship by meticulously chronicling her life and offering up new theories about her origins and significance."—AramcoWorld
ISBN: 9781649030931
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
224 pages