Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt
Product ID: 285893
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From stories of resurrected mummies and thousand-year-old curses to powerful pharaohs and the coveted treasures of the Great Pyramids, ancient Egypt has had an unfaltering grip on the modern imagination. Now, in Egyptian Mythology , Geraldine Pinch offers a comprehensive introduction that untangles the mystery of Egyptian Myth. Spanning Ancient Egyptian culture--from 3200 BC to AD 400--Pinch opens a door to this hidden world and casts light on its often misunderstood belief system. She discusses the nature of myths and the history of Egypt, from the predynastic to the postpharaonic period. She explains how Egyptian culture developed around the flooding of the Nile, or the "inundation," a phenomenon on which the whole welfare of the country depended, and how aspects of the inundation were personified as deities. She explains that the usually cloudless skies made for a preoccupation with the stars and planets. Indeed, much early Egyptian mythology may have developed to explain the movement of these celestial bodies. She provides a timeline covering the seven stages in the mythical history of Egypt and outlining the major events of each stage, such as the reign of the sun God. A substantial A to Z section covers the principal themes and concepts of Egyptian mythology as well as the most important deities, demons, and other characters. For anyone who wants to know about Anubis, the terrifying canine god who presided over the mummification of bodies and guarded burials, or Hathor, the golden goddess who helped women to give birth and the dead to be reborn, or an explanation of the nun , the primeval ocean from which all life came, Egyptian Mythology is the place to look.
| Dimensions | 6.06 x 0.72 x 9.06 inches |
| Edition | 1st |
| Isbn 10 | 0195170245 |
| Isbn 13 | 978-0195170245 |
| Item Weight | 12.8 ounces |
| Language | English |
| Print Length | 272 pages |
| Publication Date | April 8, 2004 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
User
Quick run-through for a good intro
Text clarifies approach succinctly to the topic and does a good whip-through in an understandable manner of presented layout and purpose to the reader. The sources used and how they are presented following each section was beneficial to my reading preferences and provided a thorough list of what else to inspect for additional topics. Author does well when presented comparative summaries of other works, as some information may differ or compete against each other regarding the same topic. Definitely a worthwhile source for anyone looking to understand theme behind different perspectives of Ancient Egyptian god hierarchy. “Guide” suits the title well, as well as the presentation of structure of myths.
User
An easy-to-read introduction to Egyptian mythology
I enjoy this book very much. My knowledge to Egyptian mythology only limited to Mummy the movie and this book fills my childhood gap for the mystery of the book of the dead and the Imhotep story
User
A great introduction to ancient Egyptian culture.
I like the observation flow of the information. A foundation book of Egyptian thought in any one's library. Affordable and hands on.
User
Read this first
First of all, this book is not a comprehensive reference for all of the known 1,500 or so gods and goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Nor is it a coffee-table book of gorgeous glossy images of art and architecture. It is a superb, well-thought-out overview of the mythology that is pitched in the ground between the written-for-children books (most books on the subject on Amazon) and books written for someone already in a graduate program in the subject. I wish I had read this first.
User
Egyptian religious belief
For most the subject of Egyptian beliefs expressed in the daily lives of the peoples often can be bewildering. The multiplicity of gods can cause confusion. This helps to give aid in understanding the main stories. Stories converge in synchonistic ways and blend. Most promoninent are the solar deities which get connected to the sun-god Ra. Ra often becomes somehow central to all the religious beliefs. Even Osiris is associated as he is reckoned as the successor of Ra but in the neverending cycles of nature and human life. For the Egyptians nothing was a beautiful as life and they could not see that it ever could end just as the cycles of the day,lunar month, and year cycle and seem never to end, yet human life did, or did it.You get the fregments of beliefs put together that the Egyptians knew but never left he specific tale so we have references and outside sources the fill in the religious literature of the Egyptian world view here in this book. Complexity is simplified for the commone person and understandable.
User
Actually not a story, but an introduction to the Gods and Goddesses of the Ancient World around Egypt.
Actually this is more a book on who the God and Goddesses of Ancient were. Some chapters told about how the gods and the cults evolved, but mainly it lists the major gods and goddesses of Egypt and their surrounding neighbors and where they came from and by the many names they were known by. It was well-written, with excellent pictures, and the author is an expert in her field, with field work behind her. It was fascinating to try and keep all the deities clear in my mind. I will be looking for more on all the deities of the area.
User
Great condition and very fast delivery.
Completely satisfied with this purchase. Arrived very quickly and in excellent condition. Price was more than fair ( best price found anywhere) and I love the guarantee from Amazon that covers most purchases. This guarantee is better that the big box stores like Walmart. I have shopped at Amazon for over twenty-five years and have had to return a small handful of items.
User
Love this book
I thought because the book seeing repetitive that the information would be lost. But I like the layout of the book and the wealth of information especially with beginning to do Egyptian research this book is a wealth of knowledge. I would have liked a little more information but the references that the book provides in itself is invaluable. Really love this book haven't finished part 3 yet but can't wait to.
User
Book.
Good product.
User
the best
i love it the best book to understand the mythology.
User
Speravo meglio
Diciamo che se hai il volume di Hornung quello di Meeks e quello di Quirke, questo è decisamente superfluo. A livello di dizionario delle divinità è piuttosto scarno, a livello di spiegazione dei temi religioso non dice molto di diverso da manuali più seri, a livello di fonti lascia desiderare. L'autrice dovrebbe imparare a mettere più fonti, perché per chi come me studia queste cose a livello accademico, senza le fonti dirette, che l'hai detto tu, è irrilevante. Deve imparare a dire in che stele papiro tempio ecc le informazioni sono state trovate
User
Superb
Very informative book!
User
Ancient Myths of Egypt
An excellent read if you like ancient Egypt. Full of information. Ideal gift for those who love Egypt. Read if you enjoy a good read about ancient history.
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