Annales Du Service Des Antiquites de L'Egypte Reviews

2012 American Publishers (PROSE) Awards winner for Best Archaeology & Anthropology Book

For most of the modern world, ancient Nubia seems an unknown and enigmatic land. Only a handful of archaeologists have studied its history or unearthed the Nubian cities, temples, and cemeteries that once dotted the landscape of southern Egypt and northern Sudan. Nubia’s remote setting in the midst of an inhospitable desert, with access by river blocked by impassable rapids, has lent it not only an air of mystery, but also isolated it from exploration. Over the past century, particularly during this last generation, scholars have begun to focus more attention on the fascinating cultures of ancient Nubia, ironically prompted by the construction of large dams that have flooded vast tracts of the ancient land. This book attempts to document some of what has recently been discovered about ancient Nubia, with its remarkable history, architecture, and culture, and thereby to give us a picture of this rich, but unfamiliar, African legacy.

What do the enigmatic images on ancient Egyptian artifacts mean? What royal names adorn the walls of some of the world’s oldest temples? What kind of lives did the people buried in the ancient tombs lead? The keys to unlock this fascinating civilization lie within the glyphs of its sacred language. Appearing a little before 3,000 BC, Egyptian hieroglyphs were used for thousands of years to write names, label commodities, commemorate historical events, and convey complex stories. This definitive educational tool provides a systematic, step-by-step approach to learning ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, complete with fun and increasingly challenging exercises and easy-to-reference sign and word lists. By the end of chapter one, readers will begin to decipher simple inscriptions; after completing the entire book, they will be ready to tackle tomb and temple walls. While learning to decipher the language of the ancient Egyptians, readers will also learn about their history, social structure, and funerary beliefs. An invaluable resource, this book will appeal to amateur Egyptologists, as well as those looking to enhance their museum-going and travel experiences.