The Penguin Book of Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt

Description

'As panoramic a survey as one could hope to read' Observer 'This readable anthology is a good introduction to a civilization that fascinates like few others ... in this book there are animals who talk, princesses who are locked up at the top of towers, wicked stepmothers and many other themes ... An enjoyable book by a skilled author' Financial Times The civilization we know as Ancient Egypt stretched over three thousand years. What was life like for ancient Egyptians? What were their beliefs - and how different were they from ours? Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt uses Egypt's vivid narratives to create a panorama of its history, from the earliest settlers to the time of Cleopatra. Gathered from pyramid texts, archaeological finds and contemporary documents, these stories cover everything from why the Nile flooded annually to Egyptian beliefs about childbirth and what happened after death. They show us what life was really like for rich and poor, man and woman, farmer and pharaoh. Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt brings a long-dead culture back to life.

Archaeologist and historian, Joyce Tyldesley has written many successful books about ancient Egypt, including acclaimed biographies of Rameses the Great and Cleopatra (a Radio 4 Book of the Week), and Egypt- How a Lost Civilization was Rediscovered, which accompanied a major BBC television series. She teaches Egyptology at Manchester University and is an Honorary Fellow of Liverpool University. She lives in Bolton, Lancashire.

Tyldesley, by painstakingly analysing the myths and therefore the beliefs, of the ancient population, endeavours to get under the skin of Egyptian life ... befuddling myth-stories are clarified -- Bettany Hughes * The Times * Required reading for Egypt's imaginative tour guides * The Sunday Times * her great strength is her story-telling * Sunday Telegraph *