The Material World of Ancient Egypt
Cambridge University Press, 8/12/2013
EAN 9780521886161, ISBN10: 0521886163
Hardcover, 228 pages, 26.1 x 18.2 x 1.5 cm
Language: English
The Material World of Ancient Egypt examines the objects and artifacts, the representations in art, and the examples of documentation that together reveal the day-to-day physical substance of life in ancient Egypt. This book investigates how people dressed, what they ate, the houses they built, the games they played, and the tools they used, among many other aspects of daily life, paying great attention to the change and development of each area within the conservative Egyptian society. More than any other ancient civilization, the ancient Egyptians have left us with a wealth of evidence about their daily lives in the form of perishable objects, from leather sandals to feather fans, detailed depictions of trades and crafts on the walls of tombs, and a wide range of documentary evidence from temple inventories to personal laundry lists. Drawing on these diverse sources and richly illustrating his account with nearly one hundred images, William H. Peck illuminates the culture of the ancient Egyptians from the standpoint of the basic materials they employed to make life possible and perhaps even enjoyable.
1. Geography and geology
the land
2. Brief outline of Egyptian history
3. Study of the material world of ancient Egypt
4. Dress and personal adornment
5. Housing and furniture
6. Food and drink
7. Hygiene and medicine
8. Containers of clay and stone
9. Tools and weapons
10. Basketry, rope, matting
11. Faience and glass
12. Transportation
13. Sport and games.
'Peck's work is a badly needed up-to-date reference of daily life in ancient Egypt. The volume is sure to be welcomed by Egyptologists, classicists, anthropologists, and students of comparative cultures. The excellent selection of figures and diagrams adds tremendously to the value of the text.' Emily Teeter, Oriental Institute, University of Chicago
'[A]n invaluable, and at the same time a most enjoyable, treatment of the complex world of ancient Egyptian materiality. Here is everything you would want to know about the realities of life for the ancient Egyptians, and about the energy and creativity they deployed in order to provide basic necessities, seek well-being, and produce an elite culture of pyramids, temples and tombs, and the extraordinary range of art and artifacts associated with them.' David O'Connor, New York University
'William Peck has written a scholarly yet highly readable and broadly accessible account of the daily life of the ancient Egyptians, based primarily on the many objects found in excavations and shown in the wall paintings and reliefs of their tombs. I am sure it will not only appeal to the general reader, but will also serve as an attractive textbook for students.' Jacobus van Dijk, University of Groningen
'Material remains give us an unparalleled window into the reality of everyday life in ancient Egypt, and William Peck's book opens that window for modern readers.' James P. Allen, Brown University
'[T]he book … should be welcomed as a contribution toward securing Egyptology within its broader archaeological context.' The Ancient History Bulletin
'… [a] very comprehensive … work dealing with mundane aspect[s] of day-to-day life in ancient Egypt; it should prove very useful to Egyptologists and Egyptophiles alike.' Kmt: A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt