Incomprehensibly complete

I once had the opportunity to listen to this series, and I did so twice. Now the opportunity to own it on Audible has put tears in my eyes, literally tears in my eyes. This series won't make you an Egyptologist, but you will know so much by the end of it that the uninitiated might mistake you for one. I once visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a friend and when we hit the Egypt section I turned into a tour guide. After explaining how the Temple of Dendur ended up in New York, I turned and drew her attention to the interesting art style of the Amarna panels, and at this point she stopped me and asked, "How do you know all this?" This is how I know all this. I once held a group of people around a campfire in Eastern Washington spellbound for an hour as spoke on what we owed to the Egyptians, the basic ways of thinking and acting that we owe to them. I'm serious... spellbound (it helped that everyone was a bit intoxicated.)

This series will make you interesting. They might as well stick a guarantee on it.

Just to give you an idea... there's a half hour on mummified animals. Mummified ANIMALS. There's already about two solid hours on human mummies, but Brier feels that to be complete you need to know about the animals as well. If you are thinking, "How am I going to get through thirty minutes on dried up animals, let alone 24 solid hours on Egypt?" let me assure you, it will be over before you know it and before you want it to be. I've listened to a lot of Teaching Company lectures in my time, and while they never have anyone truly boring you often are reminded that these people are all university professors. But Brier's delivery is almost mesmerizing, his enthusiasm for the subject positively boyish. This series will never require your patience.

There may be special interest to those with an interest in Biblical history, whether you are Christian or otherwise. Whenever you reach a point where Biblical history intersects with Egyptian, Brier will stop and discuss it. There are several lectures devoted exclusively to the topic. I'll lay it out: Brier is a historian and therefore does not regard the Bible stories as literal truths, but he treats them with true sympathy and interest. His conclusions really surprised me, especially regarding the Exodus. His speculations on Joseph are perhaps more of a stretch.

The one rather slight downside to the whole series is that Brier has some rather fanciful theories about the life and times... and death... of Tutankhamen, a lot of which have been, if I'm not mistaken, disproven in the years since this first came out and which anyway were never taken seriously in mainstream Egyptology. Speculating about the Bible is one thing, but Brier doesn't pretend it's anything but speculation. His Tutankhamen material is, despite disclaimers, told with the passion of a true believer, which makes it slightly tragic when you discover afterwards that some of the basic facts just aren't there. It makes for an interesting listen, at least.

Overall, this is a MUST PURCHASE. Everyone needs a pair of really good shoes, a couple of good jackets, and a lecture series on Ancient Egypt. Do not hesitate.

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322 people found this helpful

Captivating story of Kmt

Dr. Brier does an excellent job delivering this series of lectures -- they are a true pleasure to listen to. If you're shopping for your next Great Courses series and you're not immediately jazzed about ancient Egypt, after the first couple of lectures you will be, or at least I was. He keeps the narrative free from too much jargon while still packing in richly detailed descriptions. I also enjoyed the frequent anecdotes on the early Egyptologists and their contributions to the field.

Dr. Brier will bring up some details often enough to feel redundant, but to be fair, I will probably never forget now that the Nile flows North and the winds blow South, making it trivial to navigate. However, my biggest gripe having only the audio available was his aversion to giving dates. I agree with him that the relative dating is more important, but if you're familiar with other Near Eastern ancient history, it makes it pretty difficult to align with other events in the Fertile Crescent. Not worth taking any stars off though, it just means looking up some things in a reference as or after you listen.

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41 people found this helpful

Solidly Good Course on 3,000 Years of History

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This is a solidly good course. Covering 3,000 years of history in 48 lectures is not easy (some lectures covered 200 years of history: the entire length of the existence of the United States---Imagine doing that in 30 minutes!). The professor is an encyclopedia on the topic.

Because this is ancient history and not a lot is definitively known about the actual historical events of the time (be it political, religious, or military), more of the course is focused on the archaeological discoveries of artifacts and royal tombs as well as descriptions of the ancient structures and temples built than the recounting of actual historical events. But a lot of history is covered. I can't exactly put my finger on it but the professor’s style of recounting it didn't fully resonate with me. Maybe I expected more from a general storytelling theme perspective. Not sure I can articulate it well but it is hard for me to rate this higher than a 3.5 compared with other Great Courses.

Most of the course focused on the Pharaohs and not a lot of time spent on the everyday ancient Egyptian. This is neither a plus nor a minus but thought I'd call it out if you are looking for the latter!

Pluses:
• A chronological recounting of ancient Egyptian history from the earliest known humans to 30 BC
• The course provided insight into archaeology and it's tips and tricks on how to infer what the unearthed discoveries tell us about ancient civilizations and how history occurred (especially when no historical documents exist)
• Best lectures: 15 (assessing the authenticity of the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis in the Bible), 28 (How to make a mummy), 32 (assessing the authenticity of the story of the Exodus in the Bible), and 47 (Cleopatra)


Minuses:
• Hard to follow discussions on the architecture of the burial structures and the pyramids via audio (perhaps video would’ve made a difference)
• The professor rarely provided dates when explaining historical events or certain dynasties; While I’m sure dating would be difficult and speculative for much of the time period covered, it would’ve been nice to hear the commonly accepted view of scholars on when these events occurred or dynasties existed; Otherwise the discussion ends up sounding like an endless stream of Pharaohs and kings with no sense of placement in time

• While it would be unrealistic to expect the professor to cover every single Pharaoh, I was a tad disappointed that as far as I can remember he did not at least provide a total number of kings (for completeness sake) even though he discussed the list of Pharaohs found in certain ancient temples


Bottom line: I recommend this course to anyone interested in ancient history or even non history buffs who find themselves intrigued by ancient Egyptian society. You will especially find this course thrilling if archaeology is your passion.

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39 people found this helpful

Well spoken and informative introduction

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have been an audible customer for many years now with over 1000 books in my library but this is my first review. I write it because of another review of this book that I found to be completely off the mark. This course is an introduction and as such, it is basic history and background. With over 2,500 years worth of history to cover, it would be impossible to go into much detail. Having said this, Dr. Brier does an excellent job of making the history and culture come alive. His knowledge of,and passion for, the subject come through in vivid detail. The course touches on history, religion, culture and legacy of the oldest and longest lasting civilization on the planet, not an easy task for a single course.
The review which prompted this response stated that Dr. Brier seemed to talk down to his audience and pushed forward his own opinions too much. He did, but with reason. Dr. Brier is famous as the PBS star who's films have educated an entire generation about the wonders of Egypt. He is the world's foremost expert on the process of making mummies and is the only one in modern times to successfully reproduce an authentic mummified body. There is no one who better combines the expertise, knowledge, experience and showmanship then Dr. Brier. For basic overview and general knowledge this course is excellent, informative and enjoyable. If you desire more in depth knowledge, then a more specific title would be more valuable to you. If you like mummies, this course has more specific information then any other I have found.

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37 people found this helpful

So, so good.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

These lectures are incredible. I have done a few of the Great Courses series here on audible, and I am usually bored and a little lost by the last few lectures. I had the opposite experience with this one...I was actually more enthralled and intrigued as they went on, and I mourned the last lecture when it was over because I didn't want the story to end!! So much magic, intrigue, mystery and drama. I can't say enough good things about this. It was so good that I'm actually starting it over to listen to it again. I never knew I would be so into Egyptology, but really, what's not to like?? It's amazing!! Bob Brier does a wonderful job, he is fun to listen to, New York accent and all. Truly amazing stuff here.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cleopatra and Hatshepsut...girl power!! Snefru and Rameses the Great were awesome too! Really all the "characters" presented here are super interesting.

What about Professor Bob Brier’s performance did you like?

He seems really passionate about what he's taking about. He is never boring.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I constantly found myself saying "woooow" and "cooool" out loud while listening to these lectures on my headphones, eliciting some strange looks from my boyfriend.

Any additional comments?

Just listen, and become obsessed!! I did!!

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30 people found this helpful

Excellent Lecture Series

What made the experience of listening to The History of Ancient Egypt the most enjoyable?

The professor is engaging and a great story teller. He gives you all the information you could want without boring you. He does an excellent job of making you want to learn more about Ancient Egypt. I feel like I got an accurate portrayal of the psychology, religion, architecture, medicine, magic, technology, and sociology of the Ancient Egyptians.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely. I listened to to for hours at a time and never lost interest.

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26 people found this helpful

The Real Indiana Jones

When it comes to fantasy archeologists, no one comes close to Harrison Ford's 'Dr. Henry Walton 'Indiana' Jones, Jr. ("Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", 1994, and etc.). In real life, Egypt's former Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass has the fedora and matinee screen idol presence, but Great Courses Lecturer Bob Brier is the dashing adventurer and clever thinker.

When Brier talks about pyramids, temples and tombs, it's with the familiarity of someone who's been in them so many times, he knows all the secret hiding places, and maybe - just maybe - is making arrangements for a sarcophagus of his own. He dishes about pharaohs, families, feuds and fashion like Cleopatra wad a Kardashian sister. Ancient Egypt - especially during the reign of Rameses the Great felt real to me.

Brier starts with prehistoric Egypt and moves to Narmer, arguably the first Pharaoh around 3,000 BCE; and moves to the last dynasty, which ended almost at the same time Jesus was born. There are separate chapters on the Rosetta Stone and hieroglyphs; Biblical Egyptian history; and mummification. Brier's an expert on that - he made a mummy in 1994. That's in this Great Courses "The History of Ancient Egypt".

48 lectures sounds like a lot (pun intended!) but that's 3000 years and the start of organized civilization and recorded history.

Brier's really enthusiastic about Egyptology, and it's easy to imagine him animatedly lecturing in front of a college classroom. He does have a heavy New York accent, but he's so thrilled with what he's teaching, I forgot about that. Unfortunately, he does have a verbal tic that I noticed eventually - he uses the word 'right' as a bridge. Better than 'like', I guess. I probably wouldn't have noticed it if I listened to it like most Great Courses - one lecture a day, on the way home from work. I was so interested in this one, I finished the whole course in 3 1/2 weeks.

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22 people found this helpful

Vast History of Ancient Egypt Made Manageable

What did you love best about The History of Ancient Egypt?

I used to think that the history of Ancient Egypt was as overwhelming and daunting as a trek across the desert. Professor Brier takes the listener step by step and breaks it down into manageable sections, like a traveler going from oasis to oasis, with time for review and reflection between segments. He also tells some great campfire stories about colorful Egyptologists in history, his own experiences in Egypt, and his work on creating a modern mummy.

What other book might you compare The History of Ancient Egypt to and why?

Bob Brier does a lot of television documentaries, and he's just the same in his lectures. He gives his own theories about historical events, as well as theories by others, and lets the listener decide.

Which scene was your favorite?

I enjoyed his lectures about Egyptians referenced in the Hebrew Bible/ Old Testament. Specifically, Joseph and Moses.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The lecture about how he created a modern mummy was kind of gross, but so interesting that I listened to it more than once!

Any additional comments?

I'm not sure if this is because he's from New York, but he talks about the ancient Egyptians in the way someone would talk about people in their neighborhood or their extended family. For example, he called Pharaoh Snefru a great builder, but also a bit of a nerd. He loves the Ancient Egyptians so much that he tries to present as complete portrait as he can: the good, the bad, and the quirky.

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20 people found this helpful

A Not Quite History

I have to say that I have been greatly disappointed in this series. I assumed going in that I would get a comprehensive history of ancient Egypt with at least a degree of scholarly depth, but overall, the lectures are devoid of what I’d call “useful material.” Indeed, I don’t know that I’ve learned anything I couldn’t have easily picked up by reading the wiki page (Brier’s personal anecdotes aside), which to me seems to decrease the value of these lectures as a “history of Ancient Egypt.” Mind you, Brier is noticeably enthusiastic about his subject; indeed, it’s clear from his voice and anecdotes that he absolutely loves ancient Egypt. Yet, that enthusiasm, for me, doesn’t translate to a history of an entire culture.

As a so-called history, much of the lecture series begins by outright discarding the things you’d expect from a history: dates are discarded from the start and generally ignored throughout (except when modern Egyptology is thrown in); almost all of the historical discussion relies on who built what and what made that building different from another; and little is really told to us about the relationship between the ancient Egyptians, the world around them (setting aside loose discussions about religion and culture, who married who, etc.), and their neighbors (except to tell us who they liked to fight). The more I listened to these lectures, the more frustrated I became. To me, it felt like I were listening to something recorded for middle school, not a general adult audience. Brier repeatedly wanders into tangents — especially ones set in modern times — and avoids telling us anything of substance about almost anything. He even has entire lectures about modern Egyptology discories, which, in my view, are not a “history of ancient Egypt” at all. If you want to know how the pyramids and obelisks were built or what Egyptologists discovered, then you’ll find plenty of general information here, but if you come in expecting a comprehensive history of ancient Egypt, you’ll probably end up where I am: frustrated.

Yet, Brier’s greatest offense throughout the series is his endless reliance on speculation and guesswork. Over and over, Brier offers his hypotheses for all manner of things, at times even asserting, tongue-in-cheek, that his hypotheses are right, but little real evidence is given to substantiate any of these or the hypotheses of others that he puts on offer; certainly, Brier doesn’t give us the kind of detail we’d need to find most of these hypotheses convincing, this despite Brier having written an entire book arguing that a pharaoh was, in fact, murdered.

All of these “issues” led me to begin to question myself. Perhaps we just don’t know a whole lot of anything about the ancient Egyptians. Maybe Brier’s lectures are basically *it.* This led me to reach out to a colleague who, while not an Egyptologist proper, has made a career studying ancient cultures. The more we talked, the more I realized that my high standards are not the problem: these are just not properly packaged lectures. If anything, this entire series should be repackaged as “An Egyptologist’s Guide to Pharaohs, the Things They Built, and the Discoveries We Made.” As a history, it falls abysmally flat. As a popular, mostly chronological wandering through the major figures, construction projects, and discoveries, it, I suppose, fits the bill. But that’s just not what I expect from 48 lectures on an ancient culture about which we certainly know considerably more than presented.

So, if what you want is “An Egyptologist’s Guide to Pharaohs, the Things They Built, and the Discoveries We Made,” then pick up this lecture series. If you want a more in-depth history of ancient Egypt, I’m afraid you’ll need to skip this series and read a 500+ book instead.

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14 people found this helpful

So well taught! So interesting!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would recommend this to anyone who has even a passing interest in the topic.

What other book might you compare The History of Ancient Egypt to and why?

This is a series of lectures. I have listened to several such programs. This one is so far my favorite.

Have you listened to any of Professor Bob Brier’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have heard nothing else by Mr. Brier. I would however like to.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The lecturer did an amazing job keeping this interesting. It is broken into half hour lectures and each one was a joy to experience.

Any additional comments?

If you are like I was and you keep looking at the Great Lectures wondering if you might enjoy them then this is the perfect place to start.

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14 people found this helpful