Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Great Courses (1999), 24 hours, 48 lectures, 172 pages
Description
A survey of the 3,000 years of Egyptian history from prehistoric times to the death of Cleopatra.
User reviews
LibraryThing member jpsnow
Forty-eight thoroughly enjoyable lectures kept me occupied for a month during my daily commute. I really like Brier's approach, relying generally on the chronology of pharoah's over 3000 years, with occasional diversions to cover such topics as mummification and archaeological digs. I also like
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that he emphasizes people and trends over dates, almost to the exclusion of dates entirely. This is my kind of history. Show Less
LibraryThing member datrappert
This is an incredible course, despite being about 20 years old. Brier doesn't change his outfit for 48 lectures, which must be a record for the Great Courses. His enthusiasm for and knowledge of all things ancient Egyptian is immediately engaging. His delivery is smooth with lots of ingratiating
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mannerisms. This is the type of teacher we all dream of having. The course isn't too fancy--there are some nice pictures from time to time illustrating the places, people, and things Brier is talking about, but there are no fancy graphics or video effects (some of which really aren't helpful in newer Great Courses). The only issue I take with Brier is his insistence about all the ancient Egyptian "firsts". I'm sure most of these are correct, and certainly correct in comparison with other Western or Middle Eastern cultures, but there was a lot going on in China, for instance, that Brier doesn't acknowledge or take into account. In any case, these 48 lectures will never leave your bored. And in the last lecture, he even talks about mummy movies! Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
172 p.; 9 inches
ISBN
1565853334 / 9781565853331
Local notes
[1] Introduction [2] Prehistoric Egypt [3] Ancient Egyptian thought [4] Napoleon and the beginnings of Egyptology [5] The Rosetta Stone, and much more [6] The first nation in history [7] The rise of the Old Kingdom [8] Sneferu, the pyramid builder [9] The Great Pyramid of Giza [10] The end of the Old Kingdom [11] The First Intermediate Period [12] The Middle Kingdom: Dynasty XI [13] The Middle Kingdom: Dynasty XII [14] The Second Intermediate Period [15] Joseph in Egypt [16] The beginning of the New Kingdom: the fabulous XVIIIth Dynasty [17] Queen Hatshepsut [18] Obelisks [19] Tuthmosis III: King at last [20] The fabulous XVIIIth Dynasty rolls on [21] Akhenaten the heretic pharaoh [22] Discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb [23] Murder of Tutankhamen: a theory [24] Medicine: the necessary art [25] End of Dynasty XVIII [26] Mummification: how we know what we know [27] What mummies tell us [28] Making a modern mummy [29] Dynasty XIX begins [30] Ramses the Great: the early years [31] Ramses the Great: the later years [32] The Exodus: did it happen? [33] Decline of Dynasty XIX [34] Dynasty XX: the decline continues [35] Ancient Egyptian magic [36] Dynasty XXI: Egypt divided [37] Dynasty XXII: Egypt united [38] Dynasty XXV: the Nubians have their day [39] Dynasty XXVI: the Saite period [40] Dynasty XXVII: the Persians [41] Dynasties XXVIII to XXXI: the beginning of the end [42] Alexander the Great [43] The first Ptolemies [44] The middle Ptolemies: the decline [45] Animal mummies [46] Cleopatra's family [47] Cleopatra: the last Ptolemy [48] The grand finale