Genesis of the Pharaohs

This interesting -- but not especially "dramatic" -- history by a Cambridge Egyptologist is a prime example of the sins of jacket-copy writers. Because the author, a thoroughgoing academic, actually has nothing whatever to say about refugees from Atlantis or space-aliens, beyond dismissing them as twaddle. There has always been contention between "nativists" and "diffusionists," no matter which ancient civilization is under discussion, including the Sumerians and the earliest Egyptians, and the arguments on each side can be fascinating. Wilkinson argues that the first kings of the Nile Valley some 6,000 years ago were not, in fact, produced by the local culture in the Delta but by interlopers from the desert between the Nile and the Red Sea -- which is not actually a new idea, either. However, he ties his theory convincingly to a series of petroglyphic monuments, first discovered by Arthur Weigall (a student of Flinders Petrie) in the early years of the last century, and later studied and photographed by Hans Winkler in the late 1930s. The sites are still there, relatively undisturbed because of the remoteness of the protected wadis in which they were carved (Winkler's chalking is still visible), and Wilkinson's task for nearly a decade has been to publicize them, to bring them to the attention of modern academics as well as the educated public. The parallels between the rock art and classical tomb art in the Valley of the Kings is remarkable. Both feature gods traveling by boat, both depict deities in twin-plumed headdresses. Moreover, the crook and flail -- the canonical accoutrement of the pharaohs -- were herdsmen's tools from the eastern lands (which had not yet become desert), not agricultural implements from the Delta. The author strives for a popular style but, given the technical subject matter, he doesn't always succeed. Still, it's a well-written treatment of a very interesting subject. Just ignore the jacket copy.

When I first saw this book, I thought it was a pseudo-scientific, sensationalist book written by some Velikovskian. Its title and cover certainly conveys that impression. Indeed, it might be quite deliberate. Toby Wilkinson presumably wants to reach out to those who mostly read "alternative" books about ancient Egypt. In reality, the book is solid science. What makes the book interesting is that it refutes the idea that Egyptian civilization came from the outside, from the Middle East, read: not from Africans. This is known as the "Dynastic Race" theory. Recently, this theory has been popularized by pop musician-cume-maverick Egyptologist David Rohl. Wilkinson belongs to another faction within Egyptology, the one that has began to take the African roots of Egypt seriously. According to Wilkinson, many aspects of Pharaonic civilization existed, at least in embryo, already during the pre-Dynastic period in Upper(southern) Egypt. Tribal rulers were burried in small, pyramid-shaped mounds. The boat and the cow were important religious symbols. We know from other studies that the Afro-asiatic ("Semito-Hamitic") languages originated in Ethiopia. This all points to an essentially African origin of Egyptian civilization. There is a continuity between the pastoralists roaming the Sahara, pre-Dynastic culture proper, and Dynastic culture. Mesopotamia had nothing to do with it. Will Wilkinson's ideas stand further scientific scrutiny? True, archeology is by its very nature an inexact science. But personally, I believe he and others like him are on the right track. Ancient Egypt might indeed have been "a Black thing".

Ever since Herodotus wrote that "Egypt is the gift of the Nile," people have focused on the river as the locus of Egyptian civilization. Lately that's changed, with amazing discoveries in the Western and Eastern deserts (which were actually grassy plains 6,000 years ago, when Egypt got started.)Wilkinson's book directs our attention to the former Eastern savannah, now a desert, between the Nile and the Red Sea. In pre-historic times there was enough rainfall to support grasses and game; the region was populated by semi-nomadic people who made a living from cattle herding and hunting. The early pastoralists migrated here annually from temporary settlements on the east bank of the Nile, taking advantage of unique resources available at different times of the year: fishing, farming, and clay (for making pottery) near the river, and minerals, game, and pasture for their flocks on the savannah. It is here, Wilkinson asserts, that we can find some of the earliest evidence for Pre-Dynastic Egyptian lifestyles, beliefs, imagery, political organization, and religion. Much of it comes from rock art, which was incised on the walls of rock shelters above the ancient stream beds. Petroglyphs show the wild and domesticated animals upon which the people's livelihood depended; scenes of the hunt; of herding; afterlife beliefs, most notably the funeral boat on which the deceased symbolically rode to the heavens; and gods with their distinctive feathered plumes.For those who love art history, it's especially gratifying to note the large part that iconographic analysis has played in establishing the probable origins of Egyptian civilization, and the lifestyle and beliefs of the earliest Egyptians.A fascinating and easy-to-read book, this will be enjoyed by just about everyone, from general reader to specialist, who is interested in prehistory, rock art and the origins of ancient Egypt.

For anyone interested in the origins of ancient Egyptian civilization, this is a superb book. The author does not succumb to sensationalism, but offers this latest theory based on dateable artifacts studied with standard and most recent scientifically-based archeological methods.This very readable book examines the predynastic evidence to support the theory that ancient Egypt's pharaonic civilization derived from indigenous semi-nomadic cultures about 7000-5000 years ago. Beginning with a survey of various archeological expeditions to Egypt's Eastern and Western deserts in search of prehistoric rock art, the book continues with a disussion of how rock art is dated, then sketches the cultures that produced the rock art and other predynastic artifacts. Finally, the possible meanings of the main motifs (animals forms, human forms, and boats) of the predynastic cultures are examined in light of how this symbology may be the origins of the ancient Egyptian royal and religious iconography of dynastic times.The author's style is not dry but rather unfolds as a story that draws in the reader. No knowledge of archeology or of ancient Egypt, either dynastic or predynastic, is assumed. The maps, chart, figures, and numerous high-quality full-color plates assist learning and make the book delightfully self-contained.The author makes it clear that this field is in its infancy and with the questions posed and the included bibliography invites the serious student and the scholar/researcher to further investigation, whether in the literature or in the field.