What Life Was Like on the Banks of the Nile: Egypt, 3050-30 BC

THIS IS A GOOD BOOK ON ANCIENT EGYPTIAN HISTORY WITH VERY GOOD PICTURES! KIDS & ADULTS CAN LEARN AND ENJOY A LOT FROM READING THIS BOOK AND LOOKING AT THE PRETTY PICTURES.

This book is all you'd expect for a book from a Time-Life series. The price and shipping are a fraction of what Time-Life sells it for.

Non-fiction. A small book loaded with interesting facts and color photographs. Gives a great introduction to ancient Egypt. Many anecdotes including for example how they communicated with dead family members to have them help with problems, which I've seen no where else. This book could be read by an intelligent child, but is worthwhile for adults wanting to get more information about ancient Egypt. Great photographs on every page. A classic, and not just for children despite the size and shape of it. (FYI the cover shows King Tutankhamun seated and his wife standing, it was the backrest of his throne and one of the most stunning pieces of artwork imaginable.)

"Interwoven throughout, these stories are the intimate details of daily life- what people ate, wore, and thought about life, love, and the afterlife." A persuading address to my grandson Nuni, from the back cover. Hail to thee, O Nile! Who manifests thyself over this land, and comes to give life to Egypt! O Nile, come and prosper! O you who make men live through his flocks and those through his orchards! Like a giant Anaconda, the world's longest river, the Nile, slides through some of the most arid deserts on earth to engulf a rather narrow fertile valley, which extends for a thousand miles from the cataracts south of Aswan into the delta on the Mediterranean sea in the north. Hapi, the Nile God was believed to have been the trigger to this great early civilizations in history, as Herodotus had written, "Egypt is the gift of the Nile." The Nile has been a faithful provider to the earliest known civilized nations, and a central core to its thought and religion. Ancient Egyptian Life: Daily life in ancient Egypt revolved around the Nile and the land along its banks, it divided the land of the living and those of the dead on its west banks. The yearly river flood enriched the soil and brought good harvests and wealth to the land. Most ancient Egyptians worked as farmers, craftsmen and scribes. The pharaoh with a small group of people were the priests and nobles. Together, these groups of people made up the population of ancient Egypt, that survived for more than two millennia. A Time-Life Classic: Based on interwoven notes from scholarly works of Egyptologists, amazing artifacts in museums, writings by discoverers and archeologists. When Champolion deciphered hieroglyphics, he made available history, stories, as well as written prayers to recount what life was like in the land of temples, Pyramids, obelisks and the Sphynx. Accounts of pharaohs, wise priests and scribes, warriors, and common people alike are narrated, with emphasis on the role of women, which distinguishes Ancient Egyptians from all other peoples, who lived in their surroundings. This meticulously prepared, and beautifully displayed book brought about by the time-Life research tank provides an in depth panorama of the amazing ancient Egyptian symphony, with basic information about the pyramids, mummification, social life, work and religion. Also delving into the life of famous Egyptian royalty, including Akhenaton and Ramses. Ancient Egyptians whose stories are told, with full color photos, showing statues, sculpture, and portraits of their artifacts exposes their lives. The text is friendly, reconstructing in readers imaginations the past as its own participants has recorded. The real enjoyment of this book will be shared by civilization explorers and ancient history teachers. Reviewers Opinion: "A fascinating volume that can't help but make readers wonder if human emotions will survive as well on paper and e-mail as these amazing messages have done in clay and stone."

This book is not meant to provide a detailed history of ancient Egypt. Rather, it is meant to breathe life into that history. The book show snips of life (musical entertainment, feasts, marriage and courtship, crafts, etc) that most history books gloss over. It is richly illustrated in vivid color photography so that there are examples of almost everything discussed. It also provides a wonderful timeline that you can reference while reading. It's certainly not the only book you'll want to read in learning about ancient Egypt, but it is definitely to be included. Something like this went out of print? Grab one before they're all gone.