The Egyptians

This collection of eleven essays presents studies of ancient Egyptians arranged by social type - slaves, craftsmen, priests, bureaucrats, the pharaoh, peasants and women, among others. Each chapter works as a discrete unit, with a great deal of historical detail which is both informative and interesting; for instance, did you know that Egyptian peasants could not afford burial, their bodies instead being abandoned on the desert fringe? Read as a whole, the book creates a larger picture of Egyptian culture, state and society. The framework of the state is a recurrent theme in all the essays; Egypt's meticulous administration and well-organized hierarchical system fostered centuries of stability and prosperity, and we see that each Egyptian `type' is linked by their role within this structure.