Narrative history of the rulers of ancient Egypt, from the people who first got the place into one unified country, through the ones we've all heard of (via the likes of Tutankhamun's £5 million-worth golden funerary goods) to the desultory end, where some woman married her stepson and cousin (yes, the same person) to get the throne. Some bits seem over a bit too quickly, and the more recent times a bit boggy, but that's down to how much we actually know. Highly visual, this is very readable, all in keeping with the Amber Books house style, but it did cry out for a few maps.

Dr Jestice's work is the only complete guide you will ever need if you wish to learn more about Pharoh's.
The accompanying photos and pictures were very detailed and provided additional information to accompany the extremely detailed text. It is quite a heavy piece of writing but it is very thorough and backed by evidence and research.
An enjoyable and informative read.

It's full of lovely pictures and interesting texts. It's the perfect book for some interested in Ancient Egypt
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Dr. Jestice is becoming a go-to author for me. This is the third book she's written that I have read and enjoyed. "Pharaohs" presents an excellent, detailed history of the 3,000 years of ancient Egypt. It's written in clear, concise, understandable language. It's also well-illustrated with images that are beautiful and at times (to me anyway) mystical. Also included are 19 inserts that cover a range of topics that correspond to issues covered in the chapters they are in. Finally, a wonderful suggested reading section is provided at the end, giving the reader an opportunity for further study, if he or she chooses to do so. I can certainly see this as an excellent in an ancient history class. Wonderful reading.

Thanks to NetGalley & Amber Books Ltd for this ARC, which was voluntarily read and reviewed.

I was a young kid when I went to see “The Treasures of Tutankhamun” tour in Chicago during the mid-1970’s, and ever since then I have been completely mesmerized by the culture and history of ancient Egypt. I am the perfect audience for “Pharaohs” by Dr Phyllis G. Jestice, a fascinating look at the history of Pharaohs, from the first joining of the crowns until the final subsummation into the Roman empire.

To be honest, I was expecting a picture book, but to my pleasant surprise this turned out to be an overview of the history of rulers of ancient Egypt, through the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms as well as the Intermediate Periods. Dr. Grace does a great job providing an overview of the major Pharaohs as well as explaining how the institution itself changed over the thousands of years of history: the intermarriages, the palace plots, the foreign rulers, the powerful female Pharaohs, the revolts and reconquests.

The history is fascinating, but let’s not forget the photos, the real highlights of this book. The collection included the famous (Tutankhamun’s mask, the Great Pyramid of Giza) as well as the lesser-known photos, some of which show just how ancient some of this history is.

An outstanding collection for anyone interested in ancient history.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Amber Books Ltd, Amber Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

A great book about the Egyptian pharaohs. This book is full of images and gives a comprehensive history. I love history and really enjoyed this book.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

This beautifully illustrated book covers over 4,000 years of history, tracing Egypt's divine rulers from Menes (who united the north and south kingdoms) to Cleopatra. Well researched and concise, it's an easy-to-read introduction to Egypt's iconic monarchs.

Thanks, NetGalley, to the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you for this copy. I love history and anything linked to it. This was such a fascinating read and I will be recommending it to my colleagues.

This is a great history of pharoahs. It details every change and progress through to Roman rule. The books includes images, art and illustrations that lend to the credibility of the history of the entire era.

This is an informative look at Pharaohs. It covers the history of pharaohs for almost 3000 years until the loss of the kingdom to the Roman Empire. Sections are: Dawn of the God-Kings, Royal Decline & Recovery, Reimagining Egype inn a Wider World, the Age of Egyptian Empire, Decline or Transformation?, and the End of Independent Egypt. It astounds me to know their civilization lasts as long as it does and yet thier palaces no longer exist because of the building materials. It remains on my bucket list to visit Egypt but many of antiquities I’ve seen at various museums in the USA and Europe.

The book includes many photos, but I consider this more of an history book than a coffee table decretive photo book. I think the book would have benefitted from a map and historical timeline. Also because I am a huge museum goer I would like to have the photos of artifacts include the location where they can be seen. Overall it was a learning experience for me to read this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Amber Books Ltd. for the temporary ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

Beautifully illustrated with a variety of images some familiar and other less so. The book follows the story of the pharaohs of Egypt from the unification of the country under Menes through to its loss to the Roman Empire with Cleopatra (who incidentally was Cleopatra VII). The book is written by a non-Egyptologist so is intended as a popular history. As such I feel it misses some of the nuance of modern scholarship and debate on the subject. There are some questionable elements within its pages, for instance Ramesses and the Battle of Kadesh - this was at best an honourable draw, whilst Ramesses goes on to trumpet his achievements the author gives this no critical assessment. Neither was the tomb of Tutankhamun intact upon discovery - largely intact yes, but there was evidence of people having been in there before. The other things needed in this book are a timeline to follow the story and a real key miss is a map!!

All the above said this book provides a solid introduction to the glory that is Ancient Egypt looking at all aspects not just glorying in gold and treasure. This book takes the reader through the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms explaining their key features and differences and not just presenting Egypt as pyramids and Tutankhamun in the same breath - the pyramids were over 1000 years old by the time Tutankhamun was pharaoh. Readers will hopefully be inspired to find out more and there is a useful section of suggestions for further reading, there are also a wide range of local societies that host a good programme of events.

A score of 3.5 for this book for its breadth and great photography rounded to a 4 for the stars as you can't give half stars.

#Pharaohs #NetGalley

This book attempts to look at all the pharaohs and succeeds at doing so, but at the slight cost of having to gloss over some details. Nothing is intentionally omitted, but some pieces suffer from a lack of attention. This is a great starter/foundation book.

As a small child, I came across an illustrated book on the discovery of the grave of Tutankhamun and I was absolutely fascinated by Egyptian history and culture.

Hence I desperately wanted to read this book and what a fine book it is!
Egyptian antiquity is a maze of a subject - not fancying it as a Mastermind subject. 3000-plus years of dynasties, maze-like ancestry, interwoven with gods and semi-gods, symbols, rituals and, of course, death cults, does not make an easy narrative journey.

In my opinion, Dr Jestice has cracked it. Plentiful pictures of major archaeological finds enhanced by clear explanations of the often complicated symbolism within makes the whole Egyptian history come to life. Longer text passages are interspersed with short excursions into relevant topics like “Royal Women” or “Building the pyramids”.

It is interesting that the pharaohs’ palaces, due to being built of mudbricks, have long since disappeared. However, their burial places, needing to be built and last for eternity, are the main sources of our knowledge of the Egyptians today. What strikes the reader is the sophistication of Egyptian culture, the administration, organisation of enormous building projects like pyramids, waterways and dams. Even in the 1st dynasty, Nile flood levels were charted, an indication for the quality of the harvest, and taxes were adjusted accordingly.

I also learned that the “poster boys/girls” of Egyptian history were mainly from the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC), e.g. Tutankhamun, Hatshepsut, Amenhotep, Akhenaten, Nefertiti, Rameses, when the great pyramid builders had been gone for over 1000 years.

I would have reallyreally liked a glossary for reference, a map (like https://www.merrittcartographic.co.uk/ancient_egypt.html) and a general historic timeline. Also, a short location note of where all the pictured artefacts are exhibited would be very welcome.

I’d love to have this book in print - just in case I’ve added it to my Christmas list!

What a fascinating, easy to read, comprehensive guide to pharaonic Egypt this is. I found this by far to be the best explained history of the dynasties I have found, plus it includes by very apt, illustrative photographs. This is another Amber book for my collection. They are never a disappointment . My thanks to the author, Amber books and Netgalley for allowing me access to a digital copy of this gorgeous book.

This book will be greatly enjoyed by anyone with an interest in the history of Ancient Egypt. Jestice writes knowledgeably, but very engagingly, about 3000 years of Egyptian rulers.

The lives of the Pharaohs are describedly vividly here, from the well-known exploits of Rameses II to less familiar stories like that of the Harem Conspiracy Papyrus.

And we are introduced some of the women who also left their mark on Ancient Egypt, like Cleopatra. Not to mention the female Pharaoh Hatshepsut, whom there was such a concerted effort to erase from history after her death.

The book contains some stunning images - from the familiar photos of Tutankhamun's sarcophagus and the giant statues at the Abu Simbel Temple, to equally beautiful but more obscure pictures like the one depicting the craftsmanship on a bracelet from Amenemope's reign.

If you are interested in being introduced to the rulers Ancient Egypt, or just want to learn more about this complex and fascinating culture, this volume is one not to be missed!

Interesting. I've always been fascinated in history and especially Pharaohs. Having the illustrations was nice as well.