Ancient Egypt

This is probably the best general interest book I've ever read about Egypt. Divided by time period, readers can follow the progression of Egyptian civilization while looking at some of the best pictures I've ever seen. Relevant pictures go along with the text, artwork and photos of the monuments that still stand.
This was organized so cleanly -- it was easy to follow the power shifts and geographical reasons that caused changes in where power was based. One thing I've never thought about -- I enjoy Egyptian culture so much and I was appalled at descriptions of how so much was deliberately destroyed to renovate structures into Christian churches. I highly recommend this for people interested in this area or just as an interesting gift. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Ancient Egypt, A Photographic History by Nigel Fletcher-Jones is the perfect addition to the collection of anyone with an interest in Ancient Egypt, from casual enthusiasts or budding Egyptologists, through to seasoned Historians. The images are truly stunning works of photography that capture the essence and majesty of the 3000+ years of Egypts History.

The book begins by establishing the geographic context of Egypt, imperative in gaining any insight and understanding as to how and why this Ancient Civilisation was able to thrive for such an impressive length of time. Set against the Nile and interspersed with ancient cities and buildings, these images have communicated the timeless importance of the Nile River and demonstrated the natural beauty of the country.

The chapters of this book successfully communicate the sheer length of Egypts history and communicate just how ancient it is, beginning with Pre-History, right through to the Greco-Roman Period. While the focus of this book is the images, which are high quality and detailed, the text is quite helpful, giving a concise and to the point summary of the period that can be accessed regardless of the readers background in History. Additionally, the caption for each image is concise, providing the appropriate information and would be a good start g point for anyone keen to engage in additional research.

I can’t praise the photographs in this book highly enough! Images such as that of the Grand Gallery in the Great Pyramid, were able to communicate information about the size and layout in a new manner, that really captivated me. My favourite period of Ancient Egypt has always been the New Kingdom, this chapter was fantastic, with stunning, detailed images of statues (Amenhotep III and Sobek has always been a favourite of mine) Tomb Walls, Temples and sarcophagi. I do wish there was as much focus on the early 18th Dynasty as there was on the later half (with the Amarna period and the like) and early 19th Dynasty, but I understand that the book would be astronomically long if each period was examined in excruciating detail. As I read on, I was exposed to sites and objects from periods I was less familiar with (I stared at the images from the Kiosk of Nakhtnebef for so long!) and I felt like I learned something new with each chapter.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Amber Books Ltd for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. It provided me great engagement and entertainment and will make a great addition to any history fans bookshelf or coffee table.