MOUNTAINS OF THE PHAROAHS: The Untold Story of the Pyramid Builders, affordable paperback of Zahi Hawass at his most tendentious

MOUNTAINS OF THE PHAROAHS: The Untold Story of the Pyramid Builders
ZAHI HAWASS
The American University in Cairo Press
$24.95 trade paper, available now

Rating: 4.5* of five

The Publisher Says: World-renowned archaeologist Zahi Hawass weaves a spellbinding narrative about how the pyramids were built and why, new in paperback

Nearly five thousand years ago, the fourth dynasty of Egypt’s Old Kingdom reigned over a highly advanced civilization. Believed to be gods, the royal family lived amid colossal palaces and temples built to honor them and their deified ancestors.

In Mountains of the Pharaohs, Zahi Hawass brings these extraordinary historical figures to life, detailing a soap opera-like saga complete with murder, incest, and the triumphant ascension to the throne of one of only four queens ever to rule Egypt. It was during this dynasty that the magnificent pyramids of Giza were built. These monuments attest not only to the dynasty’s supreme power, but also to the engineering expertise and architectural sophistication that flourished under its rule.

Hawass tells the complete story of the pyramids, weaving archaeological data with a history of Egypt’s powerful pharaohs, and argues that the pyramids—including the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World still standing—were built by skilled craftsmen who took great pride in their work.

Illustrated with black-and-white photographs and drawings, Mountains of the Pharaohs is a compelling account of one of civilization’s greatest achievements.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: If you've watched a single documentary about Egypt in the last thirty years, you've seen and heard the inimitable Zahi Hawass addressing us in those unique cadences as he expounds on his passion. His life has been dedicated to spreading factual knowledge about the history of one of Earth's earliest superpowers. He's risen to the august heights of the secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. This narrative history is about the Fourth Dynasty pharoahs who created by their incredible command of Egypt's entire resources the pyramids at Giza.

There are nineteen black & white images to bring the text to life.

I offer these six to show you what you are in for. The American University in Cairo Press made this trade paper edition to their usual quality standard. You'll be treated to a story that is astonishing in its timelessness, amazing in how very old it is, and unnerving in how familiar the personalities are.

Personalities are all we have left when history gets through with us. Hawass has one of the Egyptian personalities that will shape the pharoahs' journey into a very long future, one even greater than they could've imagined. Read his spirited advocacy of the culture and people who...by their own mental and physical labor...created the pyramids that we're gawkin' at five thousand years on.

RAMESSES, LOVED BY PTAH: The History Of A Colossal Royal Statue, deep beautifully illustrated dive into a very famous statue

RAMESSES, LOVED BY PTAH: The History Of A Colossal Royal Statue
SUSANNA THOMAS
The American University in Cairo Press
$24.95 paperback, available now

Rating: 5* of five

The Publisher Says: The dramatic story behind the 3,200-year-old colossal Grand Egyptian Museum Ramesses statue
King Ramesses II ruled Egypt for an extraordinary sixty-six years (1279–1213 BC) during the Nineteenth Dynasty. A great warrior and lavish builder, he fathered dozens of children and is widely regarded as the most celebrated and powerful pharaoh of the New Kingdom.

This wonderfully clear, engaging book recounts the dramatic history of the famed red granite colossal statue of Ramesses II now residing in Egypt’s Grand Egyptian Museum. One of the biggest statues ever made and part of the urban landscape of modern Cairo, the statue lent its name to Ramses Square and the city’s mainline train station, and was so much a symbol of Cairo that it featured in countless Egyptian films. Susanna Thomas recounts the full history of the statue’s creation and installation in the Great Temple of Ptah at Memphis during the reign of Ramesses II, its reuse by Ramesses IV, and the later history of the statue during the Greco-Roman and Islamic Periods.

The book also provides an overview of how statues were made in ancient Egypt and includes a brief discussion of the statue cults of Ramesses II, kingship, temples, and the expansion of the New Kingdom capital city of Memphis and its temples. The final section covers the history of the statue since its rediscovery and subsequent rescue in the mid-nineteenth century until its installation in the entrance hall of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza.

Written by a New Kingdom specialist and curatorial expert and illustrated with over 130 images, Ramesses, Beloved by Ptah tells the fascinating story of this magnificent statue within the wider context of statue cults and the reign of Ramesses II, and its subsequent rescue and restoration in modern times.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: I am so very grateful for the internet when I get knowledge of, and access to, wonderful books like this. No way would the American University in Cairo Press's catalog ever have crossed my path if we didn't have services like Edelweiss+ and NetGalley to aggregate offerings from publishers everywhere. Bloggers and reviewers have a huge increase in the field of operations for their choices.

Now that I have been down this very temptingly baited, deep rabbit hole, I am glad I made the trip. This statue is famous for being famous, if you see what I mean; lots of people see it and think "Egypt" and never consider its history, or who it's of, or why it matters.

Moving the Pharoah to a new, permanent home in Cairo was quite a feat

A god-king's work is never done

Quite a stylish cartouche, don't you think?
I was absolutely amazed and riveted at how very much is known about this glorious work of art, and about Egyptian art in general. The great statue of this pharaoh, grandiose braggart that he was, fittingly has embedded itself in the world's mental eyes as an image of Egypt with the Pyramid of Khufu and the "Sphinx". Pharoah Ramesses II was very keen that he should be the ONE face associated with his kingdom and that all people should know who he is and remember how very powerful he was. Have to say it worked.

The art that the author has shown us in this book does a much better job than I could at convincing you to pick up this book for #Booksgiving perusal, possibly to be regifted if you have an Egyptology fan among you, or possibly someone who is interested in the idea of Celebrity...Ramesses is one of the very first Celebrity faces in the history of the world.

Enjoy this selection of beautiful ancient Egyptian artwork chosen from the book's many, many images.

Pharoah as style icon
I do not expect that too many of us will have the opportunity to visit Cairo and tour its glorious museums while the world is as unsettled as it is. I hope you'll get this beautiful book and dream over it as winter's nights get longer. If you're in the global south, staying inside while the a/c blasts you and dreaming of a winter holiday is equally lovely use of the pages.