Mountains of the Pharaohs

Fülszöveg

the fascinating story of the building of the great pyramids and the royal family responsible for their creation, told by the world's foremost egyptologist
"This narrative history of the ancient Egyptian 4th Dynasty, written by one of the top scholars in the field, builds an engaging and accessible picture of the kings who built the greatest pyramids. All of the most recent discoveries at Giza, many made by the author himself over the past two decades, are included here. The book balances hard fact with clearly labeled theory, and will give the reader a unique view of the current state of knowledge about this fascinating period of time." —MARK LEHNER
T
^ he great pyramids of Giza have intrigued humanity for thousands of years. Questions about the construction and the purpose of these majestic monuments have existed since the middle period of ancient Egyptian civilization, but recent cutting-edge research has uncovered information about how and why they were built. In Mountains... Tovább

Fülszöveg

the fascinating story of the building of the great pyramids and the royal family responsible for their creation, told by the world's foremost egyptologist
"This narrative history of the ancient Egyptian 4th Dynasty, written by one of the top scholars in the field, builds an engaging and accessible picture of the kings who built the greatest pyramids. All of the most recent discoveries at Giza, many made by the author himself over the past two decades, are included here. The book balances hard fact with clearly labeled theory, and will give the reader a unique view of the current state of knowledge about this fascinating period of time." —MARK LEHNER
T
^ he great pyramids of Giza have intrigued humanity for thousands of years. Questions about the construction and the purpose of these majestic monuments have existed since the middle period of ancient Egyptian civilization, but recent cutting-edge research has uncovered information about how and why they were built. In Mountains of the Pharaohs, Zahi Hawass, a world-renowned archaeologist and the official guardian of Egypt's timeless treasures, weaves the latest archaeological data and an enthralling family history into spellbinding narrative.
Nearly five thousand years ago, the 4th Dynasty of Egypt's Old Kingdom reigned over a highly
(continued on back flap}
(continued from front flap)
advanced civilization. Believed to be gods, the royal family lived amid colossal palaces and temples built to honor them and their deified ancestors. Hawass brings these extraordinary historical figures to life, spinning 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.
The magnificent pyramids attest not only to the dynasty's supreme power but also to the engineering expertise and architectural sophistication that flourished under their rule. Hawass 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 crafi:smen who took great pride in their work.
Mountains of the Pharaohs is an unprecedented account of one of civilization's greatest achievements.
zahi hawass is the secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities and director of the Giza Plateau. He studied archaeology in Egypt and in the United States, earning a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He has taught at the American University in Cairo, at UCLA, and at other universities throughout the world, and he is the author of many books on ancient Egypt, including The Great Book of Ancient Egypt: In the Realm of the Pharaohs (AUG Press 2006). Vissza