The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt

My Thoughts

I wish I had read this before reading the Writings from Ancient Egypt as it would have provided helpful context to those writings. Actually, I wish I had read this book 30 years ago (an impossibility as it come out in 2010), however, I wish I had what I learned here in my head for that time.

First, it’s amazing just how much we know about Egypt and its Pharaohs. Second, the history of Egypt is really the history of the world in a lot of ways. So many ancient cultures passed through, fought against, or conquered Egypt. In this book, I learned a lot about Egypt, but I also learned a bit about the Nubians (Kushites), Libyans, Hittites, Hyksos, Assyrians, Babylonians, Palestinians, Persians, Greeks, Macedonians, and Romans, just to name a few. 🙂

I learned that the big pyramids near Cairo are 4,500 years old. I learned that Darius I (Darius the Great) created the Suez Canal around 2,500 years ago. I learned that Alexander the Great founded the city of Alexandria (seems obvious in hindsight and I feel quite dumb for not having made that connection before, but hence the reason for reading). I learned that Menes was the first Pharaoh and Cleopatra the last.

If you have any interest in Egypt, read this. It’s a fantastic overview of 3,000+ years of history. If you have any interest in world history, this is a great place to start because you get introduced to a variety of empires, ideas, civilizations, and people. I loved every minute of this book.