John Romer

In this third and last part of his History of Ancient Egypt, John Romer again focuses on correcting the traditional image of the Nile Valley civilization, an image that was mainly shaped by the early Egyptologists of the 19th century, and that imposed modern notions of kingship, empire, and civilization itself upon a period of more than 3.000 years ago. Apparently this distorted view still predominates, even in academic circles: “the overarching narratives of the present academic industry, the quasi-academic consensus that deciphers and explains the relics of pharaonic culture for students and the general public alike, is still firmly stuck inside the ‘ancient Egypt’ of the nineteenth-century West.” The slant of this book therefore is principally revisionist. For example, Romer dwells for a long time on the 19th century identification of the Hyksos as the biblical people of the Hebrews. But this interpretation has been swept off the table already decades ago. Nothing new, then, and that applies to quite a few other debates that Romer focuses on. So for those who expect a new synthesis, this will be a disappointment.
This third part is also a bit disappointing in terms of form. The chapters are not all logically arranged, I have the impression Romer is not giving a systematic exposition but sometimes limits himself to selected topics. And occasionally intriguing phrases pop up that are not further explained (such as evidence of brutality supposedly revealed by tombs found in Amarna, the capital of the "heretical" Pharaoh Akhenaten). But all that does not prevent this part from being chock full of interesting information. And, of course, the expertise of John Romer is beyond doubt.
More in my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5646729484.… (altro)

I don't understand how this still is possible: the publisher, Thomas Dunne Books, touts the various volumes of John Romer's work as the definitive historical study on Ancient Egypt. Anyone who knows anything about historical research knows that 'definitive' simply does not exist. And the bold claim is all the more surprising, since the author himself constantly emphasizes the gaps in our knowledge of ancient Egypt. Mind you, what Romer brings certainly is some of the best that has been published in recent decades on the civilization of the Nile Valley. In this part he takes a closer look at the period from just after the construction of the great pyramids to the end of the Middle Kingdom, covering no less than 800 years. As in the previous part, Romer is very thorough, perhaps a bit too thorough for the ordinary layman. For example, he discusses in some detail how our view of ancient Egypt still is too much determined by the work of the 19th century archaeologists and decipherers of hieroglyphics. Very fascinating, of course, and relevant, but I suspect that many readers here will drop out, as well as at the detailed discussion of more recent archaeological excavations.
So this is not a real synthesis. But Romer offers very valuable insights into ancient Egyptian history scattered throughout the chapters, with distinct accents based on his decades of fieldwork, study, and reflection. Rating 3.5 stars. More on that in the review in my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5459464315.… (altro)