This is part of the 24 Hours in Ancient History series, and arguably, the most difficult to write, because it is the oldest of the featured civilizations and there is less source material to use. Like the others in the series, the book is in 24 chapters, each detailing an hour in a particular person's life. This installment takes place during the reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep II (1426–1400 B.C.E.), and using archeological remains including papyrus scrolls, clay tablet fragments, and the work of modern scholars, the reader spends an authentic hour with both average and important Egyptians of the era. Dancing girls, tomb raiders, brick makers, priests, doctors, royal fan holders, and the Pharaoh himself, are but a few of the highlighted members of society. While the thoughts and conversations of the individuals are invented, they are based on well-researched facts. Source material is included. If you're a fan of ancient history but prefer texts that are more accessible than traditional scholarly fare, this is a wonderful introduction to Ancient Egypt. ( )

It's all about what life was like for the ancient Egyptians, and let me tell you, it's pretty wild. You've got pharaohs and priests and peasants, all doing their thing. And there's mummies and pyramids and hieroglyphics, too. It's like a whole other world. But the book is really well-written and easy to follow, so you don't have to be a history buff to enjoy it. If you're into ancient Egypt, or just looking for a cool read, check it out. ( )

Un petit livre très rythmé et bien construit. Extrêmement lisible. Un bon exercice et vulgarisation. ( )

Finally a book about ancient Egypt I enjoyed. It's short, relatable, has humor and seems accurate. Egypt has so many cliches associated it's hard to write with a fresh perspective. His approach is to humanize the subjects, they are people first with universal traits, then layer in the specific cultural elements and context. The exotic dancing girls with their wrists at angles and heads bopping back and forth, are really just cheap labor for the night trying to get a free meal who then get drunk and are thrown out of the party. Each chapter is a little story, drama in the daily lives of fishermen, tomb raiders, artisans, farmers etc.. a bag of chips. It feels like time travel. I'd read more from this series. ( )

An excellent little book by American Egyptologist Donald Ryan. Ryan is something of a polymath; I met him at an ARCE convention in Toronto (1993, I think; not sure) and we had a discussion about the taxonomy of pachycephalosaurid dinosaurs, not something you’d expect an Egyptologist to know about. I thought they were related to hadrosaurs; Ryan said ceratopsians; he was right and I was wrong. At any rate this book is reminiscent of Leonard Cottrell’s Everyday Life in Ancient Egypt, but updated. Ryan choses the reign of Amenhotep II for his 24 hours, and each chapter profiles a different Egyptian at successive hours; a midwife, the Pharaoh himself, a farmer, a fisherman, a dancing girl, and so on. Some of the people are linked – the pharaoh, his fanbearer, his vizier, his tomb architect, and his Great Royal Wife each get a chapter, and an embalmer, a coffin maker, and a professional mourner all work with the same deceased. The writing is informative without being overly scholarly, with a main narrative following the hourly subject and details explained in side boxes. There are plenty of relevant illustrations incorporated into the text. No footnotes, but both a detailed bibliography and a more general “suggestions for further reading”. Recommended as a pleasant introduction to Egyptology. ( )