Reviews (24)

Making Schwaller de Lubicz understandable
If you prescibe to conventional views about Egyptology don't buy this book.However, if you believe that science does not have the story of our origins and Egypt quite right, then this book will open your eyes.
Confusing
The book is an attempt to make accessible to the layman the findings of Schwaller de Lubicz (1887-1961), a self-taught French Egyptologist with a strong mystical bend who claimed among other things that Egyptian civilization is much older than mainstream archeologist believe and that it was based on esotericism.
A nice book with some interesting theories, but not much more.
In John Anthony West's book: Serpent in the Sky: The High Wisdom of Ancient Egypt, he sets out to challenge conventional science's claim that the Sphinx was carved out of an outcropping during the reign of King Khafre around 2500 B.C.. In 1979, though, an amateur archaeologist named John Anthony West suggested that the Sphinx is far older than the pyramids and its severe erosion was the result of rain, not blowing sand. Therefore, concluded West, the Sphinx must have been built thousand of years earlier when the land was much wetter. Nobody gave West's theory much attention until West brought in a trained geologist from Boston University named Robert Schoch. Schoch examined the Sphinx and thinks some of the fissures in the rock were indeed created by running water or rain. His conclusion is that the front and side of the Sphinx dated from 5000 to 7000 BC and was remodeled during Khafre's era to give the likeness of the pharaoh. Other Egyptologists argue that the original estimate is still right and that the fissures found by Schoch were the result of wet sand being blown up from the Nile river, not rain. A nice book with some interesting theories, but not much more.
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - Egypt    2. Ancient Egypt - History    3. Civilization    4. Controversial Knowledge    5. Egypt    6. General    7. New Age    8. Occultism    9. Sociology    10. To 332 B.C    11. Ancient Egyptian religion    12. History / General    13. Mind, body, spirit: mysticism & self-awareness   

Reviews (1)

An Actual Book Review
The wholesale looting of the Baghdad Museum on Apr. 11-12, which U.S. troops did nothing to prevent, has lent a fresh plangency and interest to this remarkable new book about history, culture, museums, caretakers, theft, corruption and the dogfights between the West and Islam over antiquities vastly older than either culture.Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - Egypt    2. Antiquities    3. Archaeological museums and col    4. Archaeological museums and collections    5. Archaeology    6. Egypt    7. Egyptology    8. History    9. History - General History    10. History: World    11. Middle East - General    12. World - General    13. African history: BCE to c 500 CE    14. Cultural studies    15. Egyptian archaeology    16. History / General    17. Museums & Museology    18. Social & cultural anthropology    19. c 1800 to c 1900    20. c 1900 - c 1914   

Subjects:  1. Cross-cultural studies    2. Government policy    3. International Relations - General    4. Military - Other    5. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    6. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    7. Political Science    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Prevention    11. Terrorism    12. Egypt    13. France    14. Germany    15. History / Military / Other    16. International relations    17. Italy    18. Sri Lanka    19. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle    20. USA   

Reviews (2)

Be Realistic In Your Analysis...
Childress' book cites numerous known abberations to the common perception that most relics and antiquities found in North America are of "native" cultural origin, and having these bits all in one place in one book is useful and entertaining. However, the speculation on aliens, portals, and Atlantis-type culture is, as always, tedious. Anyone can speculate and it is a writer's choice on how he or she chooses to speculate. The reader ,however, must be realistic in their analysis and truth behind the writer's speculation. If it is for entertainment purposes, the book and its speculations are wothwhile; if it is for actual information, the book is worth the price to read about the additional relics that have been found in North America that can really question our prevalent interpretations of North American history - however, the speculation on aliens and such is just that...entertainment value only. Early Mankind was a lot more innovative and flexible than people like Childress give them credit for - no use of aliens and portals is necessary to explain the historical evidence that is apparent in the antiquities record.

The real early discoverers of America
Everyone knows Columbus discovered America - but in fact he owned and worked from charts of the region drawn by Viking explorers hundreds of years before he was born - and they in turn were preceded by Irish missionaries, shipwrecked Romans and others. DISCOVERING THE MYSTERIES OF ANCIENT AMERICA: LOST HISTORY AND LEGENDS, UNEARTHED AND EXPLORED gathers all these accounts, using the articles from Ancient American magazine to assemble some documented discoveries which are real puzzlers. Most have not been closely examined and certainly not under one cover, in a place convenient for contrast and discussion.
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Subjects:  1. Americas (North Central South West Indies)    2. Ancient - General    3. Ancient Archaeology    4. Archaeology    5. Controversial Knowledge    6. Egyptian influences    7. History    8. History: World    9. Indians of North America    10. Native American    11. Native Americans - History    12. New Age    13. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    14. Transatlantic influences    15. Transpacific influences    16. Controversial Knowledge & Mysteries    17. North America    18. The Americas   

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Ancient - Greece    3. Ancient - Rome    4. Essays    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Jewish - Ancient    9. Ancient Greece    10. Ancient Rome    11. European history: BCE to c 500 CE    12. Hellenistic World; Maccabean Revolution; Jesus; ancient Syria; ancient Egypt; ancient Greece; ancient Rome; Islam; Judaism; Paganism; Christianity;    13. History / Ancient / General   

Reviews (1)

Primo
This is a must read for anyone who wants to know about Christianity in the Middle East before the Muslim conquests and the following massacres.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Desert Fathers    4. Egypt    5. Historical - General    6. History    7. Monks    8. Religion    9. Early Church    10. Saints & hagiography   

Reviews (4)

Good and simple intro.
This book is a simple introduction for ancient egyptian hsitory.It is well organised and tells you just about everything that you need to wet your apetite of egyptian history.It is very general but well documented.

Very informative; could have been proofread better.
I've enjoyed reading the local university's copy of this book.I did run into a couple of jarring typographical errors that a competent human proofreader/factchecker would have caught.The most disturbing of these was the statement that the headwaters of the Blue Nile are at "Lake Tanganyika, high in the Ethiopian plateau".The headwaters of the Blue Nile are at Lake Tana, high in the Ethiopian plateau.Lake Tanganyika is half a continent to the south.Big difference. good
everything that francesca jourdan said about this book is true, it does have alot of info. the only thing i did not like about this book is that it is written is school book form. it is hard to get into this book, but once you do you find out it is very informative. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - Egypt    2. Archaeology    3. Civilization    4. Egypt    5. History - General History    6. Social Science    7. Sociology    8. To 332 B.C    9. African history: BCE to c 500 CE    10. Ancient World    11. Egypt--Civilization--To 332 B.C    12. Middle & Near Eastern archaeology    13. Social Science / Archaeology   

Reviews (7)

Obbsessed and Loving It!
First off, I love ancient Egypt! It's my life! I want to be an Egyptologist when I grow up!! I love it, love it, love it! I admit, I have never gottne this product, but from the reviews I've read, it sounds GREAT!!! I want myself, but being a kid, I'm broke....... But, you should deffitnitly get this if you love egypt! Even if you don't, it's a great way to start to love egypt! I love it and I don't even have it!! It sounds like so much fun! So go ahead, if you have money go out there and get it!!

Great for all ages
I bought this treasure chest as a "treat" (for my daughter or myself, I am still not sure) to finish off our study of ancient Egypt.We couldn't wait, so we opened it right away and were thrilled.I expected most of the activities to be too hard for my 6yo, but she has enjoyed them thoroughly.The lock can be a bit hard for small fingers to open, but the key is easy to work and that can be fun enough in itself.There are 2 board games, both of which she could play.One is very, very simple (think Chutes and Ladders) while the other requires more strategy.Depending on your child's interests/abilities in games you might find that you only play one of the two, but we have been happy playing both.The playing pieces are made rather flimsy light cardboard, but they are functional enough if your child is careful.The stamping set is about average, and suffers from all the little problems child's stamping kits are heir to, but overall produces legible hieroglyphs.You'll need an extra pair of hands or weights to hold the papyrus unrolled, but it looks great when you're finished.The hieroglyph "decoder" wheel has been great fun for my daughter who thinks codes are exciting.The necklace was a little disappointing, only because the string provided came apart when I tried to disentangle it.We replaced it with our own string/wire and made our lovely necklace just fine.The beads had holes large enough for my child to thread them herself, although a needle proved helpful.The posters (one of deities reverses to one of regents and another one with a map) are attractive and informative without being overwhelming and my daughter enjoyed placing the approppriate stickers on the spaces provided on the map.The only piece of this chest w ehave not used yet is the grid for reproducing an egyptian picture, but I'm sure many other children are more artistically inclined than mine and will find it fun.Overall, my daughter and I have enjoyed this kit immensely and highly recommend it.

Great History tool
This is justthe sort of thing I would have loved when I was a kid. I'm an adult and I love it anyway. This is a great way to spark a child's interest in history. For someone who already loves studying ancient Egypt it will provide hours of fun. The package is beautiful and makes a wonderful gift. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Sociology    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Children: Grades 4-6    5. History - General    6. History - Middle East    7. Juvenile Nonfiction    8. Social Studies - General    9. African history: BCE to c 500 CE    10. Ancient Egypt    11. BCE to c 500 CE   

Reviews (72)

The wisdom of the Egyptians was a proverb with the Greeks

Great Science Fiction
Someday in the future, after America falls because of division, hatred and civil wars, some enterprising historian will study the artifacts and come to the conclusion that Mexicans must have built this great empire, because they outnumber the blacks who will naturally congregate into ghettos; still orally taking credit for building America, according to their traditions, for their masters will have long departed for more promising prospects elsewhere, most likely off planet.

Recovered History
The great classic work by the great George G.M. James, like a precious jewel, appreciates with age. While some argue that the book's title (Stolen Legacy) andthe author's primary assertions, tending to totally discredit Greek civilization, may be academically counterintuitive; and while I can somewhat concur, James's work remains an invaluable educational tool in the Blackstruggle. Detractors may as well zip their lips and relax because this book is not going to go away! It is another great book for the ages.
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Subjects:  1. Africa - General    2. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    3. History & Surveys - Ancient & Classical    4. History - General History    5. Social Science    6. Sociology    7. Ancient Greece    8. Ancient Western philosophy to c 500    9. Black studies    10. Egypt   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Arab countries    3. General    4. Government - Comparative    5. History    6. Islam    7. Islam - General    8. Islamic Government    9. Islamic fundamentalism    10. Middle East - General    11. Political Science    12. Politics/International Relations    13. Religion - World Religions    14. Algeria    15. Egypt    16. Islamic studies    17. Political Science / Foreign Legal Systems    18. Political structure & processes    19. Saudi Arabia   

Editorial Review

You need no previous experience reading hieroglyphs to benefit from this book. This is a hieroglyphs guide for the layperson, tourist, or museum enthusiast who'd like to have more of a clue when it comes to understanding Egyptian hieroglyphs. Focusing on the funerary symbols one would be likely to see in Egypt or at a museum, and illustrated with hieroglyphs that are on display in the British Museum (drawn by Richard Parkinson, curator in the Department of Egyptian Antiquities at the British Museum), Read more

Reviews (56)

writing short phrases and sentences
The authors show you how people recorded their thoughts, in a manner radically different from people who use alphabets. But the narrative is clear enough for you to learn to write simple phrases and sentences. Perhaps if you already know Chinese or Japanese, which use pictograms, you will find hieroglyphics not too dissimilar.
Just great!
Book arrived in perfect condition and was here in less time than anticipated.Just great!

Hieroglyphic script were written using phonic symbols.
Mark Collier's How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs: A Step-by-Step Guide to Teach Yourself, Revised Edition is really good book about teaching you hieroglyphics. Egyptian's strange, unreadable text and hieroglyphics are not easy to understand. This is because Egyptian's didn't use vowels and one hieroglyph could have multiple meanings. Hieroglyphics were not strictly symbolic or phonetic, but a mixture of both.
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Subjects:  1. African Languages    2. Ancient - Egypt    3. Archaeology    4. Archaeology / Anthropology    5. Egyptian language    6. Foreign Language Study    7. Grammar    8. Language    9. Miscellaneous    10. Paleography    11. Writing, Hieroglyphic    12. Ancient Egypt    13. Egypt    14. History of art: BCE to c 500 CE, ancient & classical world    15. Language Arts & Disciplines / Linguistics    16. Palaeography (history of writing)    17. Translation & interpretation   

Reviews (3)

This book doesn't live up to the Title
The author shows little respect for Ethiopians in General, numerous instances he describes Ethiopians artifacts as "meager", "dingy" etc. This is unacceptable in my opinion because if your going to write about a place then at least be respectful of the place and the people,the author shows little respect for the overall Culture. Ethiopia has been through many violent episodes in the past so if little fragments of history survive in a tarnished manner take account of the fact that wars are usually unkind to places where wars were fought. I read the intro and noticed the author focused on the Names Aksum which is correct towards one of the ancient name of Ethiopia, also correctly naming Kush a neighboring country north of Ethiopia that impressed me so I bought the book anticipating some quality information. After receiving and reading the first 15 pages the author begins to show his unethusiatic attitutde for Ethiopian History which turned off this reader so I returned my copy and will continue searching for quality unbiased information for Ethiopia.

Be Cautious of the Title
I purchased this book because I was looking for an in-depth study of Ethiopian culture, both past and present.However, it soon became apparent that the book's subtitle "A Cultural and Historical Guide" was somewhat misleading.Rather, Mr. Munro-Hay provides a detailed and scholarly analysis of Ethiopian historical sites.The publisher would have been well-advised to use the subtitle "An Archaeological Survey" instead.If that is what you're looking for, then this book is ideal.But if you want information on contemporary Ethiopian culture, it would be best to look elsewhere.

An explorer's companion
Although not a "tourist guide" this book is a handy reference for anyone with interest in this land.Munro-Hay's subtitle: The Unknown Land provides a clue to the problem he faced in summarizing the history and culture of this ancient country.Known to early Christians as the land of "Prester John," Ethiopia's nearly landlocked location and rugged terrain has made it a challenge to scholars for millennia.Munro-Hay makes an earnest effort to enlighten us on many aspects of Ethiopian history and culture.Rather than provide a surface overview, he divides the country into regions based on ancient kingdoms.It's an effective means of organizing the complex store of research he's brought to the task. Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa - East - Ethiopia    2. Description and travel    3. Ethiopia    4. History    5. History - General History    6. Middle East - General    7. Travel    8. African history    9. African studies    10. Egypt    11. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (23)

Budge is a GREAT WAY to become FLUENT in this language
Budge is the best way to go if you are serious about becoming fluent in this beautiful language.The fact is that Budge puts the symbol, the transliteration, and the translation all together so you can know exactly what word you are reading and you can learn the syntax by reading his texts.You can pronounce it as you are learning it while reading the symbol all at the same time.The other wonderful thing about Budge is that he has loads of works out there.If you study one book, then you can easily move into other books and get the same reinforcement without having to learn some different author's other pronunciation key.
The best just keeps getting better!
If your reading the Heiroglyphics you will need this book so don't even kid your self if you think you won't because it's worth it's weight in gold.
egyptian heiroglyphic dictionaries
i have purchased both of the volumes of this set and have found a lot of differences in the main transliteration of the hieroglyphics, but these two books are well worth the money if you are just learning to read and write hieroglyphics. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. African Languages    2. Ancient - Egypt    3. Dictionaries    4. Egyptian language    5. Hieroglyphics    6. History - General History    7. Language    8. Writing, Hieroglyphic    9. History / Ancient / Egypt   

Reviews (68)

The "Father Of Terrors"~The Greatest Story Never Told
When it comes to the field of speculative/alternative world history there's nothing more fascinating to speculate about than the true age and origin of the two most impressive, awe inspiring monuments on the face of the Earth, the great Pyramid of Cheops and the Sphinx. When you add to the discussion ancient mystery schools, occult considerations and the transmission of arcane knowledge you've got my undivided attention!
Very clear and very convincing
I read The Message of the Sphinx after I became interested in studying the pyramids through Peter Tompkins' The Secrets of the Great Pyramids last week.I was a bit skeptical about Tompkins' theories, and I was hoping that this book would shed some light on the issue.It did.Graham Hancock presents a rather compelling case that an advanced race which existed before the Egyptians designed the pyramids and built the Sphinx.He has lots of good evidence to back up his claims, and though he presents a little less evidence than Tompkins does, Hancock presents it in a much clearer and more convincing manner.He takes the time to explain what each piece of evidence means.
good Fiction
Just like the old Chariots of Gods, his books are very interesting and and entertaining.But please dont think that you are reading a scientific work.Real historical works are not as sexy and entertaining as these books just as real archeologists are not Indiana Joneses. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - Egypt    2. Antiquities    3. Archaeology    4. Archaeology / Anthropology    5. Egypt    6. Great Pyramid (Egypt)    7. Great Sphinx (Egypt)    8. History: World    9. Miscellanea    10. Mind, body, spirit: mysticism & self-awareness    11. Social Science / Archaeology   

Reviews (79)

If you like parti pris rhetoric then you'll love this book!
Do you like to be lied to? Do you like propaganda and ill concieved agendas shoved down your throat? Do you like people who state theories as facts and then offer no evidence to substantiate their claims? Do you want to read a book which very existence would make Herodotus turn over in his grave and cause anyone who believes an accurate potrayl of history to be important to feel nothing but deep despair? If your answer was yes to one or more of these questions then you'll probably really enjoy this book. However if you're an intelligent and reasonable person who believes history to be something that is objective, rather then something subjective that can be changed to fulfill the ego of insecure people then this book probably isn't for you. However, if you are interested in the outlandish Afrocentric claims to Greek antiquity then I would recommend reading 'Not Out Of Africa' by Mary Lefkowitz.

A Truly Great Piece of Scholarship
Black athena is a great piece of scholarship, as evidenced by both the apoplectic reaction of those who still cling desperately to their white supremacist/Eurocentric point of view, and the impact it has had on scholarship, especially the reclaiming of the multicultural basis of ancient Greek civilization and of the ancient mediterranean world.Even the most defensive academic critics have conceded the basic theses of Bernal's Black Athena (despite the rantings of ignorant lay-people and racists in the preceding reviews): The ancient Egyptions(who were, of course, African and as "black" as most of the people designated as "black" within the US schema of what that means) had a significant influence on the civilization that eventually arose in Greece and other parts of the mediterranean world (as did the Ethiopians), AND this influence was covered up and obscured by Eurocentric and racist scholars in more modern times because it did not fit into the prevailing white supremacist world-view.
Red-Necks and Black Athena

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Subjects:  1. Ancient - Greece    2. Civilization    3. Egyptian influences    4. Europe - Greece    5. Greece    6. History - General History    7. History: American    8. Phoenician influences    9. To 146 B.C    10. American history    11. USA   

Reviews (1)

Where did the Sphinx come from?And other mysteries
Theories that change what we know of as history are often interesting, if outlandish.Sometimes, they're just too incredible to believe; other times, they have a pretty good whiff of plausibility, making the book presenting these theories just that much more intriguing.Before the Pharaohs is an example of the latter.Almost fatally hindered by an extremely slow and boring first sixty pages, the book picks up steam and becomes a fascinating look at the secrets of the pyramids, the Sphinx, and Egypt in the time before recorded history begins.Malkowski takes a wide array of theories and ties them all together.He never hides what current theory is, instead presenting his own (or, quite often, others that he agrees with) in a way that makes the reader think about this all in a new light.With a couple of missteps, the book continues on this high level, never quite losing me once it had worked to reel me in.