The Archaeology of Ancient Egypt: Beyond Pharaohs

by Douglas J. Brewer

Overview

Egyptologists, art historians, philologists, and anthropological archaeologists have long worked side by side in Egypt, but they often fail to understand one another's approaches. This book aims to introduce students to the archaeological side of the study of ancient Egypt and to bridge the gap between disciplines by explaining how archaeologists tackle a variety of problems. Douglas J. Brewer introduces the theoretical reasoning for each approach, as well as the methods and techniques applied to support it. This book is essential reading for any student considering further study of ancient Egypt.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521880916
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/20/2012
Pages:	210
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 6.20(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Douglas J. Brewer is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Illinois. He is the author (with Emily Teeter) of Egypt and the Egyptians, as well as of numerous other books and articles on Egypt, covering topics from domestication to cultural change and the environment. He has more than thirty years of field work experience in Egypt and is currently researching the cultures and environment of Egypt's deserts.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: archaeology: history and development; 2. The first Egyptians: the art and science of dating; 3. Agriculture and the Nile Valley: biology, the environment, and sampling; 4. A cultural transformation: explaining and describing the past; 5. Unification and the king: the limits of archaeology; 6. The first great cycle: hypotheses and models; 7. Stability and provincialism: archaeology and the environment; 8. The desert frontiers: archaeology of the 'other'; 9. From artifacts to culture: back to basics; 10. Archaeology in perspective.

Editorial Reviews

"… an interesting read for anyone studying ancient Egypt; as Brewer concludes, only cooperative research and a greater understanding between archaeologists, Egyptologists, geologists, biologists and art historians can give a truly comprehensive understanding of the complexity of the human experience throughout history."
Ancient Egypt

"This is an important and intriguing contribution to the study of past societies in the Nile Valley and Δ, written from an anthropological/archaeological perspective rather than from a more traditional egyptological/culture-historical one."
Journal of African Archaeology

From the Publisher