The History of Ancient Egypt

By: Bob Brier, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Bob Brier

Length: 24 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Ancient Egyptian civilization is so grand our minds sometimes have difficulty adjusting to it. It lasted 3,000 years, longer than any other on the planet. Its Great Pyramid of Cheops was the tallest building in the world until well into the 19th century and remains the only Ancient Wonder still standing. And it was the most technologically advanced of the ancient civilizations, with the medical knowledge that made Egyptian physicians the most famous in the world.

Yet even after deciphering its hieroglyphs, and marveling at its scarabs, mummies, obelisks, and sphinxes, Egyptian civilization remains one of history's most mysterious, as "other" as it is extraordinary. This chronological survey presents the complete history of ancient Egypt's three great Kingdoms: the Old Kingdom, when the pyramids were built and Egypt became a nation under the supreme rule of the pharaoh and the rules of Egyptian art were established; the Middle Kingdom, when Egypt was a nation fighting to restore its greatness; and the New Kingdom, when all the names we know today-Hatshepsut, Tutankhamen, Ramses the Great, Cleopatra, and others-first appeared. Professor Brier's 48 lectures glisten with the kind of vivid anecdotes and human glimpses that make this ancient world breathe again.

"The fun of history is in the details," he notes. "Knowing that Ramses the Great was crippled by arthritis for the last decade of his long life makes us more sympathetic to the boastful monarch who fathered more than 100 children. If we understand what it was like to be a miner sent to the turquoise mines in the Sinai mountains in the summer, we will feel a kinship with our long-dead counterparts."

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©1999 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)1999 The Great Courses

So Good You Can't Stop Listening

Love the content that The Great Courses puts out, and this doesn't disappoint! How cool is it to learn from probably the foremost Egyptologist WHO HAS MADE HIS OWN MUMMY with a human cadaver?! Dr. Brier is an academic and a story-teller: you will not want to turn off this series.

Learned a lot…

This was a very long course but the time flew by. I generally listen to a lecture every day or so. All of the lectures were very interesting. Even the ones on things like animal mummification I didn’t think I would like I really enjoyed.

The author is a great presenter. You can tell he really cares about the subject.

There are lotta details here. So it may take a second lesson for it all to come together.

Bucket list creator.

Headed to Egypt for vacation. Got this to educate myself. My new bucket list item is having lunch with the professor. He is a wonderful speaker! Thanks.

so good.

so much detail. everything from everyday life of the peasants to the great deeds of kings. very accessible, you can jump right in without any prior knowledge of egypt. bob brier delivers in a way that sounds like he knows these characters in these stories, really knows them. I'm nearing the final lectures and already trying to decide which dynasty to revisit first.

I now am addicted to Ancient Egypt

I have no idea why I decided to get this except there was an offer for 1 free "Great Courses" and I liked what the reviewers said about this title. I am now totally addicted to Egyptian history. The lecturer was awesome! His total enthusiasm for the subject was infectious and I've now listened to the entire series of lectures twice. He really makes the subject fun and I learned so much. Now I just need to get a trip to Egypt and some of the world's museums planned so I can see for myself a lot of what he talked about.

Authoritative and passionate professor

Bob Brier clearly eats, sleeps, and breathes Egyptology and wouldn't have it any other way. An obvious professional who makes an otherwise esoteric subject accessible. His narration style can be irritatingly New Yorker-ish, not unlike how Donald Trump rambles, but it's worth putting up with as the material is pretty delightful.

Superb prep for Egypt trip

Prof Brier is a gem!! Clearly loves his subject, loves his mummies and gets you drawn in to Egyptology! I found myself laughing out loud at certain parts and at the edge of seat at other times!! He’s spurred me on to learn more and I know I’ll never yawn by the Egyptian section in any museum ever again!!!

The absolute best resource on ancient Egypt!

Bob Brier is probably the best presenting college professor I have had the pleasure of listening or watching. His absolute knowledge of the subject, the fact he is an Egyptologist himself and the only person to recreate creating a mummy I have heard of just underlines his knowledge.

He reviews 3,000 years of history in 30 hours or so, packing each 30 minute lesson full of interesting details. He clarifies many myths we are told about and underscores how they weren't quite so primitive as we think.

The breadth of the entire course is massive. He brushes just about everything niche subject you would want to know about Egypt. Do you like medicine, he covers it some. Do you like magical and religious beliefs, there you go. Do you like drama and romance... even some of that is there.

You cannot go wrong listening to Bob if you like Egpyt. He has everything and I just can't recommend his courses more.

Table of Contents

LECTURE 1 Introduction
LECTURE 2 Prehistoric Egypt
LECTURE 3 Ancient Egyptian Thought
LECTURE 4 Napoleon and the Beginnings of Egyptology
LECTURE 5 The Rosetta Stone, and Much More
LECTURE 6 The First Nation in History
LECTURE 7 The Rise of the Old Kingdom
LECTURE 8 Sneferu, the Pyramid Builder
LECTURE 9 The Great Pyramid of Giza
LECTURE 10 The End of the Old Kingdom
LECTURE 11 The First Intermediate Period
LECTURE 12 The Middle Kingdom—Dynasty XI
LECTURE 13 The Middle Kingdom—Dynasty XII
LECTURE 14 The Second Intermediate Period
LECTURE 15 Joseph in Egypt
LECTURE 16 The Beginning of the New Kingdom— The Fabulous XVIIIth Dynasty
LECTURE 17 Queen Hatshepsut
LECTURE 18 Obelisks
LECTURE 19 Tuthmosis III—King at Last
LECTURE 20 The Fabulous XVIIIth Dynasty Rolls On
LECTURE 21 Akhenaten the Heretic Pharaoh
LECTURE 22 The Discovery of Tutankhamen’s Tomb
LECTURE 23 The Murder of Tutankhamen—A Theory
LECTURE 24 Medicine—The Necessary Art
LECTURE 25 The End of Dynasty XVIII
LECTURE 26 Mummification—How We Know What We Know
LECTURE 27 What Mummies Tell Us
LECTURE 28 Making a Modern Mummy
LECTURE 29 Dynasty XIX Begins
LECTURE 30 Ramses the Great—The Early Years
LECTURE 31 Ramses the Great—The Later Years
LECTURE 32 The Exodus—Did It Happen?
LECTURE 33 The Decline of Dynasty XIX
LECTURE 34 Dynasty XX—The Decline Continues
LECTURE 35 Ancient Egyptian Magic
LECTURE 36 Dynasty XXI—Egypt Divided
LECTURE 37 Dynasty XXII—Egypt United
LECTURE 38 Dynasties XXIV and XXV—The Nubians Have Their Day
LECTURE 39 Dynasty XXVI—The Saite Period
LECTURE 40 Dynasty XXVII—The Persians
LECTURE 41 Dynasties XXVIII–XXXI—The Beginning of the End
LECTURE 42 Alexander the Great
LECTURE 43 The First Ptolemies
LECTURE 44 The Middle Ptolemies—The Decline
LECTURE 45 Animal Mummies
LECTURE 46 Cleopatra’s Family
LECTURE 47 Cleopatra—The Last Ptolemy
LECTURE 48 The Grand Finale

Absolutely Incredible!

I really enjoyed this listen by Prof. Bob. Second time listening to it and it never ceases to capture my attention and interest. I'm Egyptian and was interested in my country's history when I stumbled upon this book and haven't looked back. I like the chronological order with the occasional side detours. Prof. Bon touches on so many subjects it's incredible. Architecture, medicine, magic, mythology, religion, language and art. He personalizes the historic figures which makes it the more so interesting. He also suggests at the last lecture on how to continue learning about Ancient Egypt by giving a large list of resources from movies, literature, institutes and museums. Loved it!