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

Truly Excellent

Cannot recommend this highly enough. Bob is so engaging and brings a true wealth of knowledge to the table, in an accessible fashion. So glad I listened through these lectures.

Wonderful!

If I could give more than 5 stars, I would! A great lecture series, given by a great lecturer!

Couldn’t stop listening

Amazing lecturer with passion and personality… Makes me want to fly to NY, London, or Paris to visit the museums he mentions.
The content covers both a chronological history of ancient Egypt as well as Egyptology, which I loved.

Don’t length of the book scare you

Extremely entertaining and educational collection of lectures about Egypt delivered by a professor who basically takes you by the hand, and leads you through 3000 years of Egyptian history.

San Francisco De Young Ramses Exhibit and listening to Bob Brier 2022-23

I have the 24 hour book, and soon after I begin listening, I visited the Ramses exhibit at the DeYoung museum in San Francisco Golden Gatr Park, where I had been employed by the city parks and recreation for ten years. I have almost listened to it twice now-
I also occasionally drive passengers rideshare and listen to audible books, Sirius XM or my own music -
People have an interest and a passion for history and culture. This is a must have! Thanks.

Brilliantly Perfect

Bob Brier did the most outstanding job making one of the most dense histories of the ancient world truly enjoyable and digestible. I cannot say enough good things about this series and I am now a forever fan of Dr. Brier!

best Great Course of them all

Getting right to the point: Mr Brier is the best narrator of any Great Course I've heard so far, and absolutely knocks this course out of the park with his obvious passion for and knowledge of ancient Egypt, friendly and engrossing delivery, colorful digressions, and to be honest, an accent that is just incredible.
I picked this book rather randomly for something lowkey my wife and I could listen to before bed, only for us to absolutely love it. Once we started listening, it was like we had struck up a conversation with the stranger at our table during a terribly dull wedding just to kill time, only to find ourselves two hours later, still happily following along with this random guy's incredibly well-told, charming, and enlightening depiction of a historical period he clearly has a wealth of knowledge about and a deep love for.
It makes me want to go sign up for his class and move to Long Island just to hear him keep going on the topic. Great work, Mr Brier.

24.5 hours that I would listen to AGAIN

So interesting and compelling. The history of Egypt is rich, complex, and deep. Bob Brier does an excellent job of providing an overview. I’m hoping to find more lectures by this amazing Egyptologist taking time to focus in on specifics.
Side Note: I was fortunate to have a mummy exhibit travel through a local museum in Miami while I was in the midst of this lecture series and was star-struck to see the actual cadaver Dr. Brier mummified! This experience REALLY made this course come to life for me.

For a book on ancient Egypt look no further.

Professor Brier provides much historical knowledge, with great contagious enthusiasm.
Is been a pleasure to listen to this lectures, one can’t get enough of it.
I learned a lot as a result of how the classes were presented.
Two thumbs up on this audio book.

Passionately on subject

The speaker was very clear, and it would be like listening to my New York Jewish Grandfather speak. The topics from start to finish were interesting and leads me to wanting more!