Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt

By: Bob Brier, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Bob Brier

Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

What is it about ancient Egypt that still captures our imaginations? How did it grow from a few villages along the Nile into the greatest power the world had ever seen? Explore these questions and more in these 12 entertaining lectures that tell the stories of the great pharaohs and the daily realities of Egyptian life.

By recounting the lives and accomplishments of the men and women who made Egypt such a captivating civilization, Professor Brier presents a history of ancient Egypt that spans more than 30 centuries and introduces you to the personalities who made Egypt the greatest nation of the ancient world. Among other things, you'll study: The "Narmer Palette," the first historical document, whose images of Narmer's traditions would endure for 3,000 years; Sneferu, who taught Egypt how to perfect the pyramid, a structure whose origins lay in the need to protect desert graves from exposure by the wind; the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb, which is the most scrutinized episode in the history of Egyptology; and Cleopatra, the enigmatic Grecian ruler who learned Egypt's language and tried to resurrect both the nation's religion and greatness.

Cleopatra's valiant efforts to save Egypt, with the aid of Julius Caesar and, afterward, with Marc Antony, were doomed. Egypt, no longer a nation, would become a Roman province. But the civilization's fascinating story would live on for thousands of years.

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

©2004 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2004 The Great Courses

A Great Presenter

Professor Brier presents the information in a way that is informative, explanatory, and interesting; a great combination. His students must love going to his class!

Too short!

I wish this lecture would keep going, it was incredibly captivating and informative. Bob Brier is passionate about what he’s teaching and that just makes it a fantastic listen.

Egypt

I increase my understanding of the history of Egypt andi its. contribution to further countries.

entertaining but simplistic

this is a very entertaining take on dynastic egypt. very informative. however the underlying assumptions about sovereignty, slavery, the way political power is maintained, about 'greatness' and all political and moral issues...its extremely problematic. it makes this levture sound like it was delivered in the 1930s rather than 2010s. entertaining nonetheless if a bit out of sync with how far critical scientific history anthropology and archaeology have come

Interesting, Informative

The Professor provided 12 Lessons with historial details , facts and his personal opinion and theories

Love it!!

Would you listen to Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt again? Why?

I will definitely be listening to this again because the delivery of the information is engaging. I feel like I've learned and retained more from listening to this book than all of my prior reading combined.

solid but not stellar

I enjoyed it but wouldn't recommend it necessarily as a first primer on Egypt

Perfect for those fascinated by Ancient History

I loved this! Interesting subject and I didnt want to stop listening for even a few minutes

Must it end?

Brier knows his subject thoroughly and has the ability to engage the listener with these ancient times in history with fresh vitality. I was left with a sense of kinship to these Egyptian key players and felt only regret that there was no more!?

Opinionated for a College Lecture

First, let me establish that I recommend this book. Second, let's make it clear the lecturer is an expert in mummies, so my criticism is directed at other things.

First, it is apparent that the lecturer is the type who falls in love with his subject, so he doesn't like to here bad news about what was typical Pharaoh behavior.

Second, the guy is agnostic. And since this is a history class, I should not be able to see that. It comes up when he gives his interpretation of the Exodus. He is not as well read on the subject of Biblical Archeology as I am, and while nothing can be proven there are many important points he misses on the subject. In fact, according to other theories he misplaces the Exodus by centuries. And the assertion the Red Sea was really the Reed Sea in the Exodus saga has been debunked.

Third, as alluded earlier, the lecturer presents his interpretation of the evidence. He always does say when he's expressing his opinion, but he never provides an alternative. I would say this series could benefit greatly for expansion in that regard, because this is a little short in for a Great Courses series.