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sense_of_history's review
Very creditable anthology, and - as far as I can judge - also largely excellent translations. Of course, for me as a layman, it is mainly the intelligibility that counts, and that is not an easy aspect. Because Ancient Egypt experienced quite a bit of evolution in its three-thousand-year existence, and some genres (such as hymns) are in themselves rather hermetic.
For me, the most interesting and most eloquent texts have an emphasis on the literary content. It is striking that the earliest literary texts only date from the beginning of the 2nd millennium bce, several centuries later than the Mesopotamian ones. But since they are immediately counted as part of the Golden Period of Ancient Egyptian literature, you can assume that a high-level literary tradition must have existed for much longer. I am thinking, for example, of the ingenious fantasy story [b:The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor|16409302|The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor|Unknown|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|22596719], the well-known [b:The Tale of Sinuhe|16409301|The Tale of Sinuhe|Unknown|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|7189366], and the books of wisdom, with the [b:The Instruction of Ptah-hotep And the Instruction of Ke'gemni|11478937|The Instruction of Ptah-hotep And the Instruction of Ke'gemni|Ptahhotep|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1463188681l/11478937._SY75_.jpg|87022306] and especially [b:The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant (Griffith Institute Publications)|9236543|The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant (Griffith Institute Publications) (Egyptian Edition)|Unknown|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1538493665l/9236543._SX50_.jpg|14116806] and [b:Dispute Between a Man and His Ba|33014706|Dispute Between a Man and His Ba|Unknown|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|53661728] as highlights. To be honest: this level has not been reached anymore afterwards, and that is also a remarkable difference with Mesopotamia, where gems were still produced in the second half of the 2nd and in the 1st millennium bce.
The only texts that come close are [b:Love Poetry and Songs from the Ancient Egyptians|27124756|Love Poetry and Songs from the Ancient Egyptians|Gilbert Moore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585149994l/27124756._SY75_.jpg|47163791] composed in the New Kingdom (1500-1200 bce) and the extensive historical accounts (always with a strong propagandistic slant, of course). Also [b:New Kingdom - Amarna Period: The Great Humn to Aten Iconography of Religion (Iconography of Religions)|4705491|New Kingdom - Amarna Period The Great Humn to Aten Iconography of Religion (Iconography of Religions) (Iconography of Religions / Iconography of Religions, Egypt)|Hari|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1266896270l/4705491._SX50_.jpg|4769830] by the controversial pharaoh Akhenaten should be included. I liked that this anthology also included Demotic texts (from the 1st millennium BCE and also the first centuries AD), where connections with Greek and Hebrew texts can be clearly made.
In general, the Ancient Egyptian texts have their own character, are structurally influenced by the fact that the pharaonic court did have a very strong control over the culture (and therefore gives a somewhat misleading picture), and that influences between other areas and cultures in the Ancient Near East are certainly noticeable. As far as I can estimate, there is still a lot of work to be done, especially in the latter domain, to get a better picture of this mutual interaction.
For me, the most interesting and most eloquent texts have an emphasis on the literary content. It is striking that the earliest literary texts only date from the beginning of the 2nd millennium bce, several centuries later than the Mesopotamian ones. But since they are immediately counted as part of the Golden Period of Ancient Egyptian literature, you can assume that a high-level literary tradition must have existed for much longer. I am thinking, for example, of the ingenious fantasy story [b:The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor|16409302|The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor|Unknown|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|22596719], the well-known [b:The Tale of Sinuhe|16409301|The Tale of Sinuhe|Unknown|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|7189366], and the books of wisdom, with the [b:The Instruction of Ptah-hotep And the Instruction of Ke'gemni|11478937|The Instruction of Ptah-hotep And the Instruction of Ke'gemni|Ptahhotep|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1463188681l/11478937._SY75_.jpg|87022306] and especially [b:The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant (Griffith Institute Publications)|9236543|The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant (Griffith Institute Publications) (Egyptian Edition)|Unknown|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1538493665l/9236543._SX50_.jpg|14116806] and [b:Dispute Between a Man and His Ba|33014706|Dispute Between a Man and His Ba|Unknown|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|53661728] as highlights. To be honest: this level has not been reached anymore afterwards, and that is also a remarkable difference with Mesopotamia, where gems were still produced in the second half of the 2nd and in the 1st millennium bce.
The only texts that come close are [b:Love Poetry and Songs from the Ancient Egyptians|27124756|Love Poetry and Songs from the Ancient Egyptians|Gilbert Moore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585149994l/27124756._SY75_.jpg|47163791] composed in the New Kingdom (1500-1200 bce) and the extensive historical accounts (always with a strong propagandistic slant, of course). Also [b:New Kingdom - Amarna Period: The Great Humn to Aten Iconography of Religion (Iconography of Religions)|4705491|New Kingdom - Amarna Period The Great Humn to Aten Iconography of Religion (Iconography of Religions) (Iconography of Religions / Iconography of Religions, Egypt)|Hari|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1266896270l/4705491._SX50_.jpg|4769830] by the controversial pharaoh Akhenaten should be included. I liked that this anthology also included Demotic texts (from the 1st millennium BCE and also the first centuries AD), where connections with Greek and Hebrew texts can be clearly made.
In general, the Ancient Egyptian texts have their own character, are structurally influenced by the fact that the pharaonic court did have a very strong control over the culture (and therefore gives a somewhat misleading picture), and that influences between other areas and cultures in the Ancient Near East are certainly noticeable. As far as I can estimate, there is still a lot of work to be done, especially in the latter domain, to get a better picture of this mutual interaction.
marc129's review
3.0
Beautiful anthology of ancient Egyptian literature, provided by top translators from the English-speaking region. The texts are arranged by genre (stories, wisdom literature, religious literature, songs and hymns, official epigraphs, autobiographical material), and certainly the most well-known texts are included. All texts are briefly situated, although that could certainly have been more concrete. In that respect, Toby Wilkinson's anthology [b:Writings from Ancient Egypt|29776959|Writings from Ancient Egypt|Anonymous|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1462920818l/29776959._SY75_.jpg|50143633] is much better (although it does not include late Egyptian texts, in demotic script).
Beware, it are very ancient texts, only partially preserved (most of them on papyrus) which means that words, sentences or passages are often missing, and that the different versions of the ancient Egyptian language do not always allow for an unequivocal or expressive translation. This makes some of these texts rather difficult to read. Anyway, I was impressed by the diversity and the depth of some of the lyrics. Another proof that, as children of modernity, we continue to have a derogatory prejudice against older "primitive" cultures.
For a more in-depth review, see the review in my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5553648055.
Beware, it are very ancient texts, only partially preserved (most of them on papyrus) which means that words, sentences or passages are often missing, and that the different versions of the ancient Egyptian language do not always allow for an unequivocal or expressive translation. This makes some of these texts rather difficult to read. Anyway, I was impressed by the diversity and the depth of some of the lyrics. Another proof that, as children of modernity, we continue to have a derogatory prejudice against older "primitive" cultures.
For a more in-depth review, see the review in my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5553648055.