Sunday, October 29, 2006

Book Review: The Archaeology of Early Egypt

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prehistoric/reviews/06_08_wengrow.htm
A detailed review by Alice Stevenson of David Wengrow's The Archaeology of Early Egypt: "The Archaeology of Early Egypt is ambitious in scope covering the period from the end of the last Ice Age (c. 10,000 BC) through to the emergence and early development of the state (c. 2650 BC). Accounts of this period, or parts of it, have been attempted before. Refreshingly, what sets Wengrow’s work apart from many of these other studies, with the notable exception of Michael Hoffman’s (1979) volume, is the balanced, critical engagement with social theory which situates the evidence within a broader academic narrative.
Writing such an authoritative account is not an easy task. This is particularly the case given that this large span of time encompasses fundamental social transformations, such as the emergence of farming, the origins of kingship and writing, as well as the evolution of the Egyptian state."
See the above page for the rest of this very useful review.

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