One of the world's oldest treaties provides the backdrop for a new analysis of the Egyptian concept of hetep ("peace"). To understand the full range of meaning of hetep, Peace in Ancient Egypt explores battles against Egypt's enemies, royal offerings to deities, and rituals of communing with the dead. Vanessa Davies argues that hetep is the result of action that is just, true, and in accord with right order (maat). Central to the concept of hetep are the issues of rhetoric and community. Beyond detailing the ancient Egyptian concept of hetep, it is hoped that this book will provide a useful framework that can be considered in relation to concepts of peace in other cultures. Read a recent blog post about the book here.
Peace in the Ancient World: Concepts and Theories conducts a comparative investigation of why certain ancient societies produced explicit concepts and theories of peace and others did not. Explores the idea that concepts of peace in antiquity occurred only in periods that experienced exceptional rates of warfare Utilizes case studies of civilizations in China, India, Egypt, and Greece Complements the 2007 volume War and Peace in the Ancient World, drawing on ideas from that work and providing a more comprehensive examination
"[A] comprehensive resource, which contains texts, posters, slides, and other materials about outstanding works of Egyptian art from the Museum's collection"--Welcome (preliminary page).
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Magisterial . . . [A] rich portrait of ancient Egypt’s complex evolution over the course of three millenniums.”—Los Angeles Times NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • Publishers Weekly In this landmark volume, one of the world’s most renowned Egyptologists tells the epic story of this great civilization, from its birth as the first nation-state to its absorption into the Roman Empire. Drawing upon forty years of archaeological research, award-winning scholar Toby Wilkinson takes us inside a tribal society with a pre-monetary economy and decadent, divine kings who ruled with all-too-recognizable human emotions. Here are the legendary leaders: Akhenaten, the “heretic king,” who with his wife Nefertiti brought about a revolution with a bold new religion; Tutankhamun, whose dazzling tomb would remain hidden for three millennia; and eleven pharaohs called Ramesses, the last of whom presided over the militarism, lawlessness, and corruption that caused a political and societal decline. Filled with new information and unique interpretations, The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt is a riveting and revelatory work of wild drama, bold spectacle, unforgettable characters, and sweeping history. “With a literary flair and a sense for a story well told, Mr. Wilkinson offers a highly readable, factually up-to-date account.”—The Wall Street Journal “[Wilkinson] writes with considerable verve. . . . [He] is nimble at conveying the sumptuous pageantry and cultural sophistication of pharaonic Egypt.”—The New York Times
Warrior, mighty builder, and statesman, over the course of his 67-year-long reign (1279-1212 BCE), Ramesses II achieved more than any other pharaoh in the three millennia of ancient Egyptian civilization. Drawing on the latest research, Peter Brand reveals Ramesses the Great as a gifted politician, canny elder statesman, and tenacious warrior. With restless energy, he fully restored the office of Pharaoh to unquestioned levels of prestige and authority, thereby bringing stability to Egypt. He ended almost seven decades of warfare between Egypt and the Hittite Empire by signing the earliest international peace treaty in recorded history. In his later years, even as he outlived many of his own children and grandchildren, Ramesses II became a living god and finally, an immortal legend. With authoritative knowledge and colorful details Brand paints a compelling portrait of this legendary Pharaoh who ruled over Imperial Egypt during its Golden Age.
This book is the first to focus on war and peace in the ancient world from a global perspective. The first book to focus on war and peace in the ancient world Takes a global perspective, covering a large number of early civilizations, from China, India and West Asia, through the Mediterranean to the Americas Features contributions from nineteen distinguished scholars, all of whom are experts in their fields Offers remarkable insights into the different ways in which ancient societies dealt with a common human challenge Requires no prior historical knowledge, making it suitable for non-specialists
Introduction: How Does Peace Have a World History? Chapter One: Survival of the Peaceful: Prehistory to the First Civilizations. Pre-Human Peace and Peacemaking. Prehistoric Evolutions of Peace. Peace, Peacemaking and the First Civilizations. Chapter Two: Peace in the Ancient West: Egypt, Greece and Rome. A Tale of Two Worlds: Peace and Peacemaking in Ancient Egypt. Ancient Greece, Cradle of Western Peace and Peacemaking? One Empire, One Peace: The Rise of Rome to the Pax Romana's Decline. Chapter Three: Peace in the Ancient East: India, China and Japan. The Many, the Few, the One: Peace and Peacemaking in Ancient India. Harmonies and Antinomies of Ancient China. Foreign Influences and Native Peace in Japanese History. Chapter Four: Monotheistic Peaces: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Shalom: Peace in the Torah and its Times. "Our" Universal Peace: From Christ to Constantine. A Pillar of Peace: The Qur'an and its World. Chapter Five: Medieval, Renaissance and Reformation Peaces. A Tale of Two Cities: Medieval Peace and Peacemaking. (Re)Births of Peace: Renaissance Revivals of and Departures from Traditions. Reforming Christian Peace and Peacemaking. Chapter Six: Peace, Peacemaking and the Ascent of Nation-States. Intra-National Peace and Peacemaking. Inter-National Peace and Peacemaking. Peace and Peacemaking Despite Nation-States. Chapter Seven: Colonial and Imperial Peace and Peacemaking. Peaces of the World: Colonial Peace and Peacemaking. The World in Peaces: Imperial Peace and Peacemaking. Chapter Eight: Modern Economics of Peace and Peacemaking. Capitalism: The Profitability of Peace and the Cost of War. Who Owns Peace? Socialist Perspectives. Chapter Nine: Peace in the Twentieth Century, Part One: 1900-1949. The "War to End all Wars". The Peace to End all Peace? Chapter Ten: Peace in the Twentieth Century, Part Two: 1949-1989. Cold War/Hot Peace. One World, Many Peaces. Chapter Eleven: The Presents of Peace. Globalization: Peace at the End of History. Threatening Opportunities: Terrorism, Technology, New Media and Peace. Conclusion: The Pyramid of Peace: Past, Present and Future. Selected Bibliography. Works Cited. Index.
An A-Z reference providing concise and accessible information on Ancient Egypt from its predynastic cultures to the suicide of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony in the face of the Roman conquest. Annotation. Bunson (an author of reference works) has revised her 1991 reference (which is appropriate for high school and public libraries) to span Egypt's history from the predynastic period to the Roman conquest. The encyclopedia includes entries for people, sites, events, and concepts as well as featuring lengthy entries or inset boxes on major topics such as deities, animals, and the military. A plan and photograph are included for each of the major architectural sites.
