Early Dynastic Egypt (Anglais) Broché – 14 juin 2001
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The results of over thirty years of international scholarship and excavation are presented in a single highly illustrated volume. It traces the re-discovery of Early Dynastic Egypt, explains how the dynasties established themselves in government and concludes by examining the impact of the early state on individual communities and regions.
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The amount of factual detail in this book is overwhelming, as befits a scholarly work, but there is not enough interpretation or explanation to make the archaeology come alive for a non-professional reader. The book's lack of illustration (other than confusing line drawings of early dynastic seals) is another minus, both for scholars and general readers alike.
I was also surprised at Wilkinson's non-quantitative treatment of the archaeological record. Important numbers like population estimates and enclosure dimensions seem largely absent from this book.
Wilkinson makes up for this by organizing the book more by topic than by chronology. It makes for an interesting read, even if the picture that emerges is just a fragmentary as the evidence. A perusal of the table of contents will give you an idea of how this is done.
Wilkinson spares no detail. Looking for attested instances of Semerkhet's nswt-bty? They're all dutifully cataloged in well-written prose in the chapter covering kings by chronology and likely referenced in the chapter on population centers if they were found within one.
Aside from the actual archaeological evidence, there's a fair bit of informed speculation. The actual names of the kings isn't altogether clear and there are a few ephemerally attested kings that may be alternate names of known kings, usurpers, or something else entirely. It's these musings that make this such a great read and highlight where encyclopedias of kings' names or overviews of Egyptian history fall well short. Early Dynastic Egypt is invaluable.
1) the paper the books is printed on is slightly glossy which I find extremely irritating as it catched light and returns a glare when you're reading (I told you this would be nitpicky).
2) not many illustrations - publishing costs being what they are, etc. I can understand the lack of illustrations and the choices made as to what to include, but clear understanding of some points, especially when discussing layout of sites, etc. is greatly facilitated by the inclusion of good maps, plans, etc.