Daily Life in Ancient Egyptian Personal Correspondence

Susan Thorpe author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Archaeopress

Published:25th Feb '21

Should be back in stock very soon

Daily Life in Ancient Egyptian Personal Correspondence cover

Representations and inscriptions on tomb and temple walls and individual stelae have provided considerable knowledge of ancient Egyptian daily life, religious custom and military achievements. However, as visual or eulogistic textual evidence they are unable to provide the insight into the people themselves, their personalities and the events and issues they were concerned with, insight which can be found in personal correspondence. Daily Life in Ancient Egyptian Personal Correspondence addresses a selection of letters from the Old Kingdom up to and including the Twenty-first Dynasty. Under the topic headings of problems and issues, daily life, religious matters, military and police matters, it will show the insight they provide regarding aspects of belief, relationships, custom and behaviour, evidencing the distinctiveness of the data such personal correspondence can provide as a primary source of daily life in ancient Egypt – the extra dimension.

This is a fascinating read that really brings ancient Egyptian people to life - from the standard-bearer Maiseti threatening a man with death while also asking him to provide more rope, to the horrified Khay sent a jar of fat instead of honey. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in Egyptology, with plenty of background notes and references to keep the academics happy. -- Sarah Griffiths * Ancient Egypt *
In one letter a man demands his maidservant be returned, while in another a brother complains that his sister doesn’t write to him. Each provide a unique snapshot of what it was to live in the shadow of the pyramids. This work yields a fascinating glimpse of what it was to be a part of this long-vanished world. -- Dianna Wray * AramcoWorld *

ISBN: 9781789695076

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 301g

136 pages