Customer Reviews

Complete Gods And Goddesses Of Ancient Egypt

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Richard Wilkinson's latest book (he has previously written "Reading Egyptian Art," "Symbol and Magic in Egyptian Art," and "The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt") presents the reader with an impressive selection of all the major gods and goddesses, and many of the minor ones, of ancient Egypt. Although hardly "complete" in the technical sense (Wilkinson discusses "only" 500 of Egypt's 1500 or so deities, and much more could be said about the ones he does discuss), the book is fairly "complete" in a practical sense: most gods that most readers want to look up, will get at least a brief mention. For example, you will find here the 24 Hours of the Day and Night, 12 (of 21) Gates of the Underworld, all 42 Gods of Judgement, and all 42 (hmm... there's that number again!) Nome Deities.

The book begins with twelve brief essays (4-6 pages each) on Egyptian religion, covering such topics as creation myths, manifestations of divinity, temple and popular worship, and divine kingship. The essays are thoughtful, informative, and up-to-date with current scholarship. I wish they had been longer, because they deserve to be expanded at greater length than the book allocates to them.

The rest of the book, some 180 pages, is devoted to a "Catalogue of Deities," organized by biological shape (anthropomorphic male and female, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, and inanimate objects). This is a great idea, but it could have been taken even further. A visual index of shapes would make lookup much easier, and would only take an additional page or two. A name index is, of course, provided. Why not give a hieroglyphic index as well?

Going to the individual entries, Wilkinson generally provides information about the mythology, iconography, and worship of each deity. The deities are generously illustrated, with line drawings and photographs. Again, I would wish that many of these entries could be expanded, both in terms of discussion and in terms of visual iconography. This is not a criticism of Wilkinson; it just reflects the practical limitations of the book.

To summarize, Wilkinson's "Gods and Goddesses" is a very well-written, thoughtful, accurate, beautifully produced and illustrated reference on the religion of ancient Egypt. In terms of coverage it is somewhere between a handbook and an encyclopedia. I am very glad to have it in its present form, and I only wish that it had been much longer, since it is clear that Wilkinson has more to say about this subject than could fit into the covers of the present book. I would gladly pay double the price to have a truly complete encyclopedia of Egypt's gods from this author.

First off, "The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt" is not a book you want to read cover to cover. I love Egyptian mythology, but I really just use it for refrence when I need it. Some of the other sections on the origins of the dieties and such are great information as well.
For $30, it is an excellent book, although if you really want some truly in-depth (and hard to digest) material, more academic books might appeal, although they tend to run significantly more.
For its price, I think this book is an excellent introduction to the roles and mythology of the Egyptian dieties. Despite how my review sounds, I enjoy it.

As I first starting reading this book, I noticed the dates were very very advanced from any other dates that I had seen with the corrosponding event. Sadly, after that I didn't really take in things said in the book to be of researched value. But it does have useful maps, and pictures of present Egypt to compare with drawings of ancient Egypt.

Compiled and written by Richard H. Wilkinson (Professor and Directory of the University of Arizona Egyptian Expedition), and enhanced with 338 illustrations (132 in full-color), The Complete Gods And Goddesses Of Ancient Egypt is a straightforward introduction to Egyptian mythology and iconography, offering comprehensive details about both major and minor deities. Organized into five general categories (Rise and Fall of the Gods; Nature of the Gods; Worship of the Gods; Kingship and the Gods; and The Catalogue of Deities), The Complete Gods And Goddesses Of Ancient Egypt is a first-rate, strongly recommended resource and reference for writers, historians, and lay readers curious about the mythologies of the Egyptian culture over a period of more than two thousand years.