Entertaining and Informative

I loved this. As Brier says in his first lecture, egyptology is a great way to escape your daily routine and enter a fascinating world both familiar and strange. It's had exactly that effect on me. Brier really takes you into his world with his enthusiasm while always remaining clear about his sources and other theories than his own. Great balance of academic rigour and captivating style.

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A fantastic whistle-stop tour through history

It takes someone special to tackle the Herculean task of summarizing three thousand years of history in a single short course, but 'Mr Mummy' Bob Brier -- researcher, author, educator, and TV host -- is exactly the man for the job.

At its core, the course is a linear timeline of Egyptian history, which could easily become a tedious list of names and dates. But Brier has a few tricks up his sleeve to spice things up. Inevitably there are dozens of names that will go in one ear and out the other, but there is also a core cast of historical characters who are described in detail and repeatedly referred to: Sneferu the pyramid builder, Akhenaten the heretic, Ramses the great, archaeologist extraordinaire Flinders Petrie... the list goes on. Brier refers to all of these characters as 'my man,' and you can really feel his love for them. By the end of the course you will have a real sense of their personalities and you will certainly remember their names!

There are also several points at which Brier will spend a chapter or two going on what he calls a 'detour,' exploring interesting questions that you might *think* you already know the answers to: How did we learn to decipher hieroglyphs? Is there any truth to the biblical story of Exodus? How did mummification work? And why did the Egyptians mummify cats? These detours are not at all jarring; they fit nicely into the overall narrative nicely, while provide welcome breaks from it.

Every step of the way, Brier simply oozes enthusiasm and personality. He truly lives and breathes this stuff -- if he mentions a tomb or temple, he has been there; if he mentions a text, he has read it in the original Egyptian; if he mentions an aspect of mummification, he has done it in the lab -- and his passion is contagious.

The only criticisms I have are that Brier does gloss over some big chunks of time (sometimes entire dynasties), which I appreciate was done in order to make the course manageable in length; the fact that the course was recorded in 1999 and therefore the research is not entirely up-to-date; and a slightly irritating habit that Brier has of repeating himself. A habit of repeating himself. Other than those niggles, however, this course is perfect for anyone who has wanted to dive into the world of Ancient Egypt.

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Exceptionally interesting trip into history.

This is one of the best Great Courses that I have listened to. Although it is a bit dated in places, it got me really into this vast period of history and massively enhanced a trip to the British Museum one weekend!

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Fantastic Lectures.

Loved this, like Bob says, ancient Egypt is an escape from the real world. The stories immersed my imagination to the most fantastic places. Some facts are shocking! Very interesting to know. Like how long it took to go from basic primitive speech and tools, to creating some of the greatest monuments and objects the world has seen- and writing. The lecturer Bob Brier has great confidence in his talks and there's never a dull moment. There's even plenty of humour interjected. And speculations to think about for yourself.

However, since publishing of this book some things have changed, such as "King Tutankhamen is still in his sarcophagus" - He's just recently been taken out and is currently being studied and having parts of the coffin repaired. Wonderful. We also do know his parents now. To have been cousins. So some great revelations since the recording of these lectures, but still very very accurate information.

I'm definitely glad I listened. Mind boggling and mind broadening! 5 stars.

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So much history!

I loved this . So much information. Really, really interesting. And, yes, I do want to read more about Egypt.

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Loved it!

This was my first ever great courses audiobook but it won’t be my last! I really loved it.
So informative, interesting and brought ancient Egypt to life and renewed an interest I’ve had for many years.
My only complaint is the weird music between each lecture. I love listening to these at night and I found the music really intrusive. Other than that it was brilliant.

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Great book

Fascinating telling of the history of Egypt, really interesting lecturer and very well told. It doesn't need the music and fake clapping however, just lose that and it would be perfect.

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Informative and accessible

What made the experience of listening to The History of Ancient Egypt the most enjoyable?

Professor Brier has a nice way of drawing the listener in and conveying his own enthusiasm and knowledge. It is broken down into manageable chunks and the listener is never overwhelmed with superfluous information.

Who was your favorite character and why?

As this is an historical text, this question is somewhat irrelevant. There are many, many historical figures described in the book. I do quite like Akhenaten though.

Which character – as performed by Professor Bob Brier – was your favourite?

Again, this question isn't applicable to this text.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No! There are 48 lectures, the majority of which are 30 minutes in duration.

Any additional comments?

The publishers try to maintain the illusion that Professor Brier is talking to a lecture theatre full of students and we are lucky enough to be able to sit in! Alas, this isn't the case and I'm not convinced there is a need for canned applause at the beginning and the end of each lecture.

Professor Brier has a languid delivery which may not be to everyone's taste but I quite liked it. As another reviewer has noted, he does tend to repeat things quite a bit and some of his theories have, since the book was published, proved to be nonsense (the murder of Tutankhamun for instance.)

There are a couple of lectures that I think could have been omitted (magic in Ancient Egypt for instance - unremittingly dull) but, all things considered, this a fantastic and informative set of lectures that I found very interesting.

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Brier is so enthusiastic!

his enthusiasm for his subject quickly draws you in. Every chapter is enthralling!
You can't fail to enjoy

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Brilliant

Absolutely loved every minute of this. Facts too in a logical yet endearing way. What a great lecturer. I’m listening again.

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