Product Description

The Pyramid Texts are the oldest body of extant literature from ancient Egypt. First carved on the walls of the burial chambers in the pyramids of kings and queens of the Old Kingdom, they provide the earliest comprehensive view of the way in which the ancient Egyptians understood the structure of the universe, the role of the gods, and the fate of human beings after death. Their importance lies in their antiquity and in their endurance throughout the entire intellectual history of ancient Egypt. This volume contains the complete translation of the Pyramid Texts, including new texts recently discovered and published. It incorporates full restorations and readings indicated by post–Old Kingdom copies of the texts and is the first translation that presents the texts in the order in which they were meant to be read in each of the original sources.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #565903 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 471 pages

About the Author
James P. Allen is Curator of Egyptian Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the author of The Art of Medicine in Ancient Egypt (Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University Press), The Heqanakht Papyri (Metropolitan Museum of Art), Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs (Cambridge University Press), and other books on ancient Egypt.

Customer Reviews

Excellent Source Material
Allen's translation and take on the Pyramid Texts is both profound and a wonderful read. Rather than just dry translation Allen uses the English language the way it was meant to be used. I would highly recommend this book to any student of Egypt. This is the source material combined with the translations of Faulkner and Budge among others one can gain a comprehensive insight into ancient Egypt from various view points without a lot of the "New Age" hoopla that surrounds so many recent publications concerning Ancient Egypt.

It boosts self-confidence and places the individual in his centre
As psychologist I recommend this book. It boosts self-confidence and places the individual in the centre of the universe and nature. We can find ourselves in this book. It's the proto Bible if we see gods as principles. We see here that all teachings of Moses and Jesus are Egyptian too, besides G'd given or according to nature. The content is so powerful that it even can create worldpeace. Pyramids are 'good news books'.