The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt

By: Toby Wilkinson

Narrated by: Michael Page

In this landmark work, one of the world's most renowned Egyptologists tells the epic story of this great civilization, from its birth as the first nation-state to its final absorption into the Roman Empire - 3,000 years of wild drama, bold spectacle, and unforgettable characters.

Award-winning scholar Toby Wilkinson captures not only the lavish pomp and artistic grandeur of this land of pyramids and pharaohs but for the first time reveals the constant propaganda and repression that were its foundations. Drawing upon 40 years of archaeological research, Wilkinson takes us inside an exotic tribal society with a pre-monetary economy and decadent, divine kings who ruled with all-too-recognizable human emotions.

Riveting and revelatory, filled with new information and unique interpretations, The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt will become the standard source about this great civilization, one that lasted - so far - longer than any other.

©2010 Toby Wilkinson (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This is a penetrating and authoritative overview of a violent ancient civilization often revered by contemporary scholars and enthusiasts." ( Publishers Weekly)

The parts Hollywood missed

A comprehensive study of Egyptian history, almost textbookish in style. After listening, I would recommend a kindle or book format. The complexity of the names and places would have been easier to distinguish visually.

Well Written and Detailed

Any additional comments?

This is not a book for a listener who has only a passing interest in history. There is a lot of detail, everything from the motivations of the upper classes to the everyday struggles of the peasantry, and you'll hear about the lives and deeds of many Pharaohs over a period of 3000 years. Now, if you're still interested after reading that, let me say that I think the book strikes a good balance between depth and scope for a pure history book. The author stays on task and doesn't get too caught up in minutiae, just enough to give the reader a good description of the character of each period. There are good descriptions and explanations of every Pharaoh from Narmer to Cleopatra and the cultural landscape and evolution of Egypt is well represented. The narrator does a good job and kept me interested, although I think there were a few things that were mispronounced. That said, a book like this has many, many challenging names for an English speaker to pronounce so I don't fault him much for it. Overall, I enjoyed taking a fairly deep dive into the history of Egypt and it left me wanting more, especially with regards to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods which were, understandably, not really the focus of this book.

Pretty standard narrative. Nothing special. Good performance from narrator

Well-paced, but very general overview of ancient Egyptian history from the beginning to Cleopatra. The intro tries to present the chapters to follow as some kind of break from traditional narratives about Egyptian history, with an eye more toward the people, whose story usually suffers at the expense of the rulers and the story of wars and conquest. It fails at that. But the telling of standard ancient Egyptian history is entertaining enough. I listened the whole way through. The narrator is great. Pleasant, clear voice, well-read.

a great history book

Vary well written. probably the best Egyptian history book in circulation. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Infornative, Concise, Rich in Details, but...

The history is told (it could be argued appropriately) from 21st century lens steeped in 21st century western values. Whether it is the reader or the narrator, the tone can get quite judgmental, and it may be good to approach the material lest we lose sight of the political structures necessary for the running of such a state. It is a well written, chronologically sound and ordered book well worth reading/listening to.

Absolutely superb!

Very very well done. More history books should be done like this one. The narrator was perfect for the material. A real pleasure to listen too!

loved this book!!

I am a history honk. Listening to this book helped me relax and lessen stress during current 90 hour work weeks.

Fascinating history

Toby Wilkinson has written a masterpiece of historical research on ancient Egypt. It is lively, entertaining and contains fascinating details on the subject. This book fills in many holes in not just ancient Egyptian history but also in the history of the ancient Middle East. Michael Page does a masterful job of reading the book and pronouncing the many Egyptian names, phrases and entire passages from original sources. Well worth the time.

what a freaking book!!!

If you want to learn about ancient Egypt, how it came to be, and where it went; please do yourself a favor and buy this book right now! definitely one of my favorite audiobooks to date!

Fantastic Book! All-Around Wonderful

What more can I say than "wow"! This book has it all, from great coverage of all things Ancient Egypt to a great reading by the narrator, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in history or just looking to have fun learning!