Egyptomaniacs How We Became Obsessed with Ancient Epypt

Fantastic

Bewertung aus Zürich am 01.07.2020
Bewertungsnummer: 1346791
Bewertet: Buch (Gebundene Ausgabe)

I've been interested in Ancient Egypt (AE) since I was a child so when I saw this book on Netgalley, I had to get it. It was absolutely worth it! The book is not only well-written and therefore engaging, interesting and fun but also well-researched, nuanced and critical. Nielsen analyses how AE has been interpreted and represented throughout history, from Ancient Greece and Rome to the Middle Ages continuing to the 18th and 19th century, finishing in 20th and 21st century. He shows how stereotypes and imaginations of AE existed already millennia ago and have survived the passage of time. As Nielsen show, AE was often used to legitimise the political and societal power of a culture, be it Greeks, Romans, fascists, Nazis or current nations, by connecting AE with contemporary societies and claiming ancestry and ownership of AE culture. He tackles multiple facets, which includes egyptology and how hieroglyphs were misrepresented, Orientalism, the impact of colonialist imagery and politics, the looting and plundering of artefacts, the use of AE artefacts as symbols of power (like the obelisk) and modern conspiracy theories, like the idea that the pyramids were built by aliens. He also discusses how racism and white supremacy colour a lot of interpretations and misguided judgements and how notions Race Theory impacted the field and study of Ancient Egyptian history. Nielsen's book is absolutely fantastic and he clearly shows how modern visions of AE are strongly connected to age-old stereotypes and myths but also how racism plays an integral role in how AE is inaccurately understood. Each argument is carefully presented and backed up with sources and data. He also manages to show a wry and witty humour that makes reading really enjoyable, especially during more unnerving passages, but he never crosses the boundary to being disrespectful of the matter at hand. Truly a great work of entertaining and captivating academic writing.