This fascinating study brings to life the people who lived and died at Deir el-Medina over three thousand years ago--the workers who built the tombs of the pharaohs in the nearby Valley of the Kings. Dr. Bierbrier draws on the thousands of documents, letters, literary texts, and drawings found at the site to give an intimate glimpse of life in the village.

This book takes a look at the spiritual aspects of a uniq ue architecture and building technique, illuminating its discussion with more than 140 illustrations. Through description of the buildings, frescos, statues, hieroglyphs, and paintings it demonstrates how a civilization and its kings developed a faith and religion that was omnipresent, and how and why Egyptian art continued to flourish for 3000 years.

In Rosalie David's hands, the Egyptian builders of the pyramids are revealed as simple people, leading ordinary lives while they are engaged on building the great tomb for a Pharoah. This is an engrossing detective story, bringing to the general reader a fascinating picture of a special community that lived in Egypt and built one of the pyramids, some four thousand years ago.

World-renowned archaeologist Zahi Hawass weaves a spellbinding narrative about how the pyramids were built and why, new in paperback Nearly five thousand years ago, the fourth dynasty of Egypt's Old Kingdom reigned over a highly advanced civilization. Believed to be gods, the royal family lived amid colossal palaces and temples built to honor them and their deified ancestors. In Mountains of the Pharaohs, Zahi Hawass brings these extraordinary historical figures to life, detailing a soap opera-like saga complete with murder, incest, and the triumphant ascension to the throne of one of only four queens ever to rule Egypt. It was during this dynasty that the magnificent pyramids of Giza were built. These monuments attest not only to the dynasty's supreme power, but also to the engineering expertise and architectural sophistication that flourished under its rule. Hawass tells the complete story of the pyramids, weaving archaeological data with a history of Egypt's powerful pharaohs, and argues that the pyramids--including the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World still standing--were built by skilled craftsmen who took great pride in their work. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs and drawings, Mountains of the Pharaohs is a compelling account of one of civilization's greatest achievements.

In Dr David's study, the builders of the pyramids are revealed as simple people with ordinary preoccupations: who worried about their families, grumbled about working conditions - and even planned a strike to improve them.

World-renowned archaeologist Zahi Hawass weaves a spellbinding narrative about how the pyramids were built and why, new in paperback Nearly five thousand years ago, the fourth dynasty of Egypt’s Old Kingdom reigned over a highly advanced civilization. Believed to be gods, the royal family lived amid colossal palaces and temples built to honor them and their deified ancestors. In Mountains of the Pharaohs, Zahi Hawass brings these extraordinary historical figures to life, detailing a soap opera-like saga complete with murder, incest, and the triumphant ascension to the throne of one of only four queens ever to rule Egypt. It was during this dynasty that the magnificent pyramids of Giza were built. These monuments attest not only to the dynasty’s supreme power, but also to the engineering expertise and architectural sophistication that flourished under its rule. Hawass tells the complete story of the pyramids, weaving archaeological data with a history of Egypt’s powerful pharaohs, and argues that the pyramids—including the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World still standing—were built by skilled craftsmen who took great pride in their work. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs and drawings, Mountains of the Pharaohs is a compelling account of one of civilization’s greatest achievements.