Studies on the History of Egypt at the end of the Ramesside Period.

The book presents a critical evaluation of the sources relating to the end of the Ramesside period in Egypt. The events which led to the fall of the Ramessides can be compared only with the twilight of the Tuthmosides under the last rulers of the XVIIIth Dynasty, and to some extent also with the end of the XIXth Dynasty, when usurpers and other powers behind the throne played a dominant role. If the crisis of the monarchy at the end of the XVIIIth and XIXth Dynasties was finally overcome, with the result that new ruling families started a fresh policy of revival, the decline of the XXth Dynasty marked the end of the glorious epoch of the New Kingdom and the devastating collapse of political and social order in Egypt.

Karol Mysliwiec surveys a turbulent time in Ancient Egyptian culture and history -- the eight hundred years between the eleventh century B.C.E. and the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.E., after which Egypt became part of the Hellenistic world. It was a time when Libyans, Kushites, Persians, and Greeks ascended to the throne more frequently than did indigenous kings. The history of this phase of pharaonic Egypt, marked by rapid changes in rule, has been relatively neglected until now. Egypt had become increasingly involved in the affairs of its Near Eastern neighbors (Assyria, Babylon, and Persia) and of the Mediterranean world. These many cultures greatly enriched and influenced pharaonic traditions. At the same time, Egyptian civilization extended far beyond the borders of Egypt itself. One of the most important cultural products of this period is the Old Testament, called here "an inestimable source of information on daily life in pharaonic Egypt". Mysliwiec perceives in recent archaeological discoveries clear evidence that the First Millennium B.C.E. was witness to more than a slow, progressive dying out of the pharaonic past; new and creative elements profoundly altered the culture of Ancient Egypt. Originally published in Polish, The Twilight of Ancient Egypt appeared in 1998 in a German edition. The Cornell edition has been updated by the author and also contains previously unpublished photographs of recently discovered treasures.

Warrior, mighty builder, and statesman, over the course of his 67-year-long reign (1279-1212 BCE), Ramesses II achieved more than any other pharaoh in the three millennia of ancient Egyptian civilization. Drawing on the latest research, Peter Brand reveals Ramesses the Great as a gifted politician, canny elder statesman, and tenacious warrior. With restless energy, he fully restored the office of Pharaoh to unquestioned levels of prestige and authority, thereby bringing stability to Egypt. He ended almost seven decades of warfare between Egypt and the Hittite Empire by signing the earliest international peace treaty in recorded history. In his later years, even as he outlived many of his own children and grandchildren, Ramesses II became a living god and finally, an immortal legend. With authoritative knowledge and colorful details Brand paints a compelling portrait of this legendary Pharaoh who ruled over Imperial Egypt during its Golden Age.

A useful companion to the seventh volume of K. A. Kitchen’s seminal Ramesside Inscriptions Ramesside Inscriptions: Translated and Annotated Notes and Comments, Volume VII complements the seventh volume of Kitchen's seminal hieroglyphic texts (KRI VII) and its companion volume of translations (KRITA VII) that cover the period between Ramesses I and Ramesses XI. This newly published reference work contains the supplementary inscriptions which were not included in the original publication (vols. I-VI), as well as improved readings in KRI VII that reflect a better understanding of the ancient sources. Following a practical and efficient format, each text is presented in its historical context and includes a list of principal references, succinct introductory notes, and comments on specific points of historical, biographical, and philological interest. Provides detailed notes and comments on the wide range of inscriptions in Kitchen’s Ramesside Inscriptions, Volume VII and Translations, Volume VII Features new readings based on current scholarship, such as the detailed accounts of mining expeditions during the first years of the reign of Ramesses VII Contains inscriptions relating to members of the Ramesside royal family, as well as civil, military, and ecclesiastical administrators. Includes discussions of graffiti, funerary monuments, and personal documents from the royal workmen’s village of Deir el-Medina A unique source of knowledge for understanding Ancient Egypt, Ramesside Inscriptions: Translated and Annotated Notes and Comments, Volume VII, is a must-have for academic scholars and advanced students of Egyptology.

Presents proceedings from the eleventh International Congress of Egyptologists which took place at the Florence Egyptian Museum (Museo Egizio Firenze), Italy from 23- 30 August 2015.