History of Egypt, Chaldæa, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria

Gaston MasperoProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 4.2

Word count: 8.5K words
Chapters: 1

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.History of Egypt, Chaldæa, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria by G. MasperoAuthor: Maspero, G. (Gaston), 1846-1916,Language: English, Class: DS: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Asia, Release Date: May 19, 2009

Editor's review

This is the English translation of the ancient Oriental history by the French Egyptologist Maspero, covering Egypt, Chaldæa, Syria, Babylonia and Assyria, and is a representative general history of late-nineteenth-century Orientalist scholarship. Its value lies in linking the early civilizations of the Tigris-Euphrates and the Nile in a fairly systematic narrative, touching on political change, religious ideas, writing and social life, with illustrations and a chronological framework that help readers build an overall picture of the ancient Near East. The prose has the composure and detailed elaboration of nineteenth-century academic writing, and its selection of material reflects the archaeological and documentary conditions of the time. It can be read straight through as a general history of regional civilizations or consulted by chapter according to region. Note that some chronological judgments and ethnic interpretations have been corrected by later research; readers should treat it as a text in the history of scholarship and an introductory framework rather than the latest conclusions. Readers interested in the ancient Near East may use it as a starting point for further reading and then correct details with modern general histories.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginning history readers interested in ancient Egypt and the civilizations of the Tigris-Euphrates
Students of literature and history and self-learners needing an overall framework of the ancient Near East
Enthusiasts of scholarly history concerned with nineteenth-century Orientalist writing
Patient readers who enjoy large general histories and are willing to advance region by region

Not a good fit for

Professional researchers seeking the latest archaeological conclusions and contemporary scholarly consensus
Casual readers who prefer light reading and find long academic narratives hard to follow
Readers who find dense ancient names and places and complex chronological threads hard to tolerate

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and introduction first to clarify the regional and chronological framework, then read in blocks such as Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Keep a brief chronology and map at hand while reading, and mark dense names and places as you go.
Take notes where the book's chronological and ethnic judgments seem doubtful, and check modern general histories afterwards to correct them.
Start with the regional chapters that interest you most, and extend to the rest once interest is established.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Which ancient civilizations does this book cover?

According to the title and classification, it covers ancient Near Eastern regions including Egypt, Chaldæa, Syria, Babylonia and Assyria, and is written as a general history of regional civilizations. Readers can use it to build an overall framework of the early civilizations of the Nile and the Tigris-Euphrates, then go deeper region by region.

Are the book's sources and conclusions still credible today?

As a late-nineteenth-century Orientalist work, it reflects the archaeological discoveries and research methods of its time, and some chronological judgments and ethnic interpretations have been revised by later scholarship. Read it as a text in the history of scholarship and an introductory framework, and verify specific conclusions against modern authoritative general histories.

What if the English original is hard to read?

This is an English translation of an academic general history, dense with names and places and with long sentences, and moderately to considerably difficult. Use maps and chronologies to ease comprehension and proceed by regional chapter; if it remains hard, read a relevant Chinese general history first to build background, then return to selected chapters of the original.

Is it suitable for reading from cover to cover?

It can be read straight through, but block-by-block reading is recommended. The book is large and information-dense; advancing separately through Egypt, Mesopotamia and other blocks, with chronologies and maps, will make understanding more solid, and there is no need to memorize every detail when reading straight through—grasp the overall thread first.

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About the author

Gaston Maspero Author · French · 1846–1916

Gaston Maspero (1846–1916) was a French Egyptologist born in Paris. He directed the Egyptian Antiquities Service and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, carried out excavations at Saqqara, and organized the royal mummies, laying a foundation for modern Egyptology. The library holds 13 of his works, chiefly the multi-volume History of Egypt, Chaldæa, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, along with A Manual of Egyptian Archaeology and Guide to the Study of Antiquities in Egypt and L'archéologie égyptienne. Grounded in material and textual evidence, his writing is clear and well organized, combining scholarship with readability, and remains a valuable reference for the study of ancient Egypt and the ancient Near East.