Product Description
The bulk of [this] material is furnished by some early texts, written towards the close of the third millennium B.C. They incorporate traditions which extend in unbroken outline from their own period into the remote ages of the past, and claim to trace the history of man back to his creation. They represent the early national traditions of the Sumerian people, who preceded the Semites as the ruling race in Babylonia; and incidentally they necessitate a revision of current views with regard to the cradle of Babylonian civilization. The most remarkable of the new documents is one which relates in poetical narrative an account of the Creation, of Antediluvian history, and of the Deluge. It thus exhibits a close resemblance in structure to the corresponding Hebrew traditions, a resemblance that is not shared by the Semitic-Babylonian Versions at present known. But in matter the Sumerian tradition is more primitive than any of the Semitic versions. In spite of the fact that the text appears to have reached us in a magical setting, and to some extent in epitomized form, this early document enables us to tap the stream of tradition at a point far above any at which approach has hitherto been possible.

Thus our new material enables us to check the age, and in some measure the accuracy, of the traditions concerning the dawn of history which the Greeks reproduced from native sources, both in Babylonia and Egypt, after the conquests of Alexander had brought the Near East within the range of their intimate acquaintance. The third body of tradition, that of the Hebrews, though unbacked by the prestige of secular achievement, has, through incorporation in the canons of two great religious systems, acquired an authority which the others have not enjoyed. In re-examining the sources of all three accounts, so far as they are affected by the new discoveries, it will be of interest to observe how the same problems were solved in antiquity by very different races, living under widely divergent conditions, but within easy reach of one another. Their periods of contact, ascertained in history or suggested by geographical considerations, will prompt the further question to what extent each body of belief was evolved in independence of the others. The close correspondence that has long been recognized and is now confirmed between the Hebrew and the Semitic-Babylonian systems, as compared with that of Egypt, naturally falls within the scope of our enquiry.

Excavation has provided an extraordinarily full archaeological commentary to the legends of Egypt and Babylon; and when I received the invitation to deliver the Schweich Lectures for 1916, I was reminded of the terms of the Bequest and was asked to emphasize the archaeological side of the subject. Such material illustration was also calculated to bring out, in a more vivid manner than was possible with purely literary evidence, the contrasts and parallels presented by Hebrew tradition.

For more titles like this, type “dreamz-work” into the search field or go to http://dreamz-work.com
... Read more

Product Description
Felix Barker, author&journalist, was the archaeological correspondent of the London Evening News. In travels all over Europe and the Middle East, Mr. Barker carried out research in the field at, among many other places, Mycenae, Pompeii, the Egyptian Pyramids, Leptis Magna in North Africaand the Lascaux caves in France. In 1961, he made a special visit to Greece for the Science Program. Mr. Barker wrote a series of studies on lost civilizations and how they have been rediscovered by archeologists. His most concentratedwork was naturally centered around excavations in England and particularly Roman London. When the 1600 year old Temple of Mithras was discovered in the City of London in 1954, Mr. Barker was actually on site when a remarkable find - the head of the God Serapis - was made. Mr. Barker was a former Exchange Scholar at the Choate School in Connecticut. ... Read more

Product Description
While studying an ancient scroll, Egyptologist Thomas McAllister finds the lost account of a secret journey Moses made to Egypt after the Exodus.Using clues in the text McAllister ingeniously finds, and attempts to solve, a perplexing riddle Moses carved inside the oldest temple in Egypt.The riddle leads McAllister and his partner Mayanologist Ann Davenport to a treasure so powerful, so controversial, that both government adn high powered religious factions will stop at nothing to confiscate it.When Ann is kidnapped, McAllister discovers just how far he'll go for someone he loves.Unless McAllister can outwit the vengeful, highly resourceful team assigned to stop him, Moses' ancient treasure, and Ann, will be lost.Based on the biblical fact that Moses made a second set of Commandments after he broke the first (Exodus 34), and that Moses gave two very different accounts of the Commandments (Exodus 20 versus Exodus 34), The Moses Riddle is the explosive story of one man's quest for the truth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Disappointing
After purchasing this book based on the positive reviews I have to say that I was pretty disappointed with it.
The setup of the story is interesting and it kept me going for about a third of the book through the continuous change of point of view, childish situations and overall bad writing.
The rest of the book read just like a romance novel which I really didn't care for.

What really did it for me is the fact that the author kept telling me how our hero is this super-cool, Better-Than-Indiana-Jones, highly intelligent mega-being, and then he has him behaving like a plain stupid person.
Some examples:
*SPOILERS* (sort of)
At one point, the tension is building, the riddle is about to be solved and right in the thick of things, he get drunk and spill major beans to an unknown woman. I really felt betrayed by the author at that very point.
Or, better yet, he has the bad guy quite literally say "look at the birdie" and then sucker-punch him during a major show down.
Sure, in a few pages you will learn that he is trained in a semi-obscure martial art and he could have taken the bad guy out if he wanted to, but you'll never see that happen.

Same goes for the villain, depicted as a genius, but coming off as a plain idiot.

My suggestion for this first effort by the author is definitively a pass. But, since I seem to be the only one with this opinion, you may want to trust the other reviewers and give it a try.

It definitively didn't do it for me.

Fun to read
Imagine staying up late at night watching an old black and white, adventure/mystery movie where the hero of the story is after a treasure, several people are trying to stop him or obtain the treasure for themselves, and the hero meets a woman who may or may not be really on his side.Since it's an old movie, profanity is sparse and romance rules over graphic sex.Now during this old movie, you might find a few situations that seem maybe a might odd, a few conversations a bit odd too and a few lose ends left hanging at the end, but you find yourself hoping the hero prevails though it all, and in the end you find you enjoyed the movie very much and wondering how time passed so quickly.

"The Moses Riddle" is that movie in book form.This is not the type of book I would normally read.In fact, had I not received it as a gift, I would not have read it. And when I started to read it, I expected not to like it.But the writing was enjoyable, the "good-guy" characters were likable, the action moved right along, and there was enough "what is going to happen next" to keep me interested right to the end.If there were one word I was limited to to describe this book, it would be "fun."This was a fun book to read.And even though this is not the type of book I would normally read, if the author writes another, I am going to read it also.Of course, the next time I may have to buy it myself, but I will as it is worth the cost.I recommend this book for those looking for an old time mystery/adventure that is fun to read.Good job Hunt.Keep writing.

Excitement & More
This book deserves more than 5 stars.If you like adventure, action, mystery and a hero that stays 2 jumps ahead of the villains, this is it.There was enough romance and betrayal to make it interesting. I couldn't put it down and devoured each page racing to the next.So much excitement packed into this that I'm looking forward to the second of the series.Indiana Jones look out.

What a fun book!Can't wait for the next one in the series!!
This book was so much fun to read.I have not read such a 'page turner' in quite awhile.Some of the other reviewers here have compared it to the DaVinci Code.That is a good comparison since it deals with controversial Biblical themes - but the book actually had a stronger plot line than the DaVinci Code.And, I loved the fact that the main character has a romantic relationship during the story, another difference w/the DaVinci Code.The main character, Thomas McAlister, is perfect for a series; rough with a bit of compassion, intelligent but with some faults.The two other main characters, Ann, and DJ Warrant are fascinating.If you're looking for a fast paced book full of twists and turns this is it!

Superb
This is such a wonderful book. Because of the large success of the Dan Brown Da Vinci Code there are obviously some comparisons but that is unfair to this book. This book can stand on it's own as a book about a puzzle.

In this story the main character stumbles across a mention of a man going into a pyramid for two days with a mysterious package. From deciphering the story and solving a puzzle on a pyramid wall, the plot moves fast and furious.

I particularly like that the main character is all too human. He is excitable and falls in love and makes some mistakes in judgements.

This story starts moving early in the book and the action continues to the very end. I can hardly wait to read more by this author.

Enjoy. ... Read more

Product Description
Explains the origins of hieroglyphs and what they mean, tells how this ancient form of writing was decoded, and describes the training and importance of scribes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Hieroglyphs The Writing of Ancient Egypt
The book I read was Hieroglyphs the Writing of Ancient Egypt by Norma Jean Katan.Once you pick up this book you just want to keep reading and reading.You want to know what it can teach you next.One of the best ways I can say it is you just don't want to put it down.I know you think Hieroglyphs are really boring and they are just a bunch of pictures, but I swear it's not.It is one of the best types of writing EVER!It is not a lot of reading only 89 pages unless you want to read the glossary and index, but enough about that lets get to the story.This book is interesting for a lot of reasons. (1) You'll like this book because once you start reading you'll want to know more about the subject, and I know this, because hey it worked for me.(2) This book is for all the people who like to write codes to their friends.No one will know what you're talking about except your friends, and me.It doesn't only tell you how to write hieroglyphs it also tells you how to say them too.If you want to freak someone out this is the language for you.(3) This is also an awesome book, because it is not a book you read everyday (unless you are me), so that also makes this book good for you to read.(4) This book also has a few pictures of some things the ancient Egyptians used and made.It also tells you what museum they're at.If you're not a museum person these pictures will make you want to go.Especially when you finish this book you'll probably want to decipher most of what's written on the ancient artifacts.You see ancient Egyptians wrote Hieroglyphs on there belongings, because ancient Egyptians believed in life after death, a life that they hoped would be like their life on earth, only better.They believed the words had magical powers and that if they wrote the name of the thing they needed and put the writing in their tomb they would be sure to have that thing in their next life.The word hieroglyph was first used to name these signs in 300 B.C., when the Greeks came to Egypt and saw them carved on the temple walls.In Greek hiero means holy and glyph means writing.So hieroglyph means holy writing.Ancient Egyptians had evil animals on the wall but they didn't put it as regular animals.For example hieroglyphs that represents evil animal were drawn without legs or heads, or chopped in half, or even nailed down so that the "animals" could not eat the food that was left in the tomb for the dead person in the next life.There are many interesting facts like this, but you'll just have to read this book yourself.
BYE!

By Lauren

Looking for the Right Book
First of all this book might be what you are looking for as an informational book. This book really gives the history and only a couple of hieroglyphs. I mean you can learn a lot of history and not a lot of hieroglyphs if that is what you want. Really this is not a good book in gerneral at all if all you want to is learn hieroglyhps.

Easy to read, with the alphabetic and numerical fundamentals
This book is a simple introduction to the fundamentals of hieroglyphics. The alphabet, the numbers, and some other simbols are translated and shown with pronunciations.Included is a short introduction to the history ofthe study of hieroglyphics.This is not a dictionary, but can teach you toread and write names. Good for young readers. ... Read more

Product Description
A topic based approach to a great civilisation through five books, each covering a different aspect of that civilisation. The history in these books explores how people lived and draws out what our own society has learnt from the ancient civilisation. Focuses on primary sources and what they tell us about people, events and changes in the society in question. Each book contains: - further reading and websites - glossary and index ... Read more

Product Description
Original brown cloth binding with decorative stamping in gold and blue. ... Read more

Product Description
West of the Nile in Upper Egypt, beyond the temples and tombs frequented by tourists, can be found only endless desert, a few scattered oasis towns, and the occasional half-buried ruin.

From the shifting sands near one remote village a temple is being unearthed, attracting the attention of an American visitor. He possesses a few items not typically part of a traveler’s inventory, along with a very useful imagination and the dangerous habit of straying far from the well-beaten tourist track.

The ancient Egyptians pursued eternal life, but along the trade routes and river they once plied, a different kind of pursuit is about to begin—one that can very easily lead to death.
... Read more

Product Description
CONTENTS.PrefaceI. The belief in God AlmightyII. Osiris the god of the resurrectionIII. The "gods" of the EgyptiansIV. The judgment of the deadV. The resurrection and immortalityFootnotesExcerpt: PREFACE.The following pages are intended to place before the reader in a handy form an account of the principal ideas and beliefs held by the ancient Egyptians concerning the resurrection and the future life, which is derived wholly from native religious works. The literature of Egypt which deals with these subjects is large and, as was to be expected, the product of different periods which, taken together, cover several thousands of years; and it is exceedingly difficult at times to reconcile the statements and beliefs of a writer of one period with those of a writer of another. Up to the present no systematic account of the doctrine of the resurrection and of the future life has been discovered, and there is no reason for hoping that such a thing will ever be found, for the Egyptians do not appear to have thought that it was necessary to write a work of the kind. The inherent difficulty of the subject, and the natural impossibility that different men living in different places and at different times should think alike on matters which must, after all, belong always to the region of faith, render it more than probable that no college of priests, however powerful, was able to formulate a system of beliefs which would be received throughout Egypt by the clergy and the laity alike, and would be copied by the scribes as a final and authoritative work on Egyptian eschatology. Besides this, the genius and structure of the Egyptian language are such as to preclude the possibility of composing in it works of a philosophical or metaphysical character in the true sense of the words. In spite of these difficulties, however, it is possible to collect a great deal of important information on the subject from the funereal and religious works which have come down to us, especially concerning the great central idea of immortality, which existed unchanged for thousands of years, and formed the pivot upon which the religious and social life of the ancient Egyptians actually turned. From the beginning to the end of his life the Egyptian's chief thought was of the life beyond the grave, and the hewing of his tomb in the rock, and the providing of its furniture, every detail of which was prescribed by the custom of the country, absorbed the best thoughts of his mind and a large share of his worldly goods, and kept him ever mindful of the time when his mummified body would be borne to his "everlasting house" in the limestone plateau or hill. ... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Historical Fiction at its Best
Book Synopsis:The World of the Pharaohs
A boy studies with his father who breaks the egyptian hyroglyphic code. Is a great book, about a semi-recent event, that everyone should know about.

Works published (in english):
Title................................published
Sons of the Steppe..................1954
The Barque of the Brothers........1956
Son of Columbus......................1957
I Marched with Hannibal............1960
The World of the Pharaohs.........1960
Lion Gate and Labyrinth.............1967
In the Land of Ur.....................1969
Dimitri and the False Tsars........1970
The Caves of the Great Hunters.......?

Authors' Biography:
NOTE: THERE ARE 2 GERMAN AUTHORS NAMED HANS BAUMANN, the one who wrote historical fiction passed only wrote until 1970.Anything after this date is probably made by Hans Baumann the author who wrote colorful childrens books (in the same catagory as golden books), so be careful what you buy.


That said, there are about 8 to 9, books written by Hans Baumann, a German Historian and historical fiction writer for children (though his books are entertaining no matter what you age).His books are engrossing and enthralling, even though they have been translated into english from german.


Hans Baumann was a German Soldeir in WWII, and fought as a regular in Hilter's army.He was captured pretty early on in the war (germans often gave themselves up since allied prison camps were rumored as a fairly good place to stay), and spent the remainder of the war reading different historical novels.After the war he was released and began writing Historical Fiction novels. (Note: this biography is from memory, so I can't verify its total accuracy).



One of the things that really impressed me about Baumann, is that instead of creating a fictional main character for the plot (such as the adept young man, in all of the 100plus G.A. Henty novels, [Don't get me wrong I love Henty too]), Baumann uses a person who was actually there as the main character.But, he did write in enough of a fictional way that he would create conversions, and personalities, that while they might be inferred about the charector by historians, most likely never actually occured, (thus, the reason why his books are historical fiction, as opposed to pure history). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Enthralling and detailed account of a spectacular discovery
Make no mistake, Thomas Hoving is an accomplished and skillful writer.This detailed account of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb almost reads like a thriller.Hoving accurately portrays the characters involved, (principally Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon), the political and climatic conditions in the remote valley where the discovery was made, and paces the story so well, I almost felt I was living in Egypt and working alongside Carter at the time the tomb was discovered.

Not surprisingly, of particular interest was the chapters describing Carter's discovery of the tomb itself.Mindful of Lord Carnarvon's patronage, Howard Carter writes to his benefactor in Britain, and waits patiently for him to arrive from overseas to be the first to enter the newly discovered tomb.Hoving manages to portray the very Britishness of this honorable sense of duty, and one almost feels Carter's growing impatience as he waits several weeks for the arrival of his financier from overseas.

Hoving continues with the politics that eventually sullied the agreements between governments that should have ensured an equitable distribution of the findings.

Hoving concludes by putting Carter's discovery in perspective, and describes thge sad state of some treasures that languished in a progressively deteriorating condition in un-air-conditioned spaces in Egypt.Some historical photographs embellish this fine story.A must-read for anyone interested in this fascinating discovery.

exceptional
This remains one of the best adventure stories written in the last twenty five years. Hoving skillfully recounts Carter and Carnarvon's epic quest for Tutankhamun in a vivid tale of mystery, suspense, discovery, and treasure. True history can indeed be better than fiction.

In the company of the pharoah
The tomb was discovered in 1922 in Egypt's Valley of the Kings.Tutankhamun was a shadowy pharoah, a boy-king.He died around 1350 B.C.The discoverers were Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon.They became celebrities.It was a phenomenal discovery.They had been very persistent.The treasures found have fascinated the public.

Starting in 1975 the author, Thomas Hoving, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, immersed himself in the story of the Tutankhamun's tomb's discovery.Hoving became suspicious of Carter's account of the noble discovery.Thutmose I had the brilliant idea to set his burial place in the Valley of the Kings since other tombs, pyramids, had been plundered.The pattern was set and it became the burial place for five hundred years.

Carter kept careful track of archeological discoveries.Jacob Rogers, heading a locomotive factory in Paterson, New Jersey, funded archeology projects for the Metropolitan Museum because he made a donation for acquisitions.Herbert Winlock, a friend of Carter, worked for the Museum.Carter was precise, calculating, gifted.He examined circumstantial evidence of an undiscovered tomb.Mountains of rubbish encumbered the search.Carter wanted to go right down to bedrock in a triangular plot of land containing the tombs of Ramesses II, Merenptah, and Ramasses VI.Carter devised a grid system.By 1921 Lord Carnarvon was beginning to lose interest.Most people believed the valley was exhausted as a place to make finds.

In the sixth season, 1922, supposedly Lord Carnarvon's last, the step to the walkway of a tomb was found.At the end of twelve steps there were hieroglyphs and seals.Carter telegraphed Lord Carnarvon of the finding.An antechamber glimpsed 11/26/22 contained magnificent objects.Later a horde of reporters and tourists descended on Luxor.Carter saw that years of work would be required to sort and sift the treasures.

The LONDON TIMES was granted exclusive coverage of the find and political problems with nationalist elements in Egypt resulted.A new door constructed by Carter became a symbol of malevolent foreign supremacy.Carnarvon died in 1923.Arthur Conan Doyle announced to the world a pharoah's curse.There were instances of near hysteria.A rail line was constructed to carry the objects to the River Nile for transport to the Museum in Cairo.When the intact sarcophagus was found, everyone was agog with interest.After a hiatus, Carter worked from 1925 for eight years extracting the objects.

Pictures appear in this splendid work, too, in addition to a table of sources and an index.

A work of questionable integrity
Thomas Hoving was sacked as director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.His integrity had become questionable in the eyes of scholars.He then wrote a number of popular-style money-spinning tell-all books, such as this one.Alas, Tutankhamun: The Untold Story, suffers from that same lack of integrity which critics saw in Hoving during his years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.In particular his charges against Howard Carter are trash, not backed up by evidence.This book is entertaining twaddle -- but twaddle primarily, and not reliable.

Superior to all other Tutankhamun related books
Thomas Hovingwrote a great book. He made you feel like you were in the tomb with Howard Carter spectating. His discriptions ofthe events that happened kept you on the edge. I recommend this book to everyone who wants to know the truth about the events that happened surrounding the discovery of Tut's tomb and the scandalous behavior of those involved. ... Read more

Product Description
An engrossing mix of games, brainteasers, and stories makes learning the basics of natural science and history fun. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Discover Ancient Egypt!!
Discover Ancient Egypt was a wonderful walk throught the ancient world. It truely brought life in ancient Egypt to my students. The content was interesting and well written and did not go over my third graders heads. We enjoyed the book and I look forward to using it again. ... Read more

Product Description
The priests and magicians of ancient Egypt were celebrated for their highly developed mystical knowledge and magical powers. For them, there was no separation between religion and magic, and the spells, rituals and incantations were primarily for controlling the gods... the primordial forces of Nature. Some subjects included in this book are magical amulets, ceremonies and spells, demonic possession and ghosts, lucky and unlucky days, horoscopes, the magic of sound, the use of wax images, repelling hostile magic, complete magical formulas both in English, and using the Egyptian words, plus much more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Beautiful and Fascinating edition.
This particular edition of Budge's classic work is definitely worth having- printed in the Papyrus font, over sized and with the original illustrations from Budge, this is a collectible copy. And the content is valuable too; it is a fascinating and surprising look at what the Egyptians practiced as magic. You can definitely glean a few practical pointers for your own magical practice, (although that was not Budge's intention) as well as the historical value of the information presented. Valuable for both students of Egyptology and history, and students of the arcane arts! ... Read more