Red Land, Black Land Audiobook By Barbara Mertz cover art

Red Land, Black Land

Daily Life in Ancient Egypt

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Red Land, Black Land

By: Barbara Mertz
Narrated by: Lorna Raver
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Esteemed Egyptologist Barbara Mertz updates her widely praised social history of the people of ancient Egypt, which was originally published in 1968. Combining impeccable scholarship with a delightfully personal style, the author reconstructs the life of the Egyptians from birth to death, and beyond death, too.

She also presents much fascinating detail on the building of the pyramids and the intricate art of mummification. Students and laymen alike will enjoy the wealth of authentic material on every aspect of Egyptian life that Mertz provides.

©2008 MPM Manor, Inc. (P)2008 Tantor Ancient Archaeology Egypt Middle East Africa Ancient Egypt Middle Ages Ancient History Funny Witty Thought-Provoking

Critic reviews

"One can only highly recommend the book." ( Natural History)
Brilliant Prose • Humorous Writing • Excellent Narration • Comprehensive Overview • Engaging Storytelling • Cheeky Style
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As an Egyptology student I appreciated the flow and content of the book. As a newly professed audiobook lover, the narrator is charming and I intend on seeking out more books narrated by her specifically. If/when I publish an audiobook I will be sure to find someone like her.

A perfect audiobook

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This was a fun practical guide to daily life in ancient Egypt with many examples from original sources. Some of the interesting things were about how they used mathematics and medicine but also relied heavily on spells and magic. There were interesting descriptions on paintings and sculpture, jewelry and cosmetics, household pets and a spoof on a religious play. And of course lots on tombs, mummies and what robbers did to ‘protect’ themselves.

Down to earth

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This book was a real surprise, I mean- what can you really expect from this title? Well how about a superbly written, warm, articulate, intelligent, insightful, memorable experience. In other words, Non-fiction at its best. Though its been years since I listened to this-I can still hear the narration in my head, partly because I relistened to parts of it repeatedly-sure, but mostly because the book and narration worked so well together and told a surprisingly great story, obviously one memorable enough for me to go back years later and still be able to remember how good it was.and want to review it.

WHAT A GREAT LISTEN !

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I liked the content for an overview of ancient Egypt although not all subjects were dealt with or dealt with adequately or accurately. Overall I liked the narrator's presentation. However, the usual and inconsistent pronunciation used - with diphthongs as if some of the god names went through a Great Vowel change - was jarring. This along with the missing illustrations of the book made me wish I bought the book instead.

Perhaps the book is better

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I would have liked a more anecdotal bit of "storytelling." It can be excruciatingly detailed, but informative.

An interesting Primer on Eqyptology

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I got this book because we were headed for Egypt, and what an incredible introduction to everything I would see

Wonderful!

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I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who has any level interest in Ancient Egyptian history. Glad to have listened to this one. Thanks

Hard to say currently

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This is one of the best books I’ve listened to in a long time. The writing is so engaging and amusing. The narrator is simply excellent. I found myself finding any free time I could to listen to it. Highly, highly recommend!

Fantastic

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This book was an absolute delight. The narrator understood the cheeky, frank and fun style of the writer, and made it very engaging to listen to.

The wide variety of topics covered in Ancient Egypt gave you a great overview of life and times. The finely detailed particulars are related to us with a modern sensibility, and an scholarly intelligence that make you want to learn more.

It's clear the writer adores her subject matter. It's like sitting down to have a feisty professor aunt tell you her favorite stories from Egypt.


Brilliant

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It was great to read a book about ancient Egypt by a real scholar. She dealt firmly but humorously with pyramidology and other esoteric nonsense. Her discussion of Egyptian mathematics and brother-sister marriage was enlightening. I appreciated the author's faithfulness in not straying beyond the evidence. A thoroughly good read.

A real eye-opener

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