Afterglow of Empire ─ Egypt from the Fall of the New Kingdom to the Saite Renaissance

Adrian Dodson (archeology, University of Bristol, UK) has written a comprehensive new book on a neglected subject: the five centuries of ancient Egyptian civilization from the end of the New Kingdom to the end of independent Egyptian nationhood. It's a long, fascinating, often confusing time, and almost nothing has been written about it in spite of the popular fascination with ancient Egypt. Dodson has assembled first-rate appendices: chronological king lists and a visual appendix of cartouches of each king's royal names are marvelous at cutting through the confusion. He has even created genealogies of the royal families of each dynasty, so readers can see his theories of what happened next and who is related to whom at a glance. The book has extensive notes and bibliography, and is richly illustrated with black and white photos (sadly, often too small for their details to show; this is one book that cries out for a larger format). It's a hard-working labor of love in a neglected area. This era includes breathtaking true stories: political control by generations of a mysterious priestess, each raising her successor as an adopted daughter; five royal tombs discovered intact by archeologists; an Egyptian renaissance under the rule of devout and skillful black pharaohs from the Sudan. It will be valuable to scholars and general readers with a serious interest in Ancient Egypt, as nothing comparable in depth or scope on this era is currently available in English. Distributed in North America by Oxford University Press. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

AIDAN DODSON is a senior research fellow in the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Bristol, where he teaches Egyptology. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 2003. He is the author of Amarna Sunset (AUC Press, 2009) and Poisoned Legacy (AUC Press, 2010).