In their wide-ranging interpretation of the religion of ancient Egypt; Françoise Dunand and Christiane Zivie-Coche explore how; over a period of roughly 3500 years; the Egyptians conceptualized their relations with the gods. Drawing on the insights of anthropology; the authors discuss such topics as the identities; images; and functions of the gods; rituals and liturgies; personal forms of piety expressing humanity's need to establish a direct relation with the divine; and the afterlife; a central feature of Egyptian religion. That religion; the authors assert; was characterized by the remarkable continuity of its ritual practices and the ideas of which they were an expression.Throughout; Dunand and Zivie-Coche take advantage of the most recent archaeological discoveries and scholarship. Gods and Men in Egypt is unique in its coverage of Egyptian religious expression in the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Written with nonspecialist readers in mind; it is largely concerned with the continuation of Egypt's traditional religion in these periods; but it also includes fascinating accounts of Judaism in Egypt and the appearance and spread of Christianity there.
#971788 in Books Weeks Jessica L P 2014-09-30 2014-08-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x .66 x 6.13l; .0 #File Name: 0801479827264 pagesDictators at War and Peace
Review
7 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Innovative and Important New FindingsBy J. DeThomasVery interesting thesis and clever approach to substantiating it. The structure and prose suffered from the author trying so hard to prove her fidelity to her academic discipline. This is a book that should be made much more accessible to policy makers because it punctures some dangerous myths by which they are guided. Sadly; they will be put off by the overly academic approach to presenting very important and useful findings. One other minor flaw is the author's obvious personal unfamiliarity with the professional military and with the men and women who make national security decisions. This generates some rather naïve statements about "the military mind". Nevertheless; This is a very important book. It succeeded in puncturing some long-held views about how dictatorships deal with war and conflict. It is particularly important for policy makers understand how and why certain dictatorships are more prone to war and less competent at it than their democratic counterparts. Even more valuable is her finding that certain types of dictatorships are as pacific and as competent at war as democracies.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Ida SantiagoExcellent condition; arrived as expected2 of 4 people found the following review helpful. This book was interesting but a difficult read. It ...By Robert A. BergeThis book was interesting but a difficult read. It is not written in beginners English. The content about what makes a dictator and what audiences sustain his/her practices was also new to read.
