--- product_id: 8242534 title: "The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt" price: "208.40 DT" currency: TND in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/8242534-the-rise-and-fall-of-ancient-egypt store_origin: TN region: Tunisia --- # The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt **Price:** 208.40 DT **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt - **How much does it cost?** 208.40 DT with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/8242534-the-rise-and-fall-of-ancient-egypt) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Magisterial . . . [A] rich portrait of ancient Egypt’s complex evolution over the course of three millenniums.”— Los Angeles Times NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • Publishers Weekly In this landmark volume, one of the world’s most renowned Egyptologists tells the epic story of this great civilization, from its birth as the first nation-state to its absorption into the Roman Empire. Drawing upon forty years of archaeological research, award-winning scholar Toby Wilkinson takes us inside a tribal society with a pre-monetary economy and decadent, divine kings who ruled with all-too-recognizable human emotions. Here are the legendary leaders: Akhenaten, the “heretic king,” who with his wife Nefertiti brought about a revolution with a bold new religion; Tutankhamun, whose dazzling tomb would remain hidden for three millennia; and eleven pharaohs called Ramesses, the last of whom presided over the militarism, lawlessness, and corruption that caused a political and societal decline. Filled with new information and unique interpretations, The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt is a riveting and revelatory work of wild drama, bold spectacle, unforgettable characters, and sweeping history. “With a literary flair and a sense for a story well told, Mr. Wilkinson offers a highly readable, factually up-to-date account.”— The Wall Street Journal “[Wilkinson] writes with considerable verve. . . . [He] is nimble at conveying the sumptuous pageantry and cultural sophistication of pharaonic Egypt.”— The New York Times Review: Definitive Egyptian history for serious readers ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Best Egyptian history book that I have ever read. If you want more than a simplified surface-level tour of pharaohs and pyramids, this is the book. Wilkinson covers 3,000 years of Egyptian civilization with the kind of depth that actually builds understanding on government structure, economic systems, architectural ambition, religious transformation, and the political shifts across dynasties. As a longtime Egyptian history fan, I thoroughly enjoying the detailed chronological walkthrough. Many names, places, and monuments are referenced throughout, and I found myself pulling up Google Maps, Google Search, and Wikipedia alongside my reading for visuals (which I love to do when deep diving into history). The writing is scholarly, but very digestible. The book reads less like a professional lecture and more like an expert narrative with rich historical perspective. 800+ pages is a commitment, but this is the kind of book that leaves you with a real understanding of an entire ancient civilization. Review: Splendid, quirky, gritty...An altogether fascinating retelling of Egyptian History - Despite having a doctorate in early American history, I have been fascinated with Ancient Egypt since I can remember. And, having read Toby Wilkinson's earlier works (Early Dynastic Egypt and Genesis of the Pharaohs, in particular), I knew that I would have to read this latest interpretation of the course of ancient Egyptian history. The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt is nothing short of magnificent, with a narrative thread focusing on both the glorious and gritty sides of Egyptian life as fostered by the Egyptian state's exertion of coercive power. Organized chronologically, The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt returns time and again to the problems of state power. States rise and fall, power ebbs and flows: Egypt's leaders attempted to uphold the forces of truth and order against those of chaos and disarray. To do so required developing state infrastructures and means of coercing the appropriation of both labor and material goods to build the glorious monuments that so capture the public's imagined Egypt. From the pyramids to Abu Simbel, the projection of Egyptian glory depended on breaking the backs of the people who toiled incessantly in service to the state. Indeed, the twin themes of ideology (religion, royal divinity) and administration (bureaucracies, taxation, etc.) repeatedly resurface to highlight just how the state secured support for its regime and managed that support. When both aspects of state control broke down, Egypt entered periodically into times of disorder and chaos. Readers expecting a romantic view of Ancient Egypt focused on the archaeological treasures will probably be disappointed to be reminded of the costs of Egyptian grandeur. Readers hoping for a more cultural approach to Egyptian history--an extended exploration of religion, art, music, and the like--will probably be less satisfied with Wilkinson's focus upon the state. To be sure, Wilkinson brings these matters up when they are needed but gives them no extended treatment. The excellent bibliography and notes, however, do provide additional resources to investigate topics of interest; moreover, the notes detail Wilkinson's own interpretive engagement with Egyptian historiography, making his book much more valuable to others besides the casual reader. Despite the book's populist tone, readers may be put off by content density of some chapters. At times, a bewildering array of names and places rush off the page, forcing the reader to consult his handy copies of The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt or the Penguin Atlas of Ancient Egypt. Those without sufficient reference material would perhaps have been well served by a glossary, which, although it does lengthen the book, does provide readers with a handy reference when there are simply too many names to conjure with. The writing style itself is fairly popular, with few words that might trip up readers. Frequent references to British history--especially comparisons to how monarchies have exercised state power across the ages--might be off putting to many American readers, but, it seems to me that the implied arguments by analogy do serve a purpose in highlighting how states have little changed since the Ancient Egyptians invented statehood. Color and black and white illustrations, along with excellent maps, complement the narrative. Overall, Toby Wilkinson's The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt seems to combine the best features of the histories that I've come to love. Its accessibility and charm reminds me of Barbara Mertz' Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs, while its scholarly insight and argumentation make me think of Barry Kemp's Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization. To me, the joy of a book is being able to re-read it and come to new insights and appreciation each time and I am sure that such will be the case with The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #33,533 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1 in Ancient Egyptians History #4 in Archaeology (Books) #16 in History of Civilization & Culture | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,806 Reviews | ## Images ![The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91UVNnuy1OL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Definitive Egyptian history for serious readers ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ *by E***B on May 18, 2026* Best Egyptian history book that I have ever read. If you want more than a simplified surface-level tour of pharaohs and pyramids, this is the book. Wilkinson covers 3,000 years of Egyptian civilization with the kind of depth that actually builds understanding on government structure, economic systems, architectural ambition, religious transformation, and the political shifts across dynasties. As a longtime Egyptian history fan, I thoroughly enjoying the detailed chronological walkthrough. Many names, places, and monuments are referenced throughout, and I found myself pulling up Google Maps, Google Search, and Wikipedia alongside my reading for visuals (which I love to do when deep diving into history). The writing is scholarly, but very digestible. The book reads less like a professional lecture and more like an expert narrative with rich historical perspective. 800+ pages is a commitment, but this is the kind of book that leaves you with a real understanding of an entire ancient civilization. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Splendid, quirky, gritty...An altogether fascinating retelling of Egyptian History *by G***N on March 21, 2011* Despite having a doctorate in early American history, I have been fascinated with Ancient Egypt since I can remember. And, having read Toby Wilkinson's earlier works (Early Dynastic Egypt and Genesis of the Pharaohs, in particular), I knew that I would have to read this latest interpretation of the course of ancient Egyptian history. The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt is nothing short of magnificent, with a narrative thread focusing on both the glorious and gritty sides of Egyptian life as fostered by the Egyptian state's exertion of coercive power. Organized chronologically, The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt returns time and again to the problems of state power. States rise and fall, power ebbs and flows: Egypt's leaders attempted to uphold the forces of truth and order against those of chaos and disarray. To do so required developing state infrastructures and means of coercing the appropriation of both labor and material goods to build the glorious monuments that so capture the public's imagined Egypt. From the pyramids to Abu Simbel, the projection of Egyptian glory depended on breaking the backs of the people who toiled incessantly in service to the state. Indeed, the twin themes of ideology (religion, royal divinity) and administration (bureaucracies, taxation, etc.) repeatedly resurface to highlight just how the state secured support for its regime and managed that support. When both aspects of state control broke down, Egypt entered periodically into times of disorder and chaos. Readers expecting a romantic view of Ancient Egypt focused on the archaeological treasures will probably be disappointed to be reminded of the costs of Egyptian grandeur. Readers hoping for a more cultural approach to Egyptian history--an extended exploration of religion, art, music, and the like--will probably be less satisfied with Wilkinson's focus upon the state. To be sure, Wilkinson brings these matters up when they are needed but gives them no extended treatment. The excellent bibliography and notes, however, do provide additional resources to investigate topics of interest; moreover, the notes detail Wilkinson's own interpretive engagement with Egyptian historiography, making his book much more valuable to others besides the casual reader. Despite the book's populist tone, readers may be put off by content density of some chapters. At times, a bewildering array of names and places rush off the page, forcing the reader to consult his handy copies of The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt or the Penguin Atlas of Ancient Egypt. Those without sufficient reference material would perhaps have been well served by a glossary, which, although it does lengthen the book, does provide readers with a handy reference when there are simply too many names to conjure with. The writing style itself is fairly popular, with few words that might trip up readers. Frequent references to British history--especially comparisons to how monarchies have exercised state power across the ages--might be off putting to many American readers, but, it seems to me that the implied arguments by analogy do serve a purpose in highlighting how states have little changed since the Ancient Egyptians invented statehood. Color and black and white illustrations, along with excellent maps, complement the narrative. Overall, Toby Wilkinson's The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt seems to combine the best features of the histories that I've come to love. Its accessibility and charm reminds me of Barbara Mertz' Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs, while its scholarly insight and argumentation make me think of Barry Kemp's Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization. To me, the joy of a book is being able to re-read it and come to new insights and appreciation each time and I am sure that such will be the case with The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ marvelously written, detailed and broad in scope *by D***N on September 29, 2012* Wilkinson's _The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt_ is an outstanding history of ancient Egypt from the founding of the first dynasty in 2950 BCE to the Roman conquest in 30 BCE. In tracing the history of ancient Egypt, Wilkinson advances a view of ancient Egypt as an authoritarian system that was an active participant in the vibrant commerical network that crisscrossed the Near East and Mediterranean. What impressed me the most was the breadth of detail Wilkinson includes in his history - of course the construction of monuments, rise and fall of dynasties and conquests (and losses) of kings is discussed, but so are the roles and expectations of workaday Egyptians, the political organization (and its inherent weaknesses), the complex interplay of economics, taxation and public policy on the welfare of the Egyptian state and of everyday Egyptians. The changes in literature and art - and how they are reflective of the larger societal changes taking place in ancient Egypt were icing on an already rich and dense cake. Another strength of the book Wilkinson's scope: the book does not end with the implosion of the New Kingdom, which was refreshing to me. This decision clearly places Egypt in its African context, which may be a suprise to some readers, but it reflects current scholarship and simply makes historical (and geographical) sense: Egypt's long relationship (both as conquorer and conquored) with Nubia and the incursions (and eventual conquest by) the Lybians are facets of ancient Egypt that are too often overlooked or downplayed. His discussion of the Ptolmiac period was a bit cursory for my taste, but given its relative briefness in comparison to the breadth of the history of ancient Egypt, it is understandable. A final point of praise for the book are both the color plates (there are over 50) and the extensive annotated bibliography. The plates provide clear, color images to have a deeper grasp of the points Wilkinson makes about form, metaphor and changes in art. The bibliography includes both classic works on ancient Egypt as well as more recent scholarship and will certainly give me many months of further reading as a result. _The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt_ is an accessable text written by a foremost expert on the field (Wilkinson is a professor of Egyptlolgy at Cambridge) that impresses in its detail and its breadth. Highly recommended. ## Frequently Bought Together - The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt - Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization - Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tn/products/8242534-the-rise-and-fall-of-ancient-egypt](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/8242534-the-rise-and-fall-of-ancient-egypt) --- *Product available on Desertcart Tunisia* *Store origin: TN* *Last updated: 2026-06-01*