In this critique of Kasia Szpakowska’s book, Daily Life in Ancient Egpyt, I am going to discuss her purpose, my likes and dislikes, her use of images, and how I felt this book related to this course.
Daily Life in Ancient Egypt was an excellent choice for this course. The information supplements the in-class lectures by providing sufficient information into the life of the mundane versus the life of the rulers and pharaohs. It provides information that is clear and concise so the reader doesn’t have to dissect the information and gains a clear understanding of real life for the Ancient Egyptians. In addition, this book is a good reference for other classes in ancient civilizations as well as a reference for those of us who are going on to teach …show more content…
In several sections of the book, the author would speak about something and then in the same sentence say that archeological evidence could not support her statement. One example of this is when she is referencing the treatment of newborns and she says “Lullabies may have been sung for her while she was still in the womb, though if so they have left no trace in the archaeological record,” which implies she is making an assumption without having any basis to do so (Szpakowska 35, 36). If she is unsure or there is no record of it, I am unsure what purpose it serves to be written in the book. She also spoke of archeological blunders of the past such as a lack in record keeping or a lack of consistency in the record keeping that was done. When speaking of infant burial, she states “the situation becomes even more unclear when we realize that archaeologists do not use any consistent definitions or terminology” (Szpakowska 34). This statement requires me to further question the evidence she has already provided or will provide in the future. It is understandable to speculate, however, you should clearly state in the beginning that some or most of this account is based on speculation rather than evidence if that is the case. These two examples are not obsolete; she does this many times throughout the book. Words like probable or possible lead …show more content…
Each chapter has maps and illustrations of things that are hard to visualize as well as images of artifacts that have been discovered over the years. These aid the reader in visualizing what she is describing in the text. For instance, she discusses figurines that were placed in or around homes and villages for protection purposes. Throughout the text, she describes these figurines in detail and then provides an image of a mud hippo in Figure 7.1 so that the reader can see exactly what she is talking about (Szpakowska 126). In other places, she provides maps of the area in which she is describing as well as illustrations of things she is describing but does not have an image of. An example of this can be found in chapter nine where she is describing mastabas and how they were laid out. Because these aren’t things we see in modern times, the illustration in Figure 9.3 helps me understand how the tombs were arranged and the people buried (Szpakowska 186). I appreciate the use of images throughout the book to help me understand many things I was not previously familiar with. Overall, the author did a brilliant job at documenting the life of the middle class Ancient Egyptians during the Late Middle Kingdom. I liked that it was an easy read and didn’t require me to dissect it in order to understand it. Although there were things I didn’t like, such
Daily Life in Ancient Egypt was an excellent choice for this course. The information supplements the in-class lectures by providing sufficient information into the life of the mundane versus the life of the rulers and pharaohs. It provides information that is clear and concise so the reader doesn’t have to dissect the information and gains a clear understanding of real life for the Ancient Egyptians. In addition, this book is a good reference for other classes in ancient civilizations as well as a reference for those of us who are going on to teach …show more content…
In several sections of the book, the author would speak about something and then in the same sentence say that archeological evidence could not support her statement. One example of this is when she is referencing the treatment of newborns and she says “Lullabies may have been sung for her while she was still in the womb, though if so they have left no trace in the archaeological record,” which implies she is making an assumption without having any basis to do so (Szpakowska 35, 36). If she is unsure or there is no record of it, I am unsure what purpose it serves to be written in the book. She also spoke of archeological blunders of the past such as a lack in record keeping or a lack of consistency in the record keeping that was done. When speaking of infant burial, she states “the situation becomes even more unclear when we realize that archaeologists do not use any consistent definitions or terminology” (Szpakowska 34). This statement requires me to further question the evidence she has already provided or will provide in the future. It is understandable to speculate, however, you should clearly state in the beginning that some or most of this account is based on speculation rather than evidence if that is the case. These two examples are not obsolete; she does this many times throughout the book. Words like probable or possible lead …show more content…
Each chapter has maps and illustrations of things that are hard to visualize as well as images of artifacts that have been discovered over the years. These aid the reader in visualizing what she is describing in the text. For instance, she discusses figurines that were placed in or around homes and villages for protection purposes. Throughout the text, she describes these figurines in detail and then provides an image of a mud hippo in Figure 7.1 so that the reader can see exactly what she is talking about (Szpakowska 126). In other places, she provides maps of the area in which she is describing as well as illustrations of things she is describing but does not have an image of. An example of this can be found in chapter nine where she is describing mastabas and how they were laid out. Because these aren’t things we see in modern times, the illustration in Figure 9.3 helps me understand how the tombs were arranged and the people buried (Szpakowska 186). I appreciate the use of images throughout the book to help me understand many things I was not previously familiar with. Overall, the author did a brilliant job at documenting the life of the middle class Ancient Egyptians during the Late Middle Kingdom. I liked that it was an easy read and didn’t require me to dissect it in order to understand it. Although there were things I didn’t like, such