The Mind of Egypt: History and Meaning in the Time of the Pharaohs

The Mind of Egypt presents an unprecedented account of the mainsprings of Egyptian civilization-the ideals, values, mentalities, belief systems, and aspirations that shaped the first territorial state in history. Drawing on a range of literary, iconographic, and archaeological sources, Jan Assmann reconstructs a world of unparalleled complexity, a culture that, long before others, possessed an extraordinary degree of self-awareness. Moving through successive periods of Egyptian civilization, from its beginnings in the fifth millennium b.c.e. until the rise of Christianity 4,500 years later, Assmann traces the roles of the pharaohs, the priests, and the imperial bureaucracy. He explores the ideal relation of man to God and explains its expression in architecture and rituals. Most strikingly, he focuses on the "meaning world" of ancient Egypt-the multiple notions of time, the structures of immortality, and the commitment to social justice and human fellowship.

Widely acclaimed for his cross-disciplinary approach, Assmann has produced a tantalizing study of an ancient civilization.