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Stephen Quirke
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Ancient Egyptian Religion by Stephen Quirke (1992-08-01) Paperback

by Stephen Quirke (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars 11 ratings
The multiple gods & goddesses, the temple rituals, the burial practices & the religious rules of Ancient Egypt seem very mysterious. The author places these mysteries in the context of Ancient Egyptian life. He explains them as a response to normal human needs & fears. Divided in 5 chapters, this book talks about all the gods--both the lesser known & the important ones--& their influence in the Ancient Near East & Greece. Well illustrated in black & white, this proves to be quite useful for travelers & students of Egyptology.--Francesca Jourdan (edited)
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01K2D7BYM
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.6 ounces
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 11 ratings

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Stephen Quirke

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4.8 out of 5 stars
11 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Homer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Egyptian religion
    Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Eric Hornung is a clear in depth discussion of Egyptian religion for the advanced amateur. Chapter two is a difficult read but it can be omitted without compromising the reading.
    One person found this helpful
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  • CustomerF
    5.0 out of 5 stars a useful overview of Ancient Egypt's religion and gods
    Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2000
    The multiple gods and goddesses, the temple rituals, the burial practices and the religious rules of Ancient Egypt seem very mysterious to us. The author places these mysteries in the context of Ancient Egyptian life. He explains them as a response to normal human needs and fears. Divided in 5 chapters, this book talks about all the gods - both the lesser known and the important ones - and their influence in the Ancient Near East and Greece. Well illustrated in black and white, this proves to be quite useful for travelers and students of Egyptology.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Wyote
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction to Egyptian Religion
    Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2001
    Verified Purchase
    This book covers Egyptian religion from pre-historic times to Christianity. It covers the gods and the basic myths, the Horus-Isis-Osiris myths, the cult of the Pharoahs, spells and amulets of protection and healing and fertility, beliefs about the afterlife, and the spread of Egyptian religion in classical times. The illustrations are very helpful, and I feel I have learned from this book the basic elements of Egyptian iconography. I have also learned the basic significance of the main Egyptian gods and goddesses. Quirke is very good at identifying common misperceptions and correcting them. I recommend this book to people who are curious about the basics of Egyptian religion as well as to people who are travelling to Egypt and want to prepare themselves for the sights and museums. Unfortunately, it doesn't cover history or archaeology very well--i.e. it moves thematically rather than chronologically, and doesn't describe the main temples or ruins--and it can get a little dense in the middle. If you're more interested in history or archaeology than in fertility amulets, maybe there's a better book.
    I haven't read "The Search for God in Ancient Egypt" by Jan Assmann, but I hear it's important for people who want to understand Egyptian religion.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • DAJ
    4.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the best introduction to ancient Egyptian religion
    Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2016
    Quirke's book is one of the few that cover all the major areas of Egyptian religion in roughly equal measure. (The other major one is Gods and Men in Egypt, which is more extensive but not as easy to read.) The first chapter is subtitled "The Sun-god", but it really describes a variety of themes in mythology and theology, often but not always closely related to the sun god. The second is about the myth of Osiris and his resurrection, with its profound influence on Egyptian ideology. The next discusses kingship and the official, organized religion that the king oversaw. The fourth chapter covers ordinary people's efforts to use divine power to ward off disaster, both through prayer and through a variety of rituals that we generally call "magic". The last one looks at afterlife beliefs, funerary texts, and funerary practices. The book doesn't delve much into deep theoretical issues, which makes it most valuable to the beginner needing an intelligible starting point.

    Wyote's review is right that Quirke doesn't much discuss how the religion evolved over time. Egyptian religion existed for 3,500 years of recorded history, during which it changed a great deal. For that reason, Rosalie David's Religion and Magic in Ancient Egypt, which is organized chronologically, might make a good companion to this book. If you've finished this book and want more details on the subjects it covers, I recommend The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt as an introduction to theology, Geraldine Pinch's Egyptian Mythology for myths, Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt for both temple rites and popular religion, and Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt for funerary customs. For anyone who wants to get into deep theoretical territory, a later book by Quirke, Exploring Religion in Ancient Egypt, analyzes the obstacles to understanding ancient Egyptian religion and looks at the ways various scholars have confronted those problems.
    8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • April
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 9, 2015
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