The Material World of Ancient Egypt

'[A]n invaluable, and at the same time a most enjoyable, treatment of the complex world of ancient Egyptian materiality. Here is everything you would want to know about the realities of life for the ancient Egyptians, and about the energy and creativity they deployed in order to provide basic necessities, seek well-being, and produce an elite culture of pyramids, temples and tombs, and the extraordinary range of art and artifacts associated with them.' David O'Connor, New York University

'William Peck has written a scholarly yet highly readable and broadly accessible account of the daily life of the ancient Egyptians, based primarily on the many objects found in excavations and shown in the wall paintings and reliefs of their tombs. I am sure it will not only appeal to the general reader, but will also serve as an attractive textbook for students.' Jacobus van Dijk, University of Groningen

'Material remains give us an unparalleled window into the reality of everyday life in ancient Egypt, and William Peck's book opens that window for modern readers.' James P. Allen, Brown University

'[T]he book … should be welcomed as a contribution toward securing Egyptology within its broader archaeological context.' The Ancient History Bulletin

'… [a] very comprehensive … work dealing with mundane aspect[s] of day-to-day life in ancient Egypt; it should prove very useful to Egyptologists and Egyptophiles alike.' Kmt: A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt

'Engaging and easily accessible, this book will appeal to anyone wanting to learn more about the reality of daily life in Ancient Egypt.' Ancient Egypt Magazine

'Peck brings to relief the physical substance of daily life in Egypt, and he does so with the immediacy and realism of an eye witness. The book persuasively impresses upon its readers a gradual recognition of the Egyptians' humanity; a sense of the familiar which becomes almost self-evident in hindsight.' Bryn Mawr Classical Review

'… Peck bring[s] to the reader an object-centred perspective on ancient Egyptian culture that has rarely been covered in popular literature before … [this book is] accessible and simultaneously scientifically accurate.' Barbora Janulíková, Archaeological Review from Cambridge

'… a most useful summary of the topic of daily life and its artistic and archaeological manifestations that will be of considerable value to students and Egyptophiles … [it] also provides a useful starting point for those outside the subject requiring an up-to-date and reliable source, and the book is to be recommended to this full range of potential readers.' Aidan Dodson, Egyptian Archaeology