The Archaeology of Pharaonic Egypt: Society and Culture, 2700-1700 BC

REVIEW BY ANNA GARNETT For those undertaking formal or informal study of Egyptian archaeology, a number of key textbooks focusing on the social lives of the ancient Egyptian people will always be on the reading list – Barry Kemp’s seminal Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization, of course, being one of them. Bussmann’s exploration of the complexities of society and culture during the ‘Pyramid Age’ (Egypt’s Old and Middle Kingdoms) provides an essential addition to that list, and will transform our perspective on this fascinating era. The author describes the volume as ‘an archaeology of people’, focusing not on the grand monuments themselves, nor courtly activities, but l