Chronicle of a Pharaoh: The Intimate Life of Amenhotep III Review

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(More customer reviews)It is rather surprising that a book-length biography of a king who lived three thousand years ago could be accomplished. Naturally, there are few amusing anecdotes or personal recollections to draw on, and it is not possible to come up with even a biographer's speculations about how the character of the subject was formed. What Dr. Fletcher (the jacket says she is a "freelance Egyptologist") can do is look at the monuments, paintings, and written records to show aspects of what Amenhotep III did from year to year, and from his possessions make inferences as to what was important to him. It is as full a biography of this ancient as we could expect.
For instance, it is possible to get some idea of what the prince's upbringing was like. Children of the royal nursery were taught to read and write hieratic, the "cursive" variety of hieroglyphics by the scribe Menkheper. He also would have learned cuneiform script, the language of diplomatic correspondence of the time, and he would use it prolifically during his reign. A primer of the time advises students: "You have to do your exercises daily. Don't be idle... Ask from those who know more than you, and don't be weary - try to understand what your teacher wants, listen to his instructions." Maybe such exhortations worked, but obviously not always: a contemporary proverb says, "A boy's ear is on his back: he hears when he is beaten." It was not all work and no play, however. There is a palette of six blocks of paints which bears the name of Amenhotep III, and his playroom (shared by children of the royal generations) in the palace of Amarna has paint marks on the floor and lower walls.
_Chronicle of a Pharaoh_ is a beautifully illustrated book, with pictures on most of its pages. Some of the descriptions of life in ancient Egypt will seem as if they are taken from the ruling classes of our own times, but most interesting are the descriptions of customs, dress, and religion which are nothing like our own. Amenhotep III lived a full reign of 38 years, mostly with his nation at peace, and prosperous from good weather and big harvests. He had many construction projects, notably the temples at Luxor. He was a capable administrator and had a sense of humor (shown by the cache of diplomatic correspondence displayed here). The details of life in the times, and the lovely pictures, are captivating.

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