Pharaohs of the Sun

The Rise and Fall of Tutankhamun's Dynasty

Description

A vivid story of an astonishing period in ancient Egypt’s history—1550 BC to 1295 BC—that tears away the gold and glamour to reveal how these great pharaohs ruthlessly ruled Egypt for two hundred and fifty years. 

For more than two centuries, Egypt was ruled by the most powerful, successful, and richest dynasty of kings in its long end epic history. They included the female king Hatshepsut, the warrior kings Thutmose III and Amenhotep II, the religious radical Akhenaten and his queen, Nefertiti, and most famously of all—for the wealth found in his tomb—the short-lived boy king, Tutankhamun. The power and riches of the Pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty came at enormous cost to Egypt's enemies—and to most of its people. This was an age of ruthless absolutism, exploitation, extravagance, brutality, and oppression in a culture where not only did Egypt plunder its neighbors, but Egyptian kings (and their people) robbed one another.

3,500 years ago, ancient Egypt began two centuries of growth where it became richer and more powerful than any other nation in the world, ruled by the kings of the 18th Dynasty. They presided over a system built on war, oppression, and ruthlessness, pouring Egypt's wealth into grandiose monuments, temples, and extravagant tombs. Tutankhamun was one of the last of the line—and one of the most obscure. Among his predecessors were some of the most notorious and enigmatic figures of all of Egypt's history. 

Pharaohs of the Sun is the story of these famed rulers, showing how their glamour and gold became tainted by selfishness, ostentation, and the systematic exploitation of Egypt's people and enemies.

About the author(s)

Guy de la Bédoyère is an historian and author with numerous books to his credit. One of very few authors with the ability to read and use the system of shorthand used by the diarist Samuel Pepys (1633–1703), he edited the letters exchanged by Pepys with the diarist John Evelyn (1620–1706) in Particular Friends: The Correspondence of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn, covering their 38-year association and friendship. He has also produced the only edition of Pepys’s correspondence to be published in modern times in The Letters of Samuel Pepys. Guy lives in Britain.

Reviews

Praise for Guy de la Bédoyere:

“In his encyclopedic Gladius, Guy de la Bédoyère collects pretty much every fact known about what it was like to be in the military arm of the Roman Empire.”

"A splendid book that brings to life in its scholarship and animated style the lives of some of the most remarkable soldiers the world has ever seen. Gladius will be an absolute delight for those who are fascinated by the life and achievements of the world’s first and probably greatest professional army."

Gladius is a highly successful introduction to the life of the Roman soldier. Making use of a wide range of sources, from stone inscriptions to colorful anecdotes, de la Bédoyère’s informative and readable book offers real immediacy to readers.”

Clifford Ando, University of Chicago

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