重构古埃及Oxford university.pdfVIP

Book review www.PalArch.nl, webbased Netherlands scientific journal (2005) Shaw, I. 2004. Ancient Egypt. A very short introduction. – Oxford, Oxford University Press Book review1 by K.M. Cooney This small volume discusses the context of Egyptological research, methodologies, the possible biases of its researchers, the strengths and weaknesses of the field of Egyptology, and the newest theories on particular topical issues. This book is not the expected narrative discussion of ancient Egyptian history and culture; instead it is a provocative introduction to the field of Egyptology. In fact, I think the book is actually mis-titled. It would be more appropriately called ‘Egyptology. A very short introduction’. This quibble does not take away from the excellent prose and the important questions raised by the author Ian Shaw, but it does bring up the question of the book’s audience. Shaw seems quite aware of this dilemma, and instead of the standard exhaustive approach seen in semi-popular books on ancient Egypt, he instead raises distinct but important key issues in the field of Egyptology, which he follows with case study discussions. This structure allows both the beginner as well as the established Egyptologist to be engaged in his examinations. In chapter 1 ‘The story so far’, Shaw introduces his discussion with the Narmer Palette, an obj ect that he follows throughout the book to anchor his text and ideas. Here, the Narmer Palette illustrates the nature of the evidence with which Egyptologists grapple, effectively conveying that ancient studies are not always based on hard facts, as many assume, but on interpretation and re-interpretation. His examination of various scholarly readings of the palette is careful and even handed. Most of this chapter includes a historiographic discussion of