Customer Reviews
A really good book! 
2008-02-20
A kid's review: I really liked this book because it had a lot of adventure, trickery, and sorcery. One of the stories was about a thief. He was an architect who built a treasury that was "unbreakable." Only he could get through, and when he did he stole some of the gold.
Tales from Ancient Egypt 
2006-11-29
All countries have their fairy tails, myths, and legends. They are unique to the country from which they originated. They give a mystical history, and tell why some things happed they way they did. The people of Egypt worshiped many gods and they told many stories about them. Tales of Ancient Egypt by Roger Lancelyn Green, is a collection of these stories
In Egyptian stories one of the most important gods was Ra. He was the first pharaoh of Egypt and ruled for thousands of years. After those thousands of years went by Ra, got older, but he refused to give up the throne. The story of "Ra and his Children" is about one of his daughters tricking him into making a poisonous snake bite him, and then making him give up the throne and become the sun god.
While Ra ruled the skys the the Duat was the land of the dead. When a person died he or she went to the Daut where they went through the twelve gates and on to immortal life. One story tells of how Se-Orsisis and his father, Prince Setna, visited the land of the dead. They traveled into the land of the dead for twelve hours, and witnessed the trials and sufferings of the wrongdoers who were sent to the Apophis the terrible pit of fire.
In the world of the living the sole was The Nile. Everywhere people depended on the rivers annual rising to make the harsh dessert land fertile for the growing of crops. If The Nile did not rise one year, the people of Egypt suffered from lack of food. These years were called lean years. When Zoser was pharaoh, Egypt suffered from seven consecutive lean years. Desperate, Zoser sent out for a wise man to tell him what he could to do make the lean years stop. The wise man told him that he must got to the cave of Khnemu, the god of The Nile. When Zoser reached the cave, Khnemu told him that the only way the lean years would stop would be to make annual offering to him. After the pharaoh made the offering the lean years stopped. Subsequently the people of Egypt never once stopped giving offerings to the god of The Nile.
There are stories of love too. "The Tale of Two brothers" is about a farmer who married a women, who was the daughter of the gods. Eventually the pharaoh fell in love with her and she ran away to marry him. The farmer went to find her and bring her back to him. The pharaohs wife was so scared she tried to kill the farmer three times, and three times he survived. In the end, she died and the farmer became pharaoh.
Another love story is a Cinderella story, but in Egypt it is called "The girl with the red-rose slippers". Instead of being named Cinderella the girl was named Rhodopis, she was not a servant but a slave sold to a rich merchant who spoiled her.
The author of Tales of Ancient Egypt Roger Lancelyn Green wrote short stories. He seems to have researched them first and then writen them, maybe adding or taking away. Most of the stories are around five pages so I think that he likes writing short stories.
I didn't really like Tales of Ancient Egypt because there wasn't a main story. I like reading books partly because you get to know a character and you are in their word while you read. With this book, there were short stories all stuck together; sometimes the same characters are mentioned a few times in other stories, like Ra. But reading this book was a good way for me to learn more about Egypt.
Excellent Source for Study of Ancient Egypt 2006-07-11
This is a book of short stories translated from Egyptian hieroglyphics. Some of the oldest stories in the world are told in the three different sections: Gods, Magic, and Adventures. The subject matter may be too confusing for grade school children; Egyptian stories either follow a different pattern of plot development than we are used to or else some of it is lost in translation.
One of the fun things to look for while reading this book is similarities in these stories to ones with which we are more familiar. I found similarities to Biblical stories, a unique take on the kidnapping of Helen by Paris, and my daughter found Ali Baba in one of the stories.
This book will also shine some light on the very complicated Egyptian religion as well as what they considered to be a virtue or a vice. For example, they often praise cunning--a virtue praised again and again within these stories. Have you children see what they can summarize about Egyptian priorities from these stories.
Summary: Highly recommended home school book for pre-teens and teens which will add depth to their study of this ancient civilization. A Landmark Books classic.
Great source on Egypt Mythology 2005-10-27
This book is a translation into English of many Egyptian myths. It is a great learning tool for kids of any age, and especially great for homeschoolers who are using Story of the World for History.
10 year old boy 2005-09-23
Tales of Ancient Egypt is about inspiring stories that will thrill your heart. The stories are very old and very magical. The book brings you to the world of Ancient Egypt with stories of the Pharoahs and the gods. It covers all of Ancient Egypt's timeline with stories from each time period. It is about wars, and the fall of many cities in battle, and the god's magic. I suggest that if you want to read a very entertaining book than read this one. It was a great book and you will think it was great as well.
Great Stories! 2004-11-21
I love this book. Being a religous person, I've always wanted to know what the Egyptians were like during the time of Moses, and this book gives a great pictorial of them. My least favorite stories concern the Egyptian religion and the tales of their magic, but I enjoyed the seven tales of adventure that Roger Green compiled in this book. This book narrates the very first cinderella story and explores everything from mysterious islands that magically dissapear to the use of military guile in taking a great city.
If you want to try another of Roger Green's books, then try his King Arthur. However, I do not recommend his Robin Hood or Tales of the Greek Heroes, since the latter is hardly entertaining and the former can be seen as insulting to poor people.
tales of ancient egypt 2003-12-10
This book really inspired me every time I opened it. The charatersalways amayze me and the plot never stop's from brinnging chills up and down my body. This book writen by Roger Lancelyn Green has some thing not many books could do to me, it makes me wan't to read it over and over again. It just openeds my mind every time.
The Tales of Ancient Egypt tells you all about kings, queens , and MAGIC. It all started with the creature of the world named Ra. This book tells you about Ras creations and what happened during his century. Roger Lancelyn Green made this book full with adventure, emotion, back stabing, revenge, and love. I think you should read this book and I asure you would want to read it over and over again.
