Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 Mediocre Survey July 8, 2000
45 out of 54 found this review helpful
This book is worth half its price for the photgraphic survey of Egyptian temples alone. In this manner it maintains the quality of its predecessors, 'Complete Valley of Kings,' etc. However, from a scholarly standpoint, the book was a bit disappointing. For example, the title "Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt," is simply an overstatement. Many small but significant sites are completely left out (Kom Mer, El Qua'la, etc.) Further, the author frequently makes no attempt to mention which god or goddess owned the temples in his survey. For example, he could have noted that the great lost temple at Antaeopolis was dedicated to Antiwey...a Horus/Set fusion. He could have noted the Temple of Nephthys and Anukis at Kom Mir, etc. Indeed, in most of his articles, he merely skims over the temples without any depth (save for the most famous ones: Philae, Karnak, Edfu, etc.). I found the information to be very basic, and had been looking forward to greater scholarly detail about the history of each temple, the deity of each temple, and more obscure temples mentioned (which are often just as fascinating as the great sanctuaries). There are also a number of errors in the information. All in all, a lavishly illustrated book for the average Egyptophile, but not very satisfying to the advanced Egyptophile. If you're going to spend a great deal of money, I would recommend Stephen Quirke's absolutely fascinating 'The Temple in Ancient Egypt.'
 A Useful Gazeteer September 10, 2000
Michael Gunther (Maryland, USA)
35 out of 39 found this review helpful
Richard Wilkinson has written one essential book - "Reading Egyptian Art" which belongs on the shelf of anyone who is interested in Ancient Egypt. "Temples of Ancient Egypt," although worthwhile, is not that book. Temples is a gazeteer, which is to say, a book that describes the essential sites in Egypt, arranged by geography. This is all very well, and competently done, but Baines and Malek ("The Cultural Atlas of the World: Ancient Egypt") have done it first, and better.
 Temples and More July 19, 2000
C. A. Ausec (Tucson, AZ USA)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
This book is an excellent addition to the "Complete Tutankhamun", "Complete Pyramid", and "Complete Valley of the Kings" series. As a student of Egyptology, with a special interest in the religious aspects of the society, I found this book to be an excellent addition to my reference library. It is filled with color photographs, charts and information in a clear easy to follow layout. This book features not only information on the architectural lay out of individual temples and sanctuaries of Ancient Egypt, it also provides a valuable overview to evolution of the temple in Egypt, the function of the temple in Egyptian society, Egyptian deities and cults as well as the role of kings and priests. The blending of information on the symbolism, function and architectural aspects of temples makes this a "must have" reference, which I will go back to again and again. If you have an interest in Ancient Egyptian society this book is for you.
The Complete Story of Temples July 26, 2001
Carolyn P. Scott (Oakland, California United States)
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
No other volume manages so comprehensive a detailing of the temples of ancient Egypt--their history, lore and design. There are color and black and white photos, maps and floor plans, but most importantly, the text documents the historical development and significance of each site it references.The concise narrative covers the entire system of temple monuments, such as the Temples at Karnak, Luxor, Dendera, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Giza and Abu Simbel. But, this is no tourist guide to temple sites. The casual reader may find the detailed discussion of such subjects as building materials and construction methodologies a bit dry. This is a must-have for the student of Egyptology and the religion and art of the ancient world.
Good pictures, Good information, and Good layout December 28, 2002
O. B. Makhubela (South Africa)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
Yes, this is definitely far better than the other book in this series, namely, the complete valley of the kings.this book is quite extensive and tries to include a picture on each of the temples discussed, i.e. if the temple or its ruins are still there. It is also not full of black and white pictures - i understand the artistic value of these type of pictures but egypt is full of colour! all the sites are accompanied by well written descriptions and a brief history. Again, i am always careful about what egyptology writes about ancient egypt since i still believe there is a lot of conjecture which tends to be presented as fact. for example: the symbolic nature of the temples seems to be covered well by the book but one should probably read such infor as logical hypothesis rather than reasonable fact - it is rare that authors say the infor comes from an ancient papyrus! all in all, it is indeed a complete guide to the temples of ancient egypt and worth collecting!
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