1st Edition

Egypt's Legacy The Archetypes of Western Civilization: 3000 to 30 BC

By Michael Rice Copyright 1997
    250 Pages
    by Routledge

    250 Pages
    by Routledge

    Drawing on Jungian psychology to show why Egypt has been so important in the history of Western civilisation, Michael Rice explains the majesty and enduring appeal of Egyptian civilization.

    Jung claimed that there exist certain psychological drives dormant in our shared unconscious: these are the archetypes. From the omnipotent god to the idea of the nation state, the formulation of most of these archetypes is owed to ancient Egypt.

    Michael Rice sets out to recover the sense of wonder that the Egyptians themselves felt as they contemplated the world in which they lived, and the way they expressed that wonder in the religion, art and literature. He traces the story of Egyptian civilization from its emergence in the third millennium BC to its transformation following the Macedonian conquest in 30 BC.

    Preface  Illustrations  Acknowledgements  1. The Nature of Ancient Egypt  A Note on Chronology  2. The Ancient Egyptian Psyche  3. Egypt and `The Gods'  4. Before the Kingship - Predynastic Egypt  5. Kingship and the Archaic Kings  6. Egypt's Glory: The Old Kingdom  7. Hiatus - The First Intermediate Period  8. Restoration - The Middle Kingdom  9. Invasion - The Second Intermediate Period  10. Empire - The New Kingdom  11. Tutankhamun and the Reaffirmation of Amon  12. The Ramessids and the Decline of Egypt  13. The Final Phase  14. The Greeks in Egypt  15. The Myth of Egypt  References  Bibliography  Index

    Biography

    Michael Rice is well-known for his work in the planning and designing of museums throughout the Arabian peninsula. He is the author of Egypt's Making (1990), which explores the origins of the Egyptian state from 5000-2000 BC.

    "This exuberant book will appeal to those willing to think about history from a Jungian standpoint." - Religious Studies Review