The Last Dynasty

Ancient Egypt from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra

Author: Toby Wilkinson Series: Bloomsbury Publishing

(1 review)

Paperback

A definitive and thrilling new account of the last great dynasty of ancient Egypt, from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra

(1 review)

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PRODUCT INFORMATION

Summary

A definitive and thrilling new account of the last great dynasty of ancient Egypt, from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra

Description

A definitive and thrilling new account of the last great dynasty of ancient Egypt, from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra.

When Alexander the Great arrived in Egypt, he overthrew the hated Persian overlords and was welcomed as a saviour. He repaid them by showing due reverence to their long-held traditions. After his death, as the Greek empire broke up and his closest advisers squabbled over the spoils, a Macedonian general named Ptolemy seized the Egyptian throne, ushering in a new dynasty that would last for 300 years.

What followed was as dramatic and compelling as any period in Egyptian history. The unique blend of Greek and Egyptian cultures led to an unprecedented flowering of learning, as the new city of Alexandria became home to the Great Library, the largest in the ancient world, that attracted the brightest minds. Wars, incest, double-dealing, foreign empires and huge wealth all followed, but the rise of the Roman empire would eventually bring the Ptolemaic era crashing to a close.

Helped by the latest archaeological discoveries and using original papyrus documents, Toby Wilkinson uncovers a story that can only now be fully told. From courtly life to the role of women, from international trade to the tensions between native Egyptians and incoming Greeks, all aspects of life are here. Filled with surprising insights, vivid descriptions and larger-than-life characters, and written in the author s compelling narrative style, The Ptolemies will appeal to all lovers of history, archaeology, art and culture.

Critic Reviews

A scintillating new history of the dynasty ruling the most prosperous third of the ancient world for almost three centuries, extinguished only by the rise of Rome. Intensively researched in every possible source, the author’s fast-paced narrative covers everything from rival personalities, war and grand strategy to religion, the arts, science, agriculture and cultural diversity. A truly splendid read, richly detailed and powered by an unfailing gift for storytelling -- John Guy, author of MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS Superb and gripping. Wilkinson combines authoritative scholarship with lucid narrative and colourful character studies to tell the bloodspattered, flamboyant and outrageous history of the Macedonian conquerors Alexander the Great, the Cleopatras and Ptolemies who ruled Egypt as the last great dynasty of the Ancient World in fascinating and compelling style -- Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of THE WORLD: A FAMILY HISTORY OF HUMANITY

About the Author

Toby Wilkinson is an Egyptologist and the prize-winning author of thirteen books on the history and culture of the Nile Valley, ancient and modern. Lauded by the Daily Telegraph as the foremost Egyptologist of his time , his works include The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt, which won the Hessell-Tiltman Prize. He studied Egyptology at the University of Cambridge and is currently a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Product Details

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Published

29th October 2024

Pages

384

ISBN

9781526664662

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CUSTOMER REVIEWS

11 Feb, 2025

Toby Wilkinson's THE LAST DYNASTY is Ancient History as it was seldom (if ever!) taught in school or university. He brings the little known (or studied) period of Ptolemaic Egypt to life with a flourish fit to scatter the dust from many a mummy's tomb between the monumental figures of Alexander the Great and Cleopatra.
By Ralph

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