The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt

A comprehensive collection of the major & minor gods & goddesses of ancient Egypt, classified by body type (ie, human, mammalian, avian, reptilian, etc). Beautifully illustrated with depictions of ancient artwork.

I was looking for a book on the history and the gods of ancients Egypt. This book was everything i was looking for and more. I got the hardcover one and I'm glad i did the book is big and beatifically illustrated.

Mostly this is a useful book. It is very complete, and offers a nice format for the history and iconography of the gods and goddesses. However, it is a bit puzzling that the authors opted to group the deities the way they did, with mammalian, avian and other General categories. It is not a fatal flaw to the book, but it means you might need to spend some time in the index to find the specific god or goddess unless you are certain he/she falls in the category the authors have put him/her in. Don't plan to sit down and read this book through, as it would be rather like reading an encyclopaedia, but as a reference guide it is useful, other than the unusual organisation.

This book is very informative. I do wish more of the pictures were in color but, be that as it may, it is very detailed in listing the various deity and what they stood for in Egypt's culture. Arrived in great shape. Thank you.

The book is excellent, the information is great, but I absolutely hate the way this book is organized.

I think that this is an amazing book! If you are interested in ancient Egypt this is a book for you! The book is very informative and full of beautiful photos! it is a big book and i think its price is very cheap because you get a lot! don't think twice and buy it if you like ancient Egypt.And i think and know that the customer service of Amazon is superb! (I live in Israel).

Wow! Great find! Love this book. Excellent layout, engaging, and informative. Lots of illustrations. Great resource for anyone interested in ancient Egypt. Saw the excellent reviews and high rankings of this book - and agree. So happy with the qualty. Excellent! Highly Recommend.

I agree with the other reviewers - beautifully illustrated, mostly in full color. It is comprehensive yet particularly the first half of the book is easy to read in it's entirety. The first part of the book covers general concepts of Egyptian Religion and the deities. The second covers individual deities in detail. I had been looking for a book on Ancient Egyptian religion and deities which was neither outdated in its ideas, nor sterile or boring, nor full of fluff, nor overwhelmed with dense detail, nor assumed detailed prior knowledge of anthropology, archeology or African/Near Eastern history and religion. This book is it. It is beautifully clear and explains how Egyptian views of each deity changed over time. It clearly presents for each deity what syncretism occurred (merging with other gods or the adoption of other gods' attributes) with time. It contains some of the most recent thinking on how the Egyptians might have viewed their own deities. My only minor negative would be that there are no references or footnotes in the text itself for the expert. However, within the body of the text, the author does mention which academics advanced which important concepts and coupled with the extensive and detailed bibliography arranged by subject matter at the end of the book, this minor gripe is assuaged. The binding and quality of the book, its print, and illustrations are beautiful - it would make a lovely gift for someone. Easy to read for both the beginner and the non-beginner in this area, but full of crystal clear detail for one who wants a good reference book even for more advanced students of religion.

Richard Wilkinson's latest book (he has previously written "Reading Egyptian Art," "Symbol and Magic in Egyptian Art," and "The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt") presents the reader with an impressive selection of all the major gods and goddesses, and many of the minor ones, of ancient Egypt. Although hardly "complete" in the technical sense (Wilkinson discusses "only" 500 of Egypt's 1500 or so deities, and much more could be said about the ones he does discuss), the book is fairly "complete" in a practical sense: most gods that most readers want to look up, will get at least a brief mention. For example, you will find here the 24 Hours of the Day and Night, 12 (of 21) Gates of the Underworld, all 42 Gods of Judgement, and all 42 (hmm... there's that number again!) Nome Deities. The book begins with twelve brief essays (4-6 pages each) on Egyptian religion, covering such topics as creation myths, manifestations of divinity, temple and popular worship, and divine kingship. The essays are thoughtful, informative, and up-to-date with current scholarship. I wish they had been longer, because they deserve to be expanded at greater length than the book allocates to them. The rest of the book, some 180 pages, is devoted to a "Catalogue of Deities," organized by biological shape (anthropomorphic male and female, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, and inanimate objects). This is a great idea, but it could have been taken even further. A visual index of shapes would make lookup much easier, and would only take an additional page or two. A name index is, of course, provided. Why not give a hieroglyphic index as well? Going to the individual entries, Wilkinson generally provides information about the mythology, iconography, and worship of each deity. The deities are generously illustrated, with line drawings and photographs. Again, I would wish that many of these entries could be expanded, both in terms of discussion and in terms of visual iconography. This is not a criticism of Wilkinson; it just reflects the practical limitations of the book. To summarize, Wilkinson's "Gods and Goddesses" is a very well-written, thoughtful, accurate, beautifully produced and illustrated reference on the religion of ancient Egypt. In terms of coverage it is somewhere between a handbook and an encyclopedia. I am very glad to have it in its present form, and I only wish that it had been much longer, since it is clear that Wilkinson has more to say about this subject than could fit into the covers of the present book. I would gladly pay double the price to have a truly complete encyclopedia of Egypt's gods from this author.

The author writes that the Egyptians had over 1400 gods and goddesses. A look at the index seems to confirm that perception. There were gods of hours, caverns, caves, wells as well as demons, genies, etc. Some of these deities are quite obscure while others are generally known like Amun, Isis and the Aten. The book is well-arranged and quite informative. Readers with an interest in ancient Egypt would be happy with reading this book.

A comprehensive collection of the major & minor gods & goddesses of ancient Egypt, classified by body type (ie, human, mammalian, avian, reptilian, etc). Beautifully illustrated with depictions of ancient artwork.

I was looking for a book on the history and the gods of ancients Egypt. This book was everything i was looking for and more. I got the hardcover one and I'm glad i did the book is big and beatifically illustrated.

Mostly this is a useful book. It is very complete, and offers a nice format for the history and iconography of the gods and goddesses. However, it is a bit puzzling that the authors opted to group the deities the way they did, with mammalian, avian and other General categories. It is not a fatal flaw to the book, but it means you might need to spend some time in the index to find the specific god or goddess unless you are certain he/she falls in the category the authors have put him/her in. Don't plan to sit down and read this book through, as it would be rather like reading an encyclopaedia, but as a reference guide it is useful, other than the unusual organisation.

This book is very informative. I do wish more of the pictures were in color but, be that as it may, it is very detailed in listing the various deity and what they stood for in Egypt's culture. Arrived in great shape. Thank you.

The book is excellent, the information is great, but I absolutely hate the way this book is organized.

I think that this is an amazing book! If you are interested in ancient Egypt this is a book for you! The book is very informative and full of beautiful photos! it is a big book and i think its price is very cheap because you get a lot! don't think twice and buy it if you like ancient Egypt.And i think and know that the customer service of Amazon is superb! (I live in Israel).

Wow! Great find! Love this book. Excellent layout, engaging, and informative. Lots of illustrations. Great resource for anyone interested in ancient Egypt. Saw the excellent reviews and high rankings of this book - and agree. So happy with the qualty. Excellent! Highly Recommend.

I agree with the other reviewers - beautifully illustrated, mostly in full color. It is comprehensive yet particularly the first half of the book is easy to read in it's entirety. The first part of the book covers general concepts of Egyptian Religion and the deities. The second covers individual deities in detail. I had been looking for a book on Ancient Egyptian religion and deities which was neither outdated in its ideas, nor sterile or boring, nor full of fluff, nor overwhelmed with dense detail, nor assumed detailed prior knowledge of anthropology, archeology or African/Near Eastern history and religion. This book is it. It is beautifully clear and explains how Egyptian views of each deity changed over time. It clearly presents for each deity what syncretism occurred (merging with other gods or the adoption of other gods' attributes) with time. It contains some of the most recent thinking on how the Egyptians might have viewed their own deities. My only minor negative would be that there are no references or footnotes in the text itself for the expert. However, within the body of the text, the author does mention which academics advanced which important concepts and coupled with the extensive and detailed bibliography arranged by subject matter at the end of the book, this minor gripe is assuaged. The binding and quality of the book, its print, and illustrations are beautiful - it would make a lovely gift for someone. Easy to read for both the beginner and the non-beginner in this area, but full of crystal clear detail for one who wants a good reference book even for more advanced students of religion.

Richard Wilkinson's latest book (he has previously written "Reading Egyptian Art," "Symbol and Magic in Egyptian Art," and "The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt") presents the reader with an impressive selection of all the major gods and goddesses, and many of the minor ones, of ancient Egypt. Although hardly "complete" in the technical sense (Wilkinson discusses "only" 500 of Egypt's 1500 or so deities, and much more could be said about the ones he does discuss), the book is fairly "complete" in a practical sense: most gods that most readers want to look up, will get at least a brief mention. For example, you will find here the 24 Hours of the Day and Night, 12 (of 21) Gates of the Underworld, all 42 Gods of Judgement, and all 42 (hmm... there's that number again!) Nome Deities. The book begins with twelve brief essays (4-6 pages each) on Egyptian religion, covering such topics as creation myths, manifestations of divinity, temple and popular worship, and divine kingship. The essays are thoughtful, informative, and up-to-date with current scholarship. I wish they had been longer, because they deserve to be expanded at greater length than the book allocates to them. The rest of the book, some 180 pages, is devoted to a "Catalogue of Deities," organized by biological shape (anthropomorphic male and female, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, and inanimate objects). This is a great idea, but it could have been taken even further. A visual index of shapes would make lookup much easier, and would only take an additional page or two. A name index is, of course, provided. Why not give a hieroglyphic index as well? Going to the individual entries, Wilkinson generally provides information about the mythology, iconography, and worship of each deity. The deities are generously illustrated, with line drawings and photographs. Again, I would wish that many of these entries could be expanded, both in terms of discussion and in terms of visual iconography. This is not a criticism of Wilkinson; it just reflects the practical limitations of the book. To summarize, Wilkinson's "Gods and Goddesses" is a very well-written, thoughtful, accurate, beautifully produced and illustrated reference on the religion of ancient Egypt. In terms of coverage it is somewhere between a handbook and an encyclopedia. I am very glad to have it in its present form, and I only wish that it had been much longer, since it is clear that Wilkinson has more to say about this subject than could fit into the covers of the present book. I would gladly pay double the price to have a truly complete encyclopedia of Egypt's gods from this author.

The author writes that the Egyptians had over 1400 gods and goddesses. A look at the index seems to confirm that perception. There were gods of hours, caverns, caves, wells as well as demons, genies, etc. Some of these deities are quite obscure while others are generally known like Amun, Isis and the Aten. The book is well-arranged and quite informative. Readers with an interest in ancient Egypt would be happy with reading this book.

expand knowledge

Provided needful infomation

Good reading

Legitimate information regarding the Netcheru aka Egyptian Deities

This is a very well organized book, presenting accurate information on Gods big and small, and their importance in the religion and history of Egypt. The illustrations and photos support the very informative text, making this book a superior reference book for students of Egyptology . At the same time, it is an attractive presentation of Ancient Egypt for all readers interested in the history of religions .

More importantly my Granddaughter loves it. She is 11 years old and was doing a school project on ancient Egypt.

Good quality, larger than expected. Great gift for anyone interested in Egyptian mythology, though could've contained more history & text per deity from various sources 💖💓

Very informative and love the pictures and explanations

Excellent reference book. Comprehensive and well presented.

Wilkinson's treatment of the pantheon of Egyptian dieties is truly encyclopedic. Beginning with dieties of the pre-dynastic era, he not only provides information about the specific gods and goddesses, but the book is rich with prints of reliefs and statues of them. I am not an Eyptologist, but I do teach a survey on ancient civilzations. This book has been of tremendous value in "filling in" minutae and details of Egyptian religion and, by extension, Egyptian society. Recommended.

Super informative

This is a terrific analysis and discussion of the varied and complex religious development and influence of the ancient Egyptians. I have been fascinated with the connections among the religious traditions of mankind and have found many seminal concepts and ideas in this book. This is written in plain language and can be easily used for personal as well as reference in the field of religion and religious iconography. Beautifully photographed and helpful in understanding the incredible complexity of ancient Egyptian religious development.

I first saw this book in the personal library of my writing teacher and friend, and used her copy for research into some neteru I was using in my novel. I was so impressed with the detailed descriptions of the major neteru and some obscure ones, that I wanted my own copy for future research. I recommend this as a must for anyone interested in the gods/neteru of ancient Egypt.

this was a gift for a friend going to Egypt next month....

A good reference for anyone interested in ancient Egypt, where the Gods and Goddesses were part of everyday life.

The book is detailed and informative.

Exelent read. This is not a book for beginning informational. Wonderful, informative and intellectualy stimulating.

Daughter was very pleased

This book has everything you could want to know about the gods & goddesses of ancient Egypt. This book is very well organized. Beginning with several introductory chapters before going on the gods themselves. The gods are arranged alphebetically by type which include their iconography, history & evolution & lots of very helpful illistrations. A must for those interested in ancient Egypt.

Very thorough. Very detailed. And full of information. Great break down of the egytian Pantheon and religious figures. I purchased as a gift.. I may purchase for myself. You will not be disappointed.

It Was Exactly Like The Seller Said It Would Be.!

Can’t say I’ve read it from front to back yet! But love the information available and the way it is presented

This book has every single God and Goddess of Ancient Egypt listed in it and their history. I do not know of a more complete book than this. If you're into the history of the Gods/Goddesses of Ancient Egypt, then I would highly recommend this book to you.

adfa

A great resource for the Egyptian mythos.

Some of the information should be updated, but this is a good starter's reference or quick pull.

I enjoy this book.

Nice place to start

The best book ever about egyptian mythology. Both small and big subjects are mentioned in this book. Everything! A great book for people that absolutely love the egyptian mythology.

Great quality and lots of info!

This is a beautifully illustrated book with very thorough explanation of who the different deities are; gods, and goddesses, during this amazing high point in African civilization. I recommend this book to any one who is at the beginner level because it gives you a clear description of how deities assume various roles at different times; and how they influenced later concepts of divinity.

A great comprehensive book.

Reading it now, very good.

Well worth the money as an Introduction to the Ancient Egyptian Mythos. Also a good 'quick reference.' Well worth the money for the pictures alone.

Very good.

Thanks!

At last a book besides that of Budge, whose scholarship has come under critical scrutany in resent years, that give even some obscure deities mentuon and tells what we know of them and there stories in a lan brimming with deities from local , to the great. It's the best book on the subject in a very long time and about time, too.

When I first got this I was intending to learn more about the Egyptian Gods & Goddesses from a mythological perspective. I thought that I was purchasing a book about the Egyptian Gods that were stories similar to the Greek Gods. I was looking for something purely mythological. If that is what you are looking to do, this book is not for you. However, if you are looking to study the Gods & Goddesses from a purely historical sense, then I would highly recommend this. Most of what I read is the historical origins, such as where each deity was created & by what group of people. There is a section that provides a catalogue of the deities which lists each deity, their area of origin, what they represented in the mythology, their appearance, & the most common form of worship to each deity. An example would be Anubis. It discusses that he was a funerary god, a possible origin of why Anubis is given the form of a jackal, & which Egyptian nome worshipped him the most.

great book to read

Wonderful book.

great

I can honestly say this was an astonishing read very fun and informative its literaly a glossary to the ancient gods of kem.

Nice group of photos showing egyptian gods and goddesses but hardly any of Tehuti which is who I was looking for... Otherwise a nice collection.

Absolutely wonderful.

Great information, yet this book cannot be read like a novel.

This book isn't just a catalogue of gods, though it certainly includes one. (Not really complete, because on that subject, completeness is practically impossible, but all the important gods and then some are there.) The chapters that come before the catalogue introduce you to some of the fundamental questions about the Egyptian gods and discuss them in a fairly readable manner. Short chapters are dedicated to the earliest evidence for Egyptian belief in gods and how that belief went extinct 3,500 years later; the forms the gods took and how they interacted with and combined with one another; how they were worshipped; and the relationship between the gods and the king. Wilkinson is also good at pointing out major areas of disagreement among Egyptologists, such as whether the king was considered a god, and summarizing the arguments on each side of the debate. At the beginning of the catalogue is a section describing how gods were assembled into groups, including both groups based on a specific number of gods (like the Ennead and Ogdoad) and groups based on a specific function (deities of the caverns and gates of the underworld, star deities, the gods of the nomes of Egypt, et cetera). This section emphasizes how much each god's significance and character was defined by its relationship with other deities. The catalogue itself is a little oddly organized. It classifies gods by their most common appearance in art: as human men (subdivided into adults and children); human women; mammals (subdivided into bovine, feline, hippopotamine, canine, ovine, and "other"); birds (subdivided into falcons and "other"); reptiles, amphibians, and fish; invertebrates; and inanimate objects. The major problem is that many gods appear in more than one form, and they have to go in one section or another. Hathor, for example, goes in the section for human women rather than the one for bovine deities. An advantage is that by reading each section you can see how many gods with the same animal form are similar to each other. Lionesses tend to represent the same traits no matter what they're called, and the lines between Taweret and other hippo goddesses are pretty blurry. In some cases you can use the catalogue as sort of a field guide to see how to distinguish the iconography of Sokar from that of other falcons, or that of Wepwawet from other jackals. Although the book is obviously focused on deities rather than mythology or afterlife beliefs, the wide-ranging nature of the early chapters makes it a surprisingly good introduction to the whole religion, especially if combined with a book that focuses on practices rather than theology, such as Emily Teeter's

I've looked at a handful of books on the subject recently, and this one is by far the best. It's a little vague concerning the actual stories of the Egyptian mythos, but it goes into great detail on their cosmology and practices of worship, also lovingly illustrated.

This is a wonderful presentation of ancient Egyptian religion. Wilkinson opens with a detailed account of religious practice and the ritual of death, tracing its regional variants and historical development. Next, he presents a complete, detailed encyclopedia of the pantheon. Each entry features information on the mythology, artistic representations and worship of the deity. The book is complete, thorough and easy to read and reference.

I bought this for my 10 year old daughter's birthday. She's recently gotten into the Egyptian Mythology. She's read it several times and loves it.I can't speak to the book myself, just that my daughter loved it.

A very nice secondary resource for research projects.

First off, "The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt" is not a book you want to read cover to cover. I love Egyptian mythology, but I really just use it for refrence when I need it. Some of the other sections on the origins of the dieties and such are great information as well. For $30, it is an excellent book, although if you really want some truly in-depth (and hard to digest) material, more academic books might appeal, although they tend to run significantly more. For its price, I think this book is an excellent introduction to the roles and mythology of the Egyptian dieties. Despite how my review sounds, I enjoy it.

You would do a lot a google searches to find as many really good images as you have here in a single collection. For those images alone, and likely only, would you want to have this in your collection of Egyptian books. A+ for the images. However, for much of the text in this book the score is not A, but C-. Starting from the title this book shows the standard amount of error and archaeological blinders regarding these figures. They are called the neters or neteru. Yes, this book does mention that quite a ways in. But to sell these images as outright gods is very inaccurate. If you studied the works of Schwaller de Lubicz or John Anthony West, you would realize these neter represents powers or qualities of the universe. These were not seen as objective gods in Egypt. For this the book runs far and wide with a misconception that colors much of the text and you need to keep going back to the images to keep from swallowing the old school interpretations of Egypt that don't wash anymore. (Yes, there is no doubt that the author is an expert in his field. But the field of archaeology, especially Egyptian archaeology, is fraught with errors and insulated inbreeding of ideas. It takes people like John Anthony and Robert Schoch to shake things up a bit.) There are scores of other plain inaccuracies as well. In the beautiful stele of the Lady Taperet before Re-Horakhty she is called 'Tanetperet'. It is through stele like this and through various temples that you begin to realize how the priests and rules interacted with these neter. In the Lady Taperet stele (also in the Louvre), you have an image of the inner radiance of the spirit (as Re-Horakhty) shining it's blessing (flowers) on the Lady (the mind/soul) in a pure perception. This is not the scene of a 'god' and a noble, this is a symbolic diagram of the inner state of radiance, a diagram of consciousness raised to a high level bathing in it's own inner divine light. Now that kind of realization, if sprinkled into the pages of a book like this, would really drive home the point of the neters and of the Egyptian approach to consciousness and civilization. There is also notably, and not suprisingly, a wide misunderstanding of Akhenaten‎ making it seem that he attempted to create a closed theology in which Aten and his family were the only ones involved. Actually there is sufficient evidence that he tried to wrest control of spiritual pursuits from the priesthood and actually give the common people something they could enter into more easily with less trappings and control. The author is transmitting overall the state of archaeology and this is expected. Time and again in this book is it the artwork that makes it a worthwhile piece. There is so much of a sense of blessing from the neters onto the people that a deep sense of care and sacredness is here. For the images, and primarily the images, this book is a keeper. If you want to learn some more reliable information about Egypt and it's history and consciousness, then you should go straight to The Serpent in the Sky by John Anthony West.

I bought this book for my husband as one of the presents for his birthday. He loves ancient history, and reading is one of his favorite hobbies. I have not looked at the book too much myself, but he tells me it is terrific! If you like history (and especially anything to do with Egypt), I would recommend getting the book, particularly where it is at such a reasonable price.

Fantastic book, full of great details and arranged in a way that is perfect for referencing.

good

As I first starting reading this book, I noticed the dates were very very advanced from any other dates that I had seen with the corrosponding event. Sadly, after that I didn't really take in things said in the book to be of researched value. But it does have useful maps, and pictures of present Egypt to compare with drawings of ancient Egypt.

This is an amazing book! It is very thorough. I like how the book starts with the history and then goes into the deities, it even lists the 42 Judges of the Halls of Truth in the underworld, as well as going through the 4 sons of Horus. I am very pleased with this book; the graphics in it are detailed. I certainly recommend it; you will not be disappointed.

Great buy, this book has valuable information.

Breath taking.

I bought this book looking for a fairly comprehensive collection of Ancient Egypt's major deities. Ancient Egypt had some 2000 plus gods/demi-gods/supernatural beings so a true comprehensive list in a single book is nigh on impossible. With that in mind this book is comprehensive as is sanely possible. I have known the major gods well enough (Anubis, Amun, Re, Thoth, Seth, Horus, to name a few examples) but wanted to know about much more minor gods which this book definitely delivered, it also includes those few foreign gods who became excepted into the Egyptian pantheon. It has a great deal of information on Egyptian religious concepts (such as the underworld, the relationship between the king and the gods, the combination of gods into composite deities etc) and mythology but anyone buying this hoping to read complete mythological tales may be disappointed though relevant tales are alluded to for the appropriate deity. The books main concern is listing the gods. Gods are listed into different categories based on their most common appearance. It is broken into Male Anthropomorphic gods, Female Anthropomorphic gods, Mammalian gods (cats, dogs, etc), Avian god, Reptile/amphibian/fish gods, invertebrate gods and finally inanimate objects. It also briefly talks about "demi-gods" such as "demons" and (as mentioned earlier) composite gods (Eg. Amun-re). The book is lavishly illustrated with beautiful photos and drawings though I often found the minor gods were not usually illustrated which was my main frustration, luckily google usually helps out in that regard though even a small drawing of each would have been nice, though, I understand the need for space on the page. If I were to have any complaints it would be the author's preference for Greek names of Pharaohs (Amenophis rather than Amenhotep) and some gods (Mnevis bull rather than Mer-Wer) if I am learning about Egyptian gods then I would rather know the Egyptian name than the Greek. Luckily Wilkinson does usually give the Egyptian name as well though I personally would have preferred it being the dominant reference. Other than that I loved the book, it has opened up my understanding of Ancient Egypt even further. I still have far more questions than answers, such is the depth of Ancient Egyptian history and religion. I would recommend it to anyone with a sincere interest in the subject though for those whose interest is more casual they may find much of it overwhelming especially with no prior knowledge of Egyptian history. I shall be referring to this book thoroughly in the future, I'm certain of that.

Highly attractive book with many photos and a pyramid and palace full of information. Definitely the best book on Egyptian deities by far. A must have for any student of Egypt and any Egyptian Polytheist.

A must have for anyone interested/researching into Egyptian theology. Quickly delivered by Wordery.

Excellent book that offers a very nice introduction into Ancient Egyptian beliefs with a very thorough and vast catalogue of gods and goddesses. Lovely finish and sharp, coloured illustrations/pictures

Comprehensive and informative breakdown of ancient Egyptian deities - excellent reference guide with good level of detail. Fascinating read.

Great

very good value for the money.

Good product good time delivery

Deep into egyptian religion, lights the way the ancient egyptians conceived of creation. Vivid images, really cared for publication and presentation/quality of print.

Very good text that combines the subject into one source.

Beautifully presented and authoritative, in depth. Excellent arrangement and illustrations.

Arrived on time, great book / quality.