Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt
by Barbara Mertz
Published by William Morrow/ Harper Collins
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Reviewed by Kathy Perschmann
Barbara Mertz is also the real name of writers Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Michaels. She has written 37 books in the popular Amelia Peabody series (Amelia is a Victorian Egyptologist and archaeologist) and 29 suspense books as Michaels. Mertz received her doctorate in Egyptology in 1952, and her first book published was Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs: a Popular History of Egyptology. Her first novel was published in 1966. This is the second edition of Black Land, Red Land, originally published in 1978.
This well-written and readable book is an excellent source of information on life in ancient Egypt. Mertz covers everything, including childhood, pets, women and queens, clothing, jewelry and cosmetics, towns and houses, education, magic, religion, science, medicine, mathematics, pyramid building, boats, mummification and tombs. All are fascinating, though my personal favorite is the chapter on painting and sculpture, and the Amarna period. The XVIII Dynasty has always fascinated me: the time of Queen Hatshepsut, Akhenaton, and Tutankhamon. It is difficult to imagine a kingdom and society that lasted for nearly 4,000 years; the U.S. is an infant in comparison. There is a chronology, map, notes, and a list of books for further reading. The line drawings and photographs enhance the text perfectly.
Readers of the Amelia Peabody and Vicky Bliss mysteries, anyone longing to travel to see the ancient wonders of Egypt, or anyone with an interest in archaeology, will love this book.
Armchair Interviews agrees.