An exhilarating and original history of Egypt, from the pyramids to the precarious present
In The Shortest History of Egypt, Maria Golia draws on extensive historical research, and her years of experience living and working in Egypt, to offer a fresh and insightful perspective on one of the world's oldest civilisations. Golia deftly traces Egypt's trajectory from Neolithic times to the Arab Spring and up to the present day, and in doing so illuminates the environmental, temporal and cultural forces that have shaped it.
Egypt looms large in the popular imagination, conjuring images of pyramids, pharaohs, tomb raiders and vast deserts. Yet its true allure might lie in its impressively long history and what it tells us about the human condition. Just like the ancients, we're preoccupied with life's brevity and how to prolong its pleasures and reduce its pains. In many ways, Egypt is a case study in how people endure.
Written with wit, clarity and a contemporary beat, this is a wild and intoxicating ride through Egypt's history.
'A sweeping history of Egypt, written with authority and literary flair. Golia effortlessly distils a broad range of recent scholarship to paint a portrait of the country and its people that is convincing and endearing, but also uncompromisingly honest.' —Campbell Price, author of Golden Mummies of Egypt
'Sharp, elegant and insightful' —David Wengrow, co-author of The Dawn of Everything
'To condense Egyptian history into 200 pages with such wit, insight and revelatory knowledge is truly a great literary achievement. Comfortable with contradictions, unfazed by complexity, dazzled by Egypt's luminous past, The Shortest History of Egypt is the ultimate primer for anyone enchanted by this legendary land – that is, almost all of us.' —Wade Davis, author of Beneath the Surface of Things
Table of Contents:
The Formative Millennia (c. 7000 BCE–2200 BCE)
Order and Disorder (c. 2200 BCE–332 BCE)
Amalgamation (332 BCE–1517 CE)
Replay (1517–1999)
Once More, With Feeling (1981–2025)