Overview

The Pyramid Texts were carved onto the walls of burial chambers in royal pyramids 4,000 years ago. They have intrigued scholars, mystics and historians ever since they were discovered in 1881. They have usually been misconstrued as a garbled collection of primitive myths and incantations, relegating their radiant fusion of philosophy, scientific inquiry, and religion to obscurity. Translations of the texts often reduce them to gibberish. Yet these writings are in fact among the world's oldest poetry, cosmological speculations and reflections on nature. Susan Brind Morrow has recast The Pyramid Texts as a coherent work of art, arguing that they should be recognized as a formative event in the evolution of human thought. The result is a work of beautiful and intelligent literature, alongside a persuasive argument for The Pyramid Texts' central importance to the history of language.

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9781784972394

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Reviews

'A meticulous exegesis of the Pyramid Texts, a manuscript of hieroglyphics inscribed on stone walls within the Pyramid of Unis in the Saqqara Plateau. An erudite investigation that rewards patient, careful reading' Kirkus. 'Even when it's at its hardest, demanding re-reading and re-reading, The Silver Eye is a book filled with poetic pleasures and intellectual stimulation. The rewards of revelation come slowly, and they need to be earned' Spectator. 'A work of sublime intelligence and importance' Simon Winchester.

Author Information

Susan Brind Morrow studied Classics, Arabic and Egyptology at Columbia University. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship for her work on the Pyramid Texts.

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