Egypt's Legacy The Archetypes of Western Civilization: 3000 to 30 BC

In "Egypt's Legacy," Michael Rice reviews the majesty of the history of Ancient Egypt from 3000-30 BC. Drawing upon Jungian analytical psychology, he argues that our interest in Egypt stems from a conscious acknowledgement of its achievements and an instinctive appreciation of its ability to express aspects of our unconscious.

Jung claimed that there exist certain psychological drives dormant in our shared unconscious--archetypes. Characteristic Egyptian institutions such as the nation-state and an omnipotent, isolated god were powerful and complex archetypes. Rice contends that these archetypes underlie most of the accepted norms of Western civilization and through an inherited unconscious, these civilizations are influenced in their attempts to give archetypes form.

Drawing on Jungian psychology to show why Egypt has been so important in the history of Western civilisation, Michael Rice explains the majesty and enduring appeal of Egyptian civilization. Jung claimed that there exist certain psychological drives dormant in our shared unconscious: these are the archetypes. From the omnipotent god to the idea of the nation state, the formulation of most of these archetypes is owed to ancient Egypt. Michael Rice sets out to recover the sense of wonder that the Egyptians themselves felt as they contemplated the world in which they lived, and the way they expressed that wonder in the religion, art and literature. He traces the story of Egyptian civilization from its emergence in the third millennium BC to its transformation following the Macedonian conquest in 30 BC.

Preface Illustrations Acknowledgements 1. The Nature of Ancient Egypt A Note on Chronology 2. The Ancient Egyptian Psyche 3. Egypt and `The Gods' 4. Before the Kingship - Predynastic Egypt 5. Kingship and the Archaic Kings 6. Egypt's Glory: The Old Kingdom 7. Hiatus - The First Intermediate Period 8. Restoration - The Middle Kingdom 9. Invasion - The Second Intermediate Period 10. Empire - The New Kingdom 11. Tutankhamun and the Reaffirmation of Amon 12. The Ramessids and the Decline of Egypt 13. The Final Phase 14. The Greeks in Egypt 15. The Myth of Egypt References Bibliography Index

Michael Rice is well-known for his work in the planning and designing of museums throughout the Arabian peninsula. He is the author of Egypt's Making (1990), which explores the origins of the Egyptian state from 5000-2000 BC.