MJ Thomas Wrote:
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> >
> Hello Anthony,
>
> I'm quite taken with this explanation.
> To me it makes a lot of sense - the 'Primeval
> Mound' part in particular.
Very little of what they did doesn't make sense... when one takes the time to understand the culture. I've noticed from your postings that you have been really upgrading your knowledge in this department as of late. I know I have a long way to go, but I have my own style of studying Egyptian history and it makes it very hard to "advance" in the normal way.
> I can understand the "at least he had a crack at
> it" mentality.
> It'll be interesting to read what others here
> think of your ideas.
I look forward to it as well.
>
> I have a copy of The Complete Pyramids.
> I'll have read of it later.
> I tend to use Lehner's book as a
> dip-into-reference work; I've never actually sat
> down with it and read it cover-to-cover.
Lehner's book is a great general text, but the first section of the book (not the 2nd or 3rd, as I had suggested) is entitled "Tomb and Temple". It is within this "section" that the 2nd adn 3rd "chapters" deal with "Burial Rituals and the Pyramid Complex", and "This World and the Netherworld". Sorry about the chapter confusion.
This first section is absolutely invaluable to understanding the minds of the pyramid builders. Although he doesn't have the footnotes or references that we'd like to see in an academic paper so we can check every detail for ourselves, I have found that he has about 98% of what he says backed up with data that we can find on our own elsewhere. If Lehner can be accused of having an agenda in writing this book, it is probably that he simply wanted an exposition of the facts and most plausible theories surrounding the pyramids of Egypt. He's got no tangents, no wild speculations, and no pet theories he advances within the pages. Compared to some of the books out there, it is probably one of the single best books written on the subject. The introduction and first section of the book, however, sets the stage within which understanding the rest of pyramid development in Egyptian history becomes an almost obvious evolution.
Let me know what you think of this section. I'd appreciate your opinion of it.
Anthony
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him think.