The Complete Pyramids

Mark Lehner brings his many years of field research in Egypt to this definitive book. He examines the pyramids in unprecedented detail, covering the practical aspects--the quarries, ramps, and tools used in construction--as well as the conceptual ones.Professor Lehner surveys and describes the pyramids across their 3,000-year history, as well as explaining the rituals and mythology, the history of travelers, looters, and archaeologists, and the ways in which the pyramids were an integral part of the Egyptian state.The hundreds of illustrations include computer reconstructions and specially commissioned artists' perspective views of the pyramids and their interior chambers. The book is at once a definitive sourcebook and an entertaining guide for scholars, students, and travelers.