Advanced Search Request a Book

ORDERS

Readings Orders 0

DEMANDS

Readings Demands 0

The Oldest Book In the World: Philosophy In the age Of the Pyramids
[Hardback - 2023]
bill manley
In Stock
List Price: £25
Our Price: Rs.9145 Rs.8230
Standard Discount: 10%
You Save: Rs.915
Category: Philosophy
Sub-category: Philosophy
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Uk | ISBN: 9780500252321 | Pages: 240
Shipping Weight: .540 | Dimensions: null

Description

A brand-new translation of a philosophical classic of the ancient world, The Teaching of Ptahhatp, written in Egypt 4,000 years ago.

The Teaching of Ptahhatp, composed two millennia before the birth of Plato, is the oldest surviving statement of philosophy in the ancient world and the earliest witness to the power of the written word. It ought to begin the list of the world’s philosophy classics, yet it has been largely forgotten since it was rediscovered in the nineteenth century. Egyptologist Bill Manley’s new translation corrects this oversight, rendering into approachable modern English for the first time Ptahhatp’s profound yet practical account of ‘the meaning of life’, written many centuries before the supposed dawn of western philosophy.

Manley introduces Ptahhatp, who served as Vizier to the Old Kingdom pharaoh Izezi (c. 2410–2375 BC), and the world of dynamic ideas and new technologies – writing among them – within which he worked, illuminating the nuances of his language and philosophy. In addition, Manley’s new translation of Why Things Happen, the oldest surviving account of creation from anywhere in the world, reveals how Ptahhatp’s account of the human condition is founded in distinctive ancient Egyptian beliefs about the nature of truth and reality. Taken together, Manley’s new translations and expert commentary provide a new perspective on the Pyramid Age and overturn traditional prejudices about the origins of writing and philosophy. The ‘oldest book in the world’ is a testament to a common thread that connects humanity across time; Ptahhatp grapples with the pitfalls of greed, ambition, celebrity, success, confrontation, friendship, sex and even the office environment, and his teachings remain remarkably relevant in the modern day.

About the Author

Bill Manley is an Egyptologist, university lecturer, museum curator and bestselling author. He teaches Egyptology and Coptic at the University of Glasgow, and is Honorary President of Egyptology Scotland. He was formerly Senior Curator for Ancient Egypt at National Museums Scotland, and continues to work with archaeological projects in Egypt. He has published books, catalogues and articles covering such diverse subjects as ancient texts, the history of Egyptology, the archaeology of Palestine and ancient Egyptian art. Thames && Hudson has published several of his books, including Egyptian Hieroglyphs for Complete Beginners and Egyptian Art.

Bestsellers in Philosophy

View All
Meditations (Translation)
[Paperback - 2006]
marcus aurelius
In Stock
List Price: £8.99
Our Price: Rs.1645 Rs.1480
Standard Discount: 10%
You Save: Rs.165
Leviathan
[Paperback - 2017]
thomas hobbes
Out of Stock
Availability in 2-4 weeks on receipt of order
List Price: £12.99
Our Price: Rs.2545 Rs.2290
Standard Discount: 10%
You Save: Rs.255
Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Translation)
[Paperback - 2003]
friedrich nietzsche
Out of Stock
Availability in 2-4 weeks on receipt of order
List Price: £9.99
Our Price: Rs.2395 Rs.2155
Standard Discount: 10%
You Save: Rs.240
Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters
[Paperback - 2022]
steven pinker
Out of Stock
Availability in 2-4 weeks on receipt of order
List Price: £10.99
Our Price: Rs.2795 Rs.2515
Standard Discount: 10%
You Save: Rs.280
The Art Of War
[Paperback - 2009]
sun-tzu
In Stock
List Price: $15
Our Price: Rs.2945 Rs.2650
Standard Discount: 10%
You Save: Rs.295
Critique Of Pure Reason
[Paperback - 2007]
immanuel kant
Out of Stock
Availability in 2-4 weeks on receipt of order
List Price: £18.99
Our Price: Rs.3495 Rs.3145
Standard Discount: 10%
You Save: Rs.350
A Treatise Of Human Nature
[Paperback - 1985]
david hume
Out of Stock
Availability in 2-4 weeks on receipt of order
List Price: £14.99
Our Price: Rs.2845 Rs.2560
Standard Discount: 10%
You Save: Rs.285
Beyond Good And Evil
[Paperback - 2003]
friedrich nietzsche
Out of Stock
Availability in 2-4 weeks on receipt of order
List Price: £9.99
Our Price: Rs.2395 Rs.2155
Standard Discount: 10%
You Save: Rs.240
The Birth Of Tragedy (Translation)
[Paperback - 2003]
friedrich nietzsche
Out of Stock
Availability in 2-4 weeks on receipt of order
List Price: £8.99
Our Price: Rs.2195 Rs.1975
Standard Discount: 10%
You Save: Rs.220
Notes On Nationalism: Penguin Modern Book 7
[Paperback - 2018]
george orwell
Out of Stock
Availability in 2-4 weeks on receipt of order
List Price: £3
Our Price: Rs.645 Rs.580
Standard Discount: 10%
You Save: Rs.65
The Story Of Philosophy
[Paperback - 2006]
will durant
In Stock
List Price: $9.99
Our Price: Rs.2195 Rs.1975
Standard Discount: 10%
You Save: Rs.220