"This study introduces the reader to the broad span of Egyptian history and cultural development from its origins to the arrival of Islam. It examines the structure of Egyptian society, its changes over time, and the ways in which the economy and religious institutions were used to bind society together. Challenging some of the accepted truths and highlighting the enormous gaps in our knowledge, the author also explains the place of Egypt in the Western European tradition that led to the development of academic Egyptology, and considers how the West has constructed its own version of the Egyptian past."--BOOK JACKET.