In order to better understand the spirit of the ancient Egyptians, their natural environment must be taken into account. Christiane Desroches Noblecourt, one of the world’s foremost Egyptologists, explains that the aridity of the rocky desert climate, the monotonously slow cycle of the Nile River, and the lack of fertile soil were tremendous obstacles that were overcome and used to advantage by a people that by necessity were extremely well attuned to nature and its rhythms. Susceptible to the call of the divine, Noblecourt reveals how they were able to draw such a profound understanding of life and the hereafter through nature in all of its manifestations.

This concise study takes us on an exciting and personal trajectory to the heart of the Egyptian mind and consciousness. With the help of 150 photographs and illustrations, Noblecourt recounts, in a uniquely lively and learned style, how this civilization, possessed of tremendous creative riches, drew its mythology from a nature which they believed “spoke” to them.