Most books on Egypt are based on the description of hte monuments of the Old Kingdom (2658-2135 BC) as viewed by us. Jaromir Malek's approach is fundamentally different, presenting an engrossing picture of Old Kingdom society as it appeared to the Egyptians themselves. He discussed the ideaological and economic factors which moulded everyday life, and perceptively illuminates the ideas and attitudes which pervaded Old Kingdom society. Above all he reveals, in absorbing detail, how every aspect of life was, for the ancient Egyptians, intimately bound up with religion. The Egyptians lived, literally and metaphorically, 'in the shadow of the pyramids'.