Despite the efforts of archaeologists to uncover the rubbish dumps and workshops that reveal the daily lives of ordinary citizens, it is the abundant written record and imposing edifices left behind by the pharaohs that coninue to dominate our view of ancient Egyptian history. In the face of such powerful testimonies, perhaps it is not surprising that we are inclined to take the texts and monuments at face value.
— Toby Wilkinson, The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt