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The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best History & Biography (2014)An engrossing biography of the longest-reigning female pharaoh in Ancient Egypt and the story of her audacious rise to power in a man’s world.
Hatshepsut, the daughter of a general who took Egypt's throne without status as a king’s son and a mother with ties to the previous dynasty, was born into a privileged position of the royal household. Married to her brother, she was expected to bear the sons who would legitimize the reign of her father’s family. Her failure to produce a male heir was ultimately the twist of fate that paved the way for her inconceivable rule as a cross-dressing king. At just twenty, Hatshepsut ascended to the rank of king in an elaborate coronation ceremony that set the tone for her spectacular twenty-two year reign as co-regent with Thutmose III, the infant king whose mother Hatshepsut out-maneuvered for a seat on the throne. Hatshepsut was a master strategist, cloaking her political power plays with the veil of piety and sexual expression. Just as women today face obstacles from a society that equates authority with masculinity, Hatshepsut had to shrewdly operate the levers of a patriarchal system to emerge as Egypt's second female pharaoh.
Hatshepsut had successfully negotiated a path from the royal nursery to the very pinnacle of authority, and her reign saw one of Ancient Egypt’s most prolific building periods. Scholars have long speculated as to why her images were destroyed within a few decades of her death, all but erasing evidence of her rule. Constructing a rich narrative history using the artifacts that remain, noted Egyptologist Kara Cooney offers a remarkable interpretation of how Hatshepsut rapidly but methodically consolidated power—and why she fell from public favor just as quickly. The Woman Who Would Be King traces the unconventional life of an almost-forgotten pharaoh and explores our complicated reactions to women in power.
Hatshepsut, the daughter of a general who took Egypt's throne without status as a king’s son and a mother with ties to the previous dynasty, was born into a privileged position of the royal household. Married to her brother, she was expected to bear the sons who would legitimize the reign of her father’s family. Her failure to produce a male heir was ultimately the twist of fate that paved the way for her inconceivable rule as a cross-dressing king. At just twenty, Hatshepsut ascended to the rank of king in an elaborate coronation ceremony that set the tone for her spectacular twenty-two year reign as co-regent with Thutmose III, the infant king whose mother Hatshepsut out-maneuvered for a seat on the throne. Hatshepsut was a master strategist, cloaking her political power plays with the veil of piety and sexual expression. Just as women today face obstacles from a society that equates authority with masculinity, Hatshepsut had to shrewdly operate the levers of a patriarchal system to emerge as Egypt's second female pharaoh.
Hatshepsut had successfully negotiated a path from the royal nursery to the very pinnacle of authority, and her reign saw one of Ancient Egypt’s most prolific building periods. Scholars have long speculated as to why her images were destroyed within a few decades of her death, all but erasing evidence of her rule. Constructing a rich narrative history using the artifacts that remain, noted Egyptologist Kara Cooney offers a remarkable interpretation of how Hatshepsut rapidly but methodically consolidated power—and why she fell from public favor just as quickly. The Woman Who Would Be King traces the unconventional life of an almost-forgotten pharaoh and explores our complicated reactions to women in power.
298 pages, Hardcover
First published October 14, 2014
About the author
Kara Cooney
9 books438 followersDr. Kathlyn M. Cooney aka Dr. Kara Cooney is an Egyptologist and Assistant Professor of Egyptian Art and Architecture at UCLA. She was awarded a PhD in 2002 by Johns Hopkins University for Near Eastern Studies. She was part of an archaeological team excavating at the artisans' village of Deir el Medina in Egypt, as well as Dahshur and various tombs at Thebes.
In 2002 she was Kress Fellow at the National Gallery of Art and worked on the preparation of the Cairo Museum exhibition Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt. She was a member of the teaching staff at Stanford and Howard University. In 2005, she acted as fellow curator for Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Raised in Houston, she obtained her B.A. from the University of Texas.
She worked on two Discovery Channel documentary series: Out of Egypt, first aired in August 2009, and Egypt's Lost Queen, which also featured Dr. Zahi Hawass.
In 2002 she was Kress Fellow at the National Gallery of Art and worked on the preparation of the Cairo Museum exhibition Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt. She was a member of the teaching staff at Stanford and Howard University. In 2005, she acted as fellow curator for Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Raised in Houston, she obtained her B.A. from the University of Texas.
She worked on two Discovery Channel documentary series: Out of Egypt, first aired in August 2009, and Egypt's Lost Queen, which also featured Dr. Zahi Hawass.
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September 28, 2014
Full disclosure: I requested an ARC of this book and was approved for it.
I’m an Egyptologist, so it’ll be no surprise if I reveal that I have been quite eager to get my hands on this book. The author is not a new name to me – in fact I reviewed her tv series a few years back (I’d recommend it to beginners wholeheartedly, though it didn’t really offer anything new to me) – and a new biography of Hatshepsut is definitely a cause for excitement. The last Hatshepsut biography I’ve seen was Joyce Tyldesley’s Hatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh in 1996, which I recall as being rather dry. Events in Egyptology have moved on rather a lot since then, especially with the advent of new genetic testing techniques which has recently been shaking up what we know about Egyptian mummies and their familial relationships to each other. A brand new biography of Hatshepsut has been long overdue.
From the beginning, Cooney sets a very modern slant on the biography, questioning why Hatshepsut’s story is so little known when she was one of the very few successful female rulers in the ancient world. Kleopatra VII’s name is far more widely recognised, globally. Why is this? Cooney proposes that this is a result of an extensive human history of patriarchy and misogynistic gender roles; Kleopatra VII, so often unfairly stereotyped as an insidious seducer using her feminine wiles to secure her grasp on power and oriental opulence, fits into a patriarchal narrative of an ambitious woman who dares to go out of her perceived place as a woman by reaching for power, and ultimately getting what she deserves; whereas Hatshepsut does not neatly fit into this narrative because she was a wholly successful female ruler for twenty-two long years, little opposed, widely supported, and lacking a lurid sticky end. So argues Cooney. Cooney has a strong case, and this new modernist perspective on both Hatshepsut herself and how Egyptologists in the past have interpreted her story, sheds some long overdue fresh light on its subject. However, like so many things in history, I would point out that there are other reasons why Kleopatra VII is remembered more than Hatshepsut – Hollywood’s big budget movie starring Elizabeth Taylor being one of them, another reason being that the ability to read Latin, and thus Roman authors’ hostile accounts of Kleopatra VII, has never been lost, as opposed to Egyptian hieroglyphs which remained an opaque mystery until Champollion’s decipherment in 1822.
Cooney further argues, in relation to Hatshepsut’s relative obscurity, that the monarch provided a puzzle to historians and Egyptologists who first attempted to tell her story, and even amongst many of the general public today:
“How does one categorize a female leader who does not follow the expected course of disaster and shame, one who instead puts everything to rights in the end, in a way so perfect that her masculine beneficiaries just sweep her victories under the rug and ignore her forever?... Female rulers are often implicitly branded as emotional, self-interested, lacking in authority, untrustworthy, and impolitic.”
The stand out example of a well-known, successful female monarch in the modern consciousness is, of course, Elizabeth I of Tudor England, and it’s worth comparing the two for a moment. Elizabeth categorised herself as both mother to, and wedded to, her people, and encouraged the building up of her public figure as the pious Virgin Queen, the prosperous, and popular, Faerie Queen – the bounty and flourishing of England, it is suggested through this idealised characterisation, is magically manifested through the monarch, or through divine favour smiling on the monarch’s piety. Elizabeth was a master propagandist – and interestingly, so too was the Hatshepsut Cooney reveals. Cooney explores at length Hatshepsut’s enormous propaganda campaign to facilitate her unconventional assumption of kingship. Monumental and religious building works proclaim Hatshepsut as a pious daughter of the god Amun, assuming power only in his name, because the god himself chose her to rule. Reliefs depicting the expedition to faraway Punt advertise Hatshepsut’s success as a ruler, bringing exotic bounty and riches to Egypt – surely a visible sign of the favour of the gods. The key differences between these two extraordinary women who lived 3000 years apart is that Hatshepsut already had an heir, her nephew, Thutmose III, with whom she shared the throne, the limelight, and increasingly the power – Elizabeth famously refused to name an heir, keeping power focused firmly in her own hands – and Elizabeth used her gender as an asset of international politics, putting her eligibility to England’s use, but ultimately unable to marry due to general fear of foreign influence or factional favouritism – Hatshepsut too, as a royal woman of Egypt, was unable to marry again after her husband’s death, and not even able to put herself forwards as a marriageable candidate – no foreign influence could be brought to bear on the Egyptian throne through a royal woman marrying outside the country, and a child of this unconventional female king could not be accepted, as a threat to her nephew and co-king – although, in Hatshepsut’s case, Cooney argues the queen had plenty of opportunity to find private romantic happiness. But I digress in this interesting comparison, since Cooney does not touch upon it in the text.
As for Hatshepsut’s love life, it should be noted that whilst Cooney believes Hatshepsut had ample opportunity to pursue a private arrangement, there is in fact no evidence of such a relationship, or who might have been her romantic partner. The Egyptologist community has widely discussed Senenmut in such a role in the past; a man of obscure family origins who surprisingly rose to astronomically high office under Hatshepsut’s auspices, Senenmut was also permitted to depict himself on monuments as being especially favoured by Hatshepsut, and having a close connection with the royal family through his role as tutor to Hatshepsut’s daughter Neferure – some have even suggested that Senenmut, not Thutmose II, was in fact the girl’s father, though Cooney rubbishes this idea. But despite these obvious signs of favour, ultimately a romantic relationship cannot be inferred. Useramun, a vizier of noble birth, was permitted by Hatshepsut to inscribe the sacred Book of Amduat in his tomb, something usually reserved only for royalty – from which we might equally suppose a romantic relationship, but with ultimately just as much lack of definitive proof aside from Hatshepsut’s extraordinary favour. Ancient Egypt enthusiasts may be scratching their heads wondering about that rock graffiti at Deir el-Bahri that’s supposed to depict Senenmut and Hatshepsut in the carnal act, carved by some gossipy workmen. The simple fact of the matter is though, as Cooney points out, neither figure is labelled with a name, nor is the subservient figure in the scene adorned with any of the symbols of office of kingship. Cooney not only provides a more social, modern history of Hatshepsut, but she devotes time to busting old myths that have long been discarded by the Egyptological community but still persist in the popular imagination; among them, the idea that Hatshepsut set out to steal the throne from her nephew’s rightful claim, or that Thutmose III set about destroying her monuments in a fit of righteous anger after her death.
Cooney acknowledges from the start that;
“My Egyptological work on social life has enabled me to re-create Hatshepsut's world as best I can and thereby to know her better.”
Cooney adds that so much evidence is lost from this period, or exists only in the official propaganda of monumental building works, that in recent times Egyptologists have focused too much on a history of Hatshepsut’s monuments rather than the woman herself, reluctant to fill the gaps in history with speculation about Hatshepsut’s motivations and opinions and turning instead to the tangible but unrevealing evidence of the monuments. I have to say, I agree with Cooney on this, even though I admit to being professionally reluctant to ascribe to ancient individuals thoughts and feelings that are ultimately unknowable, and I feel that this new social history with a gendered consideration of Hatshepsut’s life is just what the subject needs. From the perspective of a reader and an Egyptologist, I prefer the social approach, and at the very least, even if this book is not well-received by the Egyptological community (I await the reaction of my colleagues with baited breath), I think most will welcome the fresh take on Hatshepsut and the opportunity for fresh debate in this area.
Cooney states openly from the outset;
“Many historians will no doubt accuse me of fantasy: inventing emotions and feelings for which I have no evidence. And they will be right.”
Cooney is right. The text is filled with Cooney’s postulations about what Hatshepsut’s reasoning may have been for this decision or that decision, or what she may have been thinking when this or that event happened in her life. Reading the text I don’t think anyone would mistake that Cooney is saying Hatshepsut did think this or feel that, but she will receive criticism for hypothesizing in this manner. Archaeologists are notoriously reluctant to speculate about beliefs – the highest tier of what we can know about the past, and the hardest to access, since unless a person wrote down their thoughts this is ultimately unknowable and lost to us – and even when written down, the ancient historian has to be supremely cautious, taking into account the biases of the writer and the potential for propaganda or unreliable accounts. Indeed, as an Egyptologist I feel ethically obligated to stress what Cooney admits openly – these scenes throughout the book are supposition and should not be taken as the final word on the character or nature of Hatshepsut. That disclaimer out of the way, I’d like to applaud Cooney for being bold enough to make use of such supposition. Whilst there’s no way to know for sure, such speculations are not just plucked out of thin air, rather they are reasoned and considered possibilities built on the foundation of what we do know about Hatshepsut and the environment and circumstances in which she moved, and thus are supported by a certain degree of likelihood, even if they’re ultimately unprovable, and I would be reluctant to set any of the scenarios Cooney postulates in stone (forgiving the pun). Nevertheless, as such, I personally feel that this approach is a worthwhile and valuable contribution to the Egyptological community, since it has the potential to fuel healthy debate and bring us closer to our subject, and that overcaution in such matters may be ultimately limiting to the field as a whole.
Whether The Woman Who Would Be King is well-received by the rest of the Egyptological community remains to be seen, and may be a matter for personal ideology in regards to how we approach archaeology and ancient history. However, I have no doubt that it will go down well amongst a wider readership. Cooney’s writing style is fluid, lucid, and engaging, making it a perfectly enjoyable read for a mass audience, and her subject, Hatshepsut, is not so obscure that the casually interested history enthusiast won’t be drawn in to this book.
All in all, highly recommended, and it gets my Egyptologist’s official seal of approval. ;)
8 out of 10
May 3, 2014
Disclaimer: ARC via the publisher and Netgalley.
When you think of an Egyptian female ruler, who do you think of?
If the answer is Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, Dr. Kara Cooney wants to talk to you.
I have to admit that Dr. Cooney annoyed me a bit in the introduction. I swear if I saw the phrase “twenty-two years of experience” again I was going to smack someone. (I was reading this on my Kindle, so I couldn’t throw it).
But after reading this excellent book, I can see why she might feel that she has to defend her background. This is because some people will say that this book is too much (a) guesswork (b) conjecture or (c) romanticized. It is and isn’t a and b; as for c, well that’s just the first bit, and she doesn’t do it again until the very end (and you could argue that she doesn’t even then).
Cooney’s book, in case you can’t tell from the title, is a biography of Hatshepsut a female pharaoh who ruled even though her step-son was old enough to rule on his own. Because Hatshepsut is an ancient Egyptian first hand source material isn’t as common as say the letters of Elizabeth I, so in fairness, any writer about Hatshepsut’s life is making guesses at many points. Dr. Cooney is very clear when she is speculating, and furthermore, she lets the reader follow how she forms her conclusions. She presents evidence (with nice, detailed footnotes that contain even more information), and presents both sides (or all legitimate sides) of an issue then offers her conclusion. When, for instance, she is discussing Hatshepsut’s emotional and physical love life, she places it in context of Egypt and physical love instead of simply recycling the whole did she or didn’t she with Senemut debate (and she points out there, we have no way of truly knowing).
Cooney’s thesis, in part, is that Hatshepsut should be better known, and known more for simply having a relatively peaceful reign where she just sat on the throne, and she is correct, too, when she points out the strangeness of celebrating Cleopatra but not Hatshepsut who kept her throne without using seductive wiles (though, perhaps that answers the question why). Further, she argues that Hatshepsut’s reign and success might have set the tone for the role of women in later dynasties. It is a convincing argument, at least to this non-Egyptologist.
The soul of the book besides Hatshepsut’s rule is Hatshepsut and religion. While the story of Hatshepsut’s conception is known by those who know the king’s history, Cooney places it a great context not only of other Pharaoh’s (making the story sound more common than other popular histories). Additionally, she focuses on the religious functions and duties of the pharaoh. She gives a more complete view of the time so the reader not only knows about Hatshepsut, but also about the era that gave birth to her and in which she ruled. My only criticism is that I would have found more space spent on why the moderns ignore Hatshepsut to be a plus, considering the strong points she makes in the beginning about how we moderns view the ancients. I agree with her, I just wish there had been a bit more detail in these sections that come at the beginning and end.
This book is highly recommended for fans of Ironside’s She-King series as well as any interested in Egyptian history.
Crossposted at Booklikes.
When you think of an Egyptian female ruler, who do you think of?
If the answer is Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, Dr. Kara Cooney wants to talk to you.
I have to admit that Dr. Cooney annoyed me a bit in the introduction. I swear if I saw the phrase “twenty-two years of experience” again I was going to smack someone. (I was reading this on my Kindle, so I couldn’t throw it).
But after reading this excellent book, I can see why she might feel that she has to defend her background. This is because some people will say that this book is too much (a) guesswork (b) conjecture or (c) romanticized. It is and isn’t a and b; as for c, well that’s just the first bit, and she doesn’t do it again until the very end (and you could argue that she doesn’t even then).
Cooney’s book, in case you can’t tell from the title, is a biography of Hatshepsut a female pharaoh who ruled even though her step-son was old enough to rule on his own. Because Hatshepsut is an ancient Egyptian first hand source material isn’t as common as say the letters of Elizabeth I, so in fairness, any writer about Hatshepsut’s life is making guesses at many points. Dr. Cooney is very clear when she is speculating, and furthermore, she lets the reader follow how she forms her conclusions. She presents evidence (with nice, detailed footnotes that contain even more information), and presents both sides (or all legitimate sides) of an issue then offers her conclusion. When, for instance, she is discussing Hatshepsut’s emotional and physical love life, she places it in context of Egypt and physical love instead of simply recycling the whole did she or didn’t she with Senemut debate (and she points out there, we have no way of truly knowing).
Cooney’s thesis, in part, is that Hatshepsut should be better known, and known more for simply having a relatively peaceful reign where she just sat on the throne, and she is correct, too, when she points out the strangeness of celebrating Cleopatra but not Hatshepsut who kept her throne without using seductive wiles (though, perhaps that answers the question why). Further, she argues that Hatshepsut’s reign and success might have set the tone for the role of women in later dynasties. It is a convincing argument, at least to this non-Egyptologist.
The soul of the book besides Hatshepsut’s rule is Hatshepsut and religion. While the story of Hatshepsut’s conception is known by those who know the king’s history, Cooney places it a great context not only of other Pharaoh’s (making the story sound more common than other popular histories). Additionally, she focuses on the religious functions and duties of the pharaoh. She gives a more complete view of the time so the reader not only knows about Hatshepsut, but also about the era that gave birth to her and in which she ruled. My only criticism is that I would have found more space spent on why the moderns ignore Hatshepsut to be a plus, considering the strong points she makes in the beginning about how we moderns view the ancients. I agree with her, I just wish there had been a bit more detail in these sections that come at the beginning and end.
This book is highly recommended for fans of Ironside’s She-King series as well as any interested in Egyptian history.
Crossposted at Booklikes.
November 9, 2015
www.melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com
I had no idea Hatshepsut was a KING! That is just so cool! She was the first woman to have a long term as a King! I know I shouldn't say this in a review, but I used to always say I want to be King and my friends would say don't you mean Queen and I'm like.. no... KING! So this is really cool to find out. See what all you find out when you read just about everything out there!
Some of the things went over my head a little in the book. And the author wrote a lot like this may have happened, but she clearly states in the preface there isn't a whole lot of records etc. She did have a ton of notes in the back where she got some information so that was cool.
Hatshepsut's immediate family were some of the most important people in Egypt, her dad was Thutmose I and her mother Ahmes.
I got the heebie jeebies a little bit reading about children having sex or marrying their fathers, but that was normal over there.
There is like a whole section talking about how they were infected with many diseases and parasites and such in Egypt. I mean, the things you learn, seriously! Here is a section of the book talking about some of it:
The ancient Egyptians knew that infested water was the cause of many maladies, so elites in the palace relied on wine and beer; distilled or processed products killed worms and fleas along with their larvae. The flip side, of course, was that the palace population spent day after day in a constant state of low-level intoxication.
Babies didn't make it very good over there either. If a baby made it to three years of age, weaning was the next danger zone.
But Hatshepsut survived, beating the odds facing all Egyptian children, many of whom would have perished before the age of five.
After her father died, Hatshepsut married her brother, Thutmose II and had a baby girl with him and maybe more, they don't know. She was still alive when he died. She then started making plans to become King. Her young half brother became King as a little child and she signed on as co-King. She basically did everything and became named King. She did a lot of amazing things and when Thutmose III became a man he did all of the war campaigns.
When Hatshepsut died around the age of 40, Thutmose III suddenly started more war campaigns and tearing down all of her monuments and stuff. I guess he figured he didn't want anything of hers around any more.
It was really cool reading about Hatshepsut even though they don't know a lot to be recorded. I enjoyed the book.
*I would like to thank BLOGGING FOR BOOKS for this print book in exchange for my honest review.*
I had no idea Hatshepsut was a KING! That is just so cool! She was the first woman to have a long term as a King! I know I shouldn't say this in a review, but I used to always say I want to be King and my friends would say don't you mean Queen and I'm like.. no... KING! So this is really cool to find out. See what all you find out when you read just about everything out there!
Some of the things went over my head a little in the book. And the author wrote a lot like this may have happened, but she clearly states in the preface there isn't a whole lot of records etc. She did have a ton of notes in the back where she got some information so that was cool.
Hatshepsut's immediate family were some of the most important people in Egypt, her dad was Thutmose I and her mother Ahmes.
I got the heebie jeebies a little bit reading about children having sex or marrying their fathers, but that was normal over there.
There is like a whole section talking about how they were infected with many diseases and parasites and such in Egypt. I mean, the things you learn, seriously! Here is a section of the book talking about some of it:
The ancient Egyptians knew that infested water was the cause of many maladies, so elites in the palace relied on wine and beer; distilled or processed products killed worms and fleas along with their larvae. The flip side, of course, was that the palace population spent day after day in a constant state of low-level intoxication.
Babies didn't make it very good over there either. If a baby made it to three years of age, weaning was the next danger zone.
But Hatshepsut survived, beating the odds facing all Egyptian children, many of whom would have perished before the age of five.
After her father died, Hatshepsut married her brother, Thutmose II and had a baby girl with him and maybe more, they don't know. She was still alive when he died. She then started making plans to become King. Her young half brother became King as a little child and she signed on as co-King. She basically did everything and became named King. She did a lot of amazing things and when Thutmose III became a man he did all of the war campaigns.
When Hatshepsut died around the age of 40, Thutmose III suddenly started more war campaigns and tearing down all of her monuments and stuff. I guess he figured he didn't want anything of hers around any more.
It was really cool reading about Hatshepsut even though they don't know a lot to be recorded. I enjoyed the book.
*I would like to thank BLOGGING FOR BOOKS for this print book in exchange for my honest review.*
April 1, 2022
Next year, Hilary Mantel will publish the eagerly awaited final volume in her Thomas Cromwell trilogy. Like the other two, this will win a Man Booker Prize. The night of her big award, Hilary will relax in her fluffy armchair under the wise gaze of three golden trophies on her mantle (Do they do that? Or is that just for Oscars?). Hilary will immediately start to fret and ask herself "oh dear, what will I write next?" That night, she will pick up this book. The next morning, her publisher will announce she has begun work on the Hatshepsut trilogy.
This book is begging to be novelized. Our protagonist: an extraordinary woman who seizes political power while still a teenager. A usurper who steals the crown from her nephew in order to preserve her family's hold on influence. A master ruler who ushers prosperity into Egypt. A brilliant player who uses religion to solidify power. A schemer who plays the court intrigue as well as Cromwell. A woman who bends the expectations and representations of gender. A monarch who history has tried to destroy.
Look me in the eye and tell me that wouldn't win Ms. Mantel a fourth Booker prize.
I have the greatest respect for Kara Cooney for attempting this project. A biography of Hatshepsut is the sort of project given to a stodgy professor emeritus, not an uppity young member of academia. Cooney is quite defensive in her introduction and acknowledgments, not solely for the ambitious nature of the project.
Hatshepsut lived a long time ago. This may seem like an obvious statement. But 15th century BC is way, way, way back. Any hard evidence from her reign has had to survive 3500 hundred years of heat, political unrest, and grave robberies. Since Hatshepsut's successors attempted to obliterate her from the archaeological record, we have even less evidence about her. A biography of Hatshepsut based solely on the evidence that remains to us would likely be as long as the average short story.
Cooney is so defensive throughout the book because this biography is almost entirely conjecture. No doubt, she had recurring nightmares of coworkers and supervisors perusing her book with a red pen and grumbling about her lack of evidence. Yet Cooney has done the best she could given the information. She has been careful to always note when she has moved onto her own personal suppositions, and to document what little hard evidence she does have. Some may say that her attempt to see Hatshepsut and her contemporaries as actual people, not historical cardboard cut-outs, is romantic and not very scholarly. I personally found them welcome.
I imagine this book will get a great deal of flak from the academic community. Cooney's reliance on the supposition will doubtlessly be criticized. I don't really care. It was a wonderful and immensely readable book. I have learned a great deal about ancient Egypt, a period of time I have never studied. It provides excellent meditations on the intersection of gender and leadership. I'm fine with well-based supposition if it gets the point across. I hope to read more from Cooney in the future.
I received a free ARC of this book through Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review.
This book is begging to be novelized. Our protagonist: an extraordinary woman who seizes political power while still a teenager. A usurper who steals the crown from her nephew in order to preserve her family's hold on influence. A master ruler who ushers prosperity into Egypt. A brilliant player who uses religion to solidify power. A schemer who plays the court intrigue as well as Cromwell. A woman who bends the expectations and representations of gender. A monarch who history has tried to destroy.
Look me in the eye and tell me that wouldn't win Ms. Mantel a fourth Booker prize.
I have the greatest respect for Kara Cooney for attempting this project. A biography of Hatshepsut is the sort of project given to a stodgy professor emeritus, not an uppity young member of academia. Cooney is quite defensive in her introduction and acknowledgments, not solely for the ambitious nature of the project.
Hatshepsut lived a long time ago. This may seem like an obvious statement. But 15th century BC is way, way, way back. Any hard evidence from her reign has had to survive 3500 hundred years of heat, political unrest, and grave robberies. Since Hatshepsut's successors attempted to obliterate her from the archaeological record, we have even less evidence about her. A biography of Hatshepsut based solely on the evidence that remains to us would likely be as long as the average short story.
Cooney is so defensive throughout the book because this biography is almost entirely conjecture. No doubt, she had recurring nightmares of coworkers and supervisors perusing her book with a red pen and grumbling about her lack of evidence. Yet Cooney has done the best she could given the information. She has been careful to always note when she has moved onto her own personal suppositions, and to document what little hard evidence she does have. Some may say that her attempt to see Hatshepsut and her contemporaries as actual people, not historical cardboard cut-outs, is romantic and not very scholarly. I personally found them welcome.
I imagine this book will get a great deal of flak from the academic community. Cooney's reliance on the supposition will doubtlessly be criticized. I don't really care. It was a wonderful and immensely readable book. I have learned a great deal about ancient Egypt, a period of time I have never studied. It provides excellent meditations on the intersection of gender and leadership. I'm fine with well-based supposition if it gets the point across. I hope to read more from Cooney in the future.
I received a free ARC of this book through Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review.
September 27, 2014
Kara Cooney is a professor of Egyptian art and architecture. As such, her treatise on the life and rule of Hatshepsut is quite academic. From the description, I was expecting a more fictionalized tale, written as a story instead of a chronological account of the period and the monarch riddled with footnotes. Also, since much of the minutiae of Hatshepsut's life is not known, possibilities of what might have happened are strewn throughout. The myriad sentences and passages beginning with words and phrases such as "might have," "possibly," "likely," and "perhaps" actually serve to make her text less believable. It's clear that these assumptions are based on extensive research and understanding of the culture, but the reader just feels like she's making it all up. Because of this, the book falls into a space between an authoritative account of archaeological study and straight-up fiction. Many passages are quite repetitive, and reading it became a slog towards the end.
However, the importance of a work regarding this important historical woman is evident. There seems to be much debate about Hatshepsut's reign and apparently prior Egyptologists have regarded her as a scheming, ambitious bitch. A more nuanced and feminist view of her reign is welcome.
I am sure a more academic reader would be better served by this text than I, so I would recommend it as a classroom text or introduction for a student seriously interested in archaeology or Egyptology.
However, the importance of a work regarding this important historical woman is evident. There seems to be much debate about Hatshepsut's reign and apparently prior Egyptologists have regarded her as a scheming, ambitious bitch. A more nuanced and feminist view of her reign is welcome.
I am sure a more academic reader would be better served by this text than I, so I would recommend it as a classroom text or introduction for a student seriously interested in archaeology or Egyptology.
July 1, 2016
My number one complaint about The Woman Who Would Be King is the writing style choice of the author's. The writing was more suited for historical fiction but included biographical moments as well. Ultimately the author needed to decide if she wanted to write HF or NF, sadly she chose to mix the two and it does not mix. Overall I would not say this classifies as a biography, at least not a true one.
Although my number one complaint is the author's writing style choice, it is followed very closely by the author's conjecture. This conjecture is directly tied into the HF since we cannot even begin to really know what a figure in history from thousands of years ago felt at a given moment or made a decision based on. I grew increasingly frustrated and tired of hearing the author say "probably" and "likely" and "perhaps" and so on and so forth. Stop guessing! And if you are guessing please include all logical conclusions, not just the one you like the most. (Again, why did the author not write HF?)
The author also seems to have a Hatshepsut of gold in her head, she could do no wrong. Hatshepsut was just too special for words and was meant for greatness from the beginning! At least that is what the author believes and she isn't shy about sharing her love for Hatshepsut. Unfortunately while the author's love for her subject shines through, her infallible and golden Hatshepsut does not feel true to real life and made Hatshepsut being a successful female ruler almost pale in comparison. Why was her being a major ruler thousands of years ago not enough for this author?
Overall there is simply too little known about Hatshepsut to complete a lengthy biography. The author would have been smart to write an HF about a figure in history that clearly intrigues her. As far as a biography goes, Cooney failed and if she had succeeded the book probably would have been too short to satisfy publishers. Even with the HF style included this book was extremely repetitive. I do not need such lengthy speculation and conjecture on a historical figure's motivations and emotions. You are NEVER going to know the person's emotions at a given moment, NEVER. Please stop trying.
Disclosure: ARC received from Netgalley & publisher in exchange for an honest review. (They may regret this.) Any and all quotes were taken from an advanced edition subject to change in the final edition.
Although my number one complaint is the author's writing style choice, it is followed very closely by the author's conjecture. This conjecture is directly tied into the HF since we cannot even begin to really know what a figure in history from thousands of years ago felt at a given moment or made a decision based on. I grew increasingly frustrated and tired of hearing the author say "probably" and "likely" and "perhaps" and so on and so forth. Stop guessing! And if you are guessing please include all logical conclusions, not just the one you like the most. (Again, why did the author not write HF?)
The author also seems to have a Hatshepsut of gold in her head, she could do no wrong. Hatshepsut was just too special for words and was meant for greatness from the beginning! At least that is what the author believes and she isn't shy about sharing her love for Hatshepsut. Unfortunately while the author's love for her subject shines through, her infallible and golden Hatshepsut does not feel true to real life and made Hatshepsut being a successful female ruler almost pale in comparison. Why was her being a major ruler thousands of years ago not enough for this author?
Overall there is simply too little known about Hatshepsut to complete a lengthy biography. The author would have been smart to write an HF about a figure in history that clearly intrigues her. As far as a biography goes, Cooney failed and if she had succeeded the book probably would have been too short to satisfy publishers. Even with the HF style included this book was extremely repetitive. I do not need such lengthy speculation and conjecture on a historical figure's motivations and emotions. You are NEVER going to know the person's emotions at a given moment, NEVER. Please stop trying.
Disclosure: ARC received from Netgalley & publisher in exchange for an honest review. (They may regret this.) Any and all quotes were taken from an advanced edition subject to change in the final edition.
February 10, 2021
I'm a huge fan of Ancient Egypt and I've always been fascinated by Hatshepsut. This book sounded perfect for me, and it was.
Kara Cooney tells the story of Hatshepsut's life while explaining the political social and religious circumstances of her time.
From early childhood duties, her marriage, regency and eventually her time as pharaoh.
I love reading about historical people and how they were influenced by the prevailing views of their time. Hatchepsut managed to sit on the throne of a patriarchal country and she did a good job as pharaoh. This is only one of her many great achievements.
I really liked how Kara Cooney tried to paint a picture of Hatshepsut's character and explain the reasons for her actions. A lot of that is guessing (which she mentions), but it helps to get a feeling for this time.
If you're interested in Ancient Egypt or in Hatshepsut, I can definitely recommend this book. I listened to the audiobook (which is read by the author herself) and enjoyed it a lot!
Kara Cooney tells the story of Hatshepsut's life while explaining the political social and religious circumstances of her time.
From early childhood duties, her marriage, regency and eventually her time as pharaoh.
I love reading about historical people and how they were influenced by the prevailing views of their time. Hatchepsut managed to sit on the throne of a patriarchal country and she did a good job as pharaoh. This is only one of her many great achievements.
I really liked how Kara Cooney tried to paint a picture of Hatshepsut's character and explain the reasons for her actions. A lot of that is guessing (which she mentions), but it helps to get a feeling for this time.
If you're interested in Ancient Egypt or in Hatshepsut, I can definitely recommend this book. I listened to the audiobook (which is read by the author herself) and enjoyed it a lot!
November 21, 2017
Hatšepsut
.
Kada pomislite na žene vladare drevnog Egipta siguran sam da mali broj ljudi pomisli na to ime.
Štaviše, siguran sam da će ljudi pre pomisliti na Kleopatru.
Grkinju.
Iz perioda starog Rima.
Po mogućstvu u ulozi Elizabet Tejlor ili Anđeline Džoli iz onog njenog (hvala Bogu) neostvarenog (još jednog) projekta o ovoj vladarki.
Iako bi se neko možda složio kako Kleopatra i zaslužuje da bude naširoko hvaljena i spominjana i van filmskih, serijskih ili bilo kojih drugih mainstream okvira, kao primer vladara čija je zemlja tokom njene vladavine bila sigurna, ljudi u njoj siti i bezbrižni a ekonomija cvetala, onda bih morao da prevrćem očima.
Pred njima.
Da vide kako to radim i pitaju me: „Da li se ja to možda ne slažem?“.
Itekako se ne slažem! :D
Ako ćemo održavanje nasleđenog bogatstva uzimati kao merilo uspeha vrednog unošenja u istorijske udžbenike i konstantno potiranje pod nos budućim naraštajima, onda ne smem ni da pomislim šta će istoričari pisati, a praunuci mojih praunuka čitati o D. Trampu kroz vek, dva.
Jeste, pravim paralelu između Goldfinger-a i Queen Overrated. :D
Oboje su nasledili bogatstvo svojih porodica, preuzeli upravljanje državom koja je već bila u procvatu, održavali dobijeno na tacni i žnjeli ono što su njihovi prethodnici posejali.
Pritom su još i našli stranog vladara/predsednika, čisto, da im se nađe, kao potpora. :D
Moja poenta, ovom suludom komparacijom, jeste da se svako može predstaviti u najsjajnijem svetlu, često potpuno ili delimično nezasluženo, i to samo zato što su njihova imena vikana najglasnije.
Dok ćemo na druga imena, poput ovog Hatšepsut žmirkati kako bismo pročitali i izgovarati ih naglas kako bismo bili sigurni da to pravilno radimo. Samo kako bismo ubrzo zaboravili na njega.
I ogrešićemo se, kako o ovog velikog vladara, tako i o sopstveno znanje i svest da je pre 3500 godina postojala ovakva osoba.
A kakva je to samo osoba bila...
Nakon smrti svog supruga Faraona Tutmoza II postaje Kraljica Regent maloletnom nasledniku Tutmozu III.
Shvata da joj ta pozicija nije dovoljna.
Shvata da želi još.
Želi vlast. Potpunu, neosporivu vlast.
Uz pregršt političkih manevara i bezobrazne ali, iznad svega, visprene religijske propagande; propagande koja nastoji da ubedi društvo da promeni svoje hiljadugodišnje ubeđenje i da na presto Faraona - Faraona koji je već hiljadu godina zemaljsko oličenje muškog Boga Horusa - dovede ženu .
Bila je toliko uspešna u svojoj kampanji da je na kraju postala Kralj.
Ne Kraljica.
Kralj.
Kada je konačno zgrabila apsolutnu vlast bila je i ostala jedan od najboljih Faraona starog Egipta.
Supruga Faraona. Regent princa koji nije čak ni njen sin, već dete Faraonove druge supruge. Kralj.
Kleopatra... :D
Jedna od najvećih zaostavština Hatšepsut i dan-danas stoji: arhitektonsko čudo, hram Đeser-Đeseru.
Podignut na mestu koje je sama odabrala. Mesto koje se sada zove Dolina Kraljeva. Dolina koja je trebala da bude večni počinak svim Faraonima.
Knjiga govori o svemu ovome mnogo više i o mnogo čemu još, ali je takođe i dosta spekulativna, obzirom da nam nije ostalo mnogo poznatih stvari o Hatšepsut... ah da, zaboravio sam da napomenem:
20 godina nakon smrti Hatšepsut sprovedena je čistka iz istorijskih spisa; svaki papirus koji je govorio o njoj je uništen, zid sa istorijom njene vladavine oskrnavljen, sa jednostavnom namerom da se izbriše iz kolektivne memorije naroda da je njime nekada, više nego uspešno, vladala ��ena Kralj.
Čini mi se kao da se ta čistka i dan-danas sprovodi.
Kada pomislite na žene vladare drevnog Egipta siguran sam da mali broj ljudi pomisli na to ime.
Štaviše, siguran sam da će ljudi pre pomisliti na Kleopatru.
Grkinju.
Iz perioda starog Rima.
Po mogućstvu u ulozi Elizabet Tejlor ili Anđeline Džoli iz onog njenog (hvala Bogu) neostvarenog (još jednog) projekta o ovoj vladarki.
Iako bi se neko možda složio kako Kleopatra i zaslužuje da bude naširoko hvaljena i spominjana i van filmskih, serijskih ili bilo kojih drugih mainstream okvira, kao primer vladara čija je zemlja tokom njene vladavine bila sigurna, ljudi u njoj siti i bezbrižni a ekonomija cvetala, onda bih morao da prevrćem očima.
Pred njima.
Da vide kako to radim i pitaju me: „Da li se ja to možda ne slažem?“.
Itekako se ne slažem! :D
Ako ćemo održavanje nasleđenog bogatstva uzimati kao merilo uspeha vrednog unošenja u istorijske udžbenike i konstantno potiranje pod nos budućim naraštajima, onda ne smem ni da pomislim šta će istoričari pisati, a praunuci mojih praunuka čitati o D. Trampu kroz vek, dva.
Jeste, pravim paralelu između Goldfinger-a i Queen Overrated. :D
Oboje su nasledili bogatstvo svojih porodica, preuzeli upravljanje državom koja je već bila u procvatu, održavali dobijeno na tacni i žnjeli ono što su njihovi prethodnici posejali.
Pritom su još i našli stranog vladara/predsednika, čisto, da im se nađe, kao potpora. :D
Moja poenta, ovom suludom komparacijom, jeste da se svako može predstaviti u najsjajnijem svetlu, često potpuno ili delimično nezasluženo, i to samo zato što su njihova imena vikana najglasnije.
Dok ćemo na druga imena, poput ovog Hatšepsut žmirkati kako bismo pročitali i izgovarati ih naglas kako bismo bili sigurni da to pravilno radimo. Samo kako bismo ubrzo zaboravili na njega.
I ogrešićemo se, kako o ovog velikog vladara, tako i o sopstveno znanje i svest da je pre 3500 godina postojala ovakva osoba.
A kakva je to samo osoba bila...
Nakon smrti svog supruga Faraona Tutmoza II postaje Kraljica Regent maloletnom nasledniku Tutmozu III.
Shvata da joj ta pozicija nije dovoljna.
Shvata da želi još.
Želi vlast. Potpunu, neosporivu vlast.
Uz pregršt političkih manevara i bezobrazne ali, iznad svega, visprene religijske propagande; propagande koja nastoji da ubedi društvo da promeni svoje hiljadugodišnje ubeđenje i da na presto Faraona - Faraona koji je već hiljadu godina zemaljsko oličenje muškog Boga Horusa - dovede ženu .
Bila je toliko uspešna u svojoj kampanji da je na kraju postala Kralj.
Ne Kraljica.
Kralj.
Kada je konačno zgrabila apsolutnu vlast bila je i ostala jedan od najboljih Faraona starog Egipta.
Supruga Faraona. Regent princa koji nije čak ni njen sin, već dete Faraonove druge supruge. Kralj.
Kleopatra... :D
Jedna od najvećih zaostavština Hatšepsut i dan-danas stoji: arhitektonsko čudo, hram Đeser-Đeseru.
Podignut na mestu koje je sama odabrala. Mesto koje se sada zove Dolina Kraljeva. Dolina koja je trebala da bude večni počinak svim Faraonima.
Knjiga govori o svemu ovome mnogo više i o mnogo čemu još, ali je takođe i dosta spekulativna, obzirom da nam nije ostalo mnogo poznatih stvari o Hatšepsut... ah da, zaboravio sam da napomenem:
20 godina nakon smrti Hatšepsut sprovedena je čistka iz istorijskih spisa; svaki papirus koji je govorio o njoj je uništen, zid sa istorijom njene vladavine oskrnavljen, sa jednostavnom namerom da se izbriše iz kolektivne memorije naroda da je njime nekada, više nego uspešno, vladala ��ena Kralj.
Čini mi se kao da se ta čistka i dan-danas sprovodi.
May 4, 2016
To sum up this book in one sentence: Hatshepsut was a badass. No, seriously. From a disturbingly young age, she was considered the wife of the god Amun, which involved daily ceremonies in which she had to give handjobs to a statue with a huge boner (in the words of Buffy Summers, "Note to self: religion freaky"). Then around the time she hit puberty, she was married off to her brother, because that was how Ancient Egypt rolled. She failed to produce a son (or at least a son that lived), and then her brother/husband up and died on her.
One of his sons from another wife was put on the throne, but said son was only a toddler. So Hatshepsut was all "I'mma run this whole damned country". And she did an amazing job of it for 20-odd years. She manipulated and sent expeditions to Punt and built a ton of amazing stuff and tried to create a legacy by marrying her daughter off to her nephew/step-son/co-Pharaoh and created new and sneaky ways to let a woman use the title of "King".
And then she died, and her rudeass nephew/step-son/co-Pharaoh decided that she'd ruined basically everything and he was going to take her portrait off basically everything to legitimise his reign.
Basically? I'm pretty sure Hatshepsut was the Alexander Hamilton of Ancient Egypt, but with more incest and statue handjobs...
Essentially, this book was very well researched and had a good balance between historical fact and the inevitable speculation that comes with books about the ancient world - where there's a lack of evidence, historians have to try and fill in the gaps. And Cooney did so with a lot of "maybe this happened? We don't know", which was an excellent balance between "We have no idea what happened" and "This is my personal theory that I'm going to spout as fact".
There's definitely an emphasis on the highly sexual nature of Ancient Egyptian society, particularly in the early chapters, so if that's a problem for you maybe don't pick this one up. But if you want to know more about (Alexander) Hatshepsut, this is probably a good starting point.
One of his sons from another wife was put on the throne, but said son was only a toddler. So Hatshepsut was all "I'mma run this whole damned country". And she did an amazing job of it for 20-odd years. She manipulated and sent expeditions to Punt and built a ton of amazing stuff and tried to create a legacy by marrying her daughter off to her nephew/step-son/co-Pharaoh and created new and sneaky ways to let a woman use the title of "King".
And then she died, and her rudeass nephew/step-son/co-Pharaoh decided that she'd ruined basically everything and he was going to take her portrait off basically everything to legitimise his reign.
Basically? I'm pretty sure Hatshepsut was the Alexander Hamilton of Ancient Egypt, but with more incest and statue handjobs...
Essentially, this book was very well researched and had a good balance between historical fact and the inevitable speculation that comes with books about the ancient world - where there's a lack of evidence, historians have to try and fill in the gaps. And Cooney did so with a lot of "maybe this happened? We don't know", which was an excellent balance between "We have no idea what happened" and "This is my personal theory that I'm going to spout as fact".
There's definitely an emphasis on the highly sexual nature of Ancient Egyptian society, particularly in the early chapters, so if that's a problem for you maybe don't pick this one up. But if you want to know more about (Alexander) Hatshepsut, this is probably a good starting point.
December 16, 2018
I just read Cooney’s most recent book “When Women Ruled the World”. I was impressed enough to hunt down other of Cooney’s publications. I found this one about the life of Hatshepsut.
Hatshepsut ruled Egypt as Pharaoh approximately 3500 years ago. She reigned for twenty-two years. Apparently, Hatshepsut was the High Priestess of Egypt prior to taking the throne. According to Cooney she did no wrong and Egypt thrived under her reign. She built strong trade agreements, expanded the Empire and lost no wars. As there were no diaries, etc., Cooney said she had to use conjecture to flesh out the fascinating story of her life.
I am glad I listen to this on audiobook and listen to Cooney pronounce all the hard to say Egyptian names. I found this a most interesting story. The book is ten hours and twenty-three minutes. Kara Cooney does an excellent job narrating the book.
Hatshepsut ruled Egypt as Pharaoh approximately 3500 years ago. She reigned for twenty-two years. Apparently, Hatshepsut was the High Priestess of Egypt prior to taking the throne. According to Cooney she did no wrong and Egypt thrived under her reign. She built strong trade agreements, expanded the Empire and lost no wars. As there were no diaries, etc., Cooney said she had to use conjecture to flesh out the fascinating story of her life.
I am glad I listen to this on audiobook and listen to Cooney pronounce all the hard to say Egyptian names. I found this a most interesting story. The book is ten hours and twenty-three minutes. Kara Cooney does an excellent job narrating the book.
December 29, 2021
I feel this is a story that should be included in school textbooks, yet I don't remember ever hearing Hatshetpsut's story.
January 3, 2015
Hatshepsut (Reign c. 1479-1458 BC - 18th Dynasty) was a daughter of a general who took Egypt's throne in 1478 BC without status or right as a son of any king whatsoever so her road to power was lengthy and quite extraordinary, the lady was a fighter, a voice of power coming through a female that actually wanted well being for all. Her previous ties to a royal household were probably of help but she still had to marry her brother, and was of course expected to bear sons, her life resembled a Game of Thrones set where she had to dress up and play parts to get her way to get to pass anything and ultimately rule. Apparently she was considered one of the first informed women, meaning that no one ever asked enough lol. This was a captivating and refreshing read on someone I've heard of all my life. She was rare, one of the most successful pharaohs that ever rules so I say that this is a great book for any library.
I've known of Hatshepsut from my grandmother in Poland who has traveled to Africa after she married my grandfather, he was a doctor and fifteen years older than her, a book reader and mountain climber and great at teaching his family about the world. I saw her beautiful broaches she purchased, the scarabs, the silver cups and the dress she worse on her first boat to Egypt, some featuring Hatshepsut that always carried a story. This book meant a lot to me as I read it, a woman who was born so long ago yet one who connected us now, that was special.
- Kasia S.
I've known of Hatshepsut from my grandmother in Poland who has traveled to Africa after she married my grandfather, he was a doctor and fifteen years older than her, a book reader and mountain climber and great at teaching his family about the world. I saw her beautiful broaches she purchased, the scarabs, the silver cups and the dress she worse on her first boat to Egypt, some featuring Hatshepsut that always carried a story. This book meant a lot to me as I read it, a woman who was born so long ago yet one who connected us now, that was special.
- Kasia S.
April 26, 2017
Maybe a 3? Pushing it
Much of this is based on conjecture
Sorry this was audio so I can't spell any names to save my life, but most of what is described of her reign is based on generalities except for her great architectural blessings. Did not realize the ancient Egyptians were such a sexually based society so if you listen to this book you may wish to watch your company.
Much of this is based on conjecture
Sorry this was audio so I can't spell any names to save my life, but most of what is described of her reign is based on generalities except for her great architectural blessings. Did not realize the ancient Egyptians were such a sexually based society so if you listen to this book you may wish to watch your company.
December 16, 2015
An excellent biography of Hatshepsut of Ancient Egypt. I have heard of her, of course, as I am a big fan of archaeology and egyptology. But this book brings so much more to the story. For instance, did you know that if a woman can't give birth to a daughter, she isn't blamed? The Egyptians believed she was just a vessel, that all the responsibility was the man's?
The story follows her entire life and the family history that led to her reign. I highly recommend this immensely readable story.
The story follows her entire life and the family history that led to her reign. I highly recommend this immensely readable story.
August 25, 2014
First disclaimer: I was given an advanced copy, though not the final proof, with the understanding that I would give an honest review; insulted they even have to ask, but okay.
Second disclaimer (Ha, weren’t expecting that one, were ya?): I know the author, and have listened to her lectures about half a dozen times, plus I have her entire Discovery Channel series on my tablet. I frequently refer to her as a giggly teenager with a giant brain, at least in person, and to a smaller extent in her lectures. I would imagine most stolid archaeologists and historians tend to take her less seriously because of her playful demeanor and frequent asides–often to mention how much she loved the latest sci-fi movie–but for those very same reasons she’s a hit with us who don’t make the study of ancient Egypt our lifelong passion. In fact, I might even go as far as to consider her Egyptology’s version of Carl Sagan or Stephen Hawking–or nowadays Neil DeGrasse Tyson–though obviously not to the same acclaim or fame, in bringing what’s generally considered a stolid subject, at least when historically accurate, to the masses.
The reason I wrote all that is so you’ll understand when I say she writes the same way she speaks.
One more thing. A few months ago I was passing time in the UCLA library before an event and happened to come across Social Life in Ancient Egypt, by the one and only Flinders Petrie. For a book published in 1924, it was in amazingly good shape, but more to the point, it wasn’t another dry, facts-only tome on buildings or leaders. Dr. Cooney takes this to another level with an almost conversational style, even moving into supposition a few times, though she makes sure to point out when that happens.
Okey-dokes, on to the review. If there’s a running theme in this biography, it’s how previous Egyptologists had given Hatshepsut a hard time, jumping to conclusions about her character. Though there are a lot of women in this discipline–and a lot more coming, if the UCLA grad students are any indication–it wasn’t that long ago that you’d only find older white guys writing the books and giving the speeches. So as she mentions the belittling from previous generations of critics who’d thought of Hatshepsut as a power-hungry witch, taking her nephew’s crown for herself, Dr. Cooney defends her girl. On the other hand, she also states that some later historians overcorrected, turning the relatively young leader into a feminist icon, doing everything selflessly in order for her nephew to be a successful ruler, once he came of age. As with most human endeavors, the truth is no doubt somewhere in between.
The book is divided into a relatively small amount of chapters, telling the story of this enigmatic historical figure chronologically, starting with what life would have been like for her growing up as the daughter of an Egyptian leader. Like Petrie’s work, there’s a lot of stuff about everyday life that I’m sure most people would never think of asking. She was groomed to marry the next pharaoh, who was actually her brother, only to find him too sickly as a teenager to do much ruling, finally dying before they could produce a male heir. He did, however, have a son with another of his wives/concubines, thus continuing the familial line barely started by the previous ruler. This put her position of power, and the purity of her father’s lineage, in danger of going away, but with the respect she’d earned–and apparently plenty of money–she managed to become the baby king’s regent. Over time she amassed more power, basically becoming co-pharaoh before pretty much taking over the whole thing, to the point where she had to switch her identity to male, at least in the official records in the walls of the temples and obelisks.
Dr. Cooney’s specialty is the reuse of coffins, but if there’s another subject on which she frequently lectures, it’s the history–or is that herstory–of powerful women. To me the most telling line was “Hatshepsut has the misfortune to be antiquity’s female leader who did everything right.” She mentions how few of them there were, referencing one of my favorites, Boadicea, as well as Empress Lu–never heard–and of course Cleopatra. She does mention, however, that Hatshepsut was the only female ruler to rise to power without the use of assassination or coup, all the more impressive doing it during a time of peace and prosperity. Interestingly she adds, “Hatshepsut’s story can help us appreciate why authoritative women are still often considered to be dangerous beings who need to be controlled, monitored, contained, and watched.”
Dr. Cooney describes Hatshepsut as practical and elegant, not devious and cunning, adding a term that I like very much: “She was intelligently ambitious. . . she really had been bred for palace politics.”
A couple of examples of her famous irreverent nature: “Egyptians were not troubled by the idea of burying a king in an incomplete tomb–that was the last guy’s problem.” Even the notes that take up the last quarter or so of the text contain her witty, as when she starts off with, “What Egyptologists put in print is often different from what they might say at the bar among friends.” Reminds me of that interview Dr. Cooney gave where she mentioned how Egyptologists like to get together and drink. . .
One more note on the text: about two-thirds of the way through, if you count the notes at the end, there’s a long description on the removal of the organs from the dead king/queen’s body. You have been warned; I wish I could UNread it.
Okay, considering what I told you about Dr. Cooney to begin this, it’s her dedications that show you exactly what I mean about her bubbly personality; in fact, it might have been my favorite part. First she notes that she began writing this soon after the birth of her son, and finished at his fourth birthday. “No woman should write a book during those years. No one.” Then she talks about her women in power class at UCLA, and how the students would soon be reading this book, “whether they like it or not.” Then, to completely cement her irreverent attitude, she tells that she wrote most of this book at a Mexican food joint, and lists a few of the workers who no doubt kept her table full of not just computer and books, especially on Taco Tuesday.
Guess this proves she really is from Texas. . .
;o)
Second disclaimer (Ha, weren’t expecting that one, were ya?): I know the author, and have listened to her lectures about half a dozen times, plus I have her entire Discovery Channel series on my tablet. I frequently refer to her as a giggly teenager with a giant brain, at least in person, and to a smaller extent in her lectures. I would imagine most stolid archaeologists and historians tend to take her less seriously because of her playful demeanor and frequent asides–often to mention how much she loved the latest sci-fi movie–but for those very same reasons she’s a hit with us who don’t make the study of ancient Egypt our lifelong passion. In fact, I might even go as far as to consider her Egyptology’s version of Carl Sagan or Stephen Hawking–or nowadays Neil DeGrasse Tyson–though obviously not to the same acclaim or fame, in bringing what’s generally considered a stolid subject, at least when historically accurate, to the masses.
The reason I wrote all that is so you’ll understand when I say she writes the same way she speaks.
One more thing. A few months ago I was passing time in the UCLA library before an event and happened to come across Social Life in Ancient Egypt, by the one and only Flinders Petrie. For a book published in 1924, it was in amazingly good shape, but more to the point, it wasn’t another dry, facts-only tome on buildings or leaders. Dr. Cooney takes this to another level with an almost conversational style, even moving into supposition a few times, though she makes sure to point out when that happens.
Okey-dokes, on to the review. If there’s a running theme in this biography, it’s how previous Egyptologists had given Hatshepsut a hard time, jumping to conclusions about her character. Though there are a lot of women in this discipline–and a lot more coming, if the UCLA grad students are any indication–it wasn’t that long ago that you’d only find older white guys writing the books and giving the speeches. So as she mentions the belittling from previous generations of critics who’d thought of Hatshepsut as a power-hungry witch, taking her nephew’s crown for herself, Dr. Cooney defends her girl. On the other hand, she also states that some later historians overcorrected, turning the relatively young leader into a feminist icon, doing everything selflessly in order for her nephew to be a successful ruler, once he came of age. As with most human endeavors, the truth is no doubt somewhere in between.
The book is divided into a relatively small amount of chapters, telling the story of this enigmatic historical figure chronologically, starting with what life would have been like for her growing up as the daughter of an Egyptian leader. Like Petrie’s work, there’s a lot of stuff about everyday life that I’m sure most people would never think of asking. She was groomed to marry the next pharaoh, who was actually her brother, only to find him too sickly as a teenager to do much ruling, finally dying before they could produce a male heir. He did, however, have a son with another of his wives/concubines, thus continuing the familial line barely started by the previous ruler. This put her position of power, and the purity of her father’s lineage, in danger of going away, but with the respect she’d earned–and apparently plenty of money–she managed to become the baby king’s regent. Over time she amassed more power, basically becoming co-pharaoh before pretty much taking over the whole thing, to the point where she had to switch her identity to male, at least in the official records in the walls of the temples and obelisks.
Dr. Cooney’s specialty is the reuse of coffins, but if there’s another subject on which she frequently lectures, it’s the history–or is that herstory–of powerful women. To me the most telling line was “Hatshepsut has the misfortune to be antiquity’s female leader who did everything right.” She mentions how few of them there were, referencing one of my favorites, Boadicea, as well as Empress Lu–never heard–and of course Cleopatra. She does mention, however, that Hatshepsut was the only female ruler to rise to power without the use of assassination or coup, all the more impressive doing it during a time of peace and prosperity. Interestingly she adds, “Hatshepsut’s story can help us appreciate why authoritative women are still often considered to be dangerous beings who need to be controlled, monitored, contained, and watched.”
Dr. Cooney describes Hatshepsut as practical and elegant, not devious and cunning, adding a term that I like very much: “She was intelligently ambitious. . . she really had been bred for palace politics.”
A couple of examples of her famous irreverent nature: “Egyptians were not troubled by the idea of burying a king in an incomplete tomb–that was the last guy’s problem.” Even the notes that take up the last quarter or so of the text contain her witty, as when she starts off with, “What Egyptologists put in print is often different from what they might say at the bar among friends.” Reminds me of that interview Dr. Cooney gave where she mentioned how Egyptologists like to get together and drink. . .
One more note on the text: about two-thirds of the way through, if you count the notes at the end, there’s a long description on the removal of the organs from the dead king/queen’s body. You have been warned; I wish I could UNread it.
Okay, considering what I told you about Dr. Cooney to begin this, it’s her dedications that show you exactly what I mean about her bubbly personality; in fact, it might have been my favorite part. First she notes that she began writing this soon after the birth of her son, and finished at his fourth birthday. “No woman should write a book during those years. No one.” Then she talks about her women in power class at UCLA, and how the students would soon be reading this book, “whether they like it or not.” Then, to completely cement her irreverent attitude, she tells that she wrote most of this book at a Mexican food joint, and lists a few of the workers who no doubt kept her table full of not just computer and books, especially on Taco Tuesday.
Guess this proves she really is from Texas. . .
;o)
September 19, 2017
The best line is probably the last one in this book and goes something like this, "Why is it that the failures of female rulers are forever remembered in our society, such as Cleopatra, but the successes, like Hatshepsut, are forgotten and erased?"
This book goes into great detail, covering the history leading up to Hatshepsut's 22 year long reign and what happens after her death. However, since there are so many questions left unanswered about her, a lot of the book repeats itself. If you read only the last couple pages, which is a re-cap of the book, you will pretty much know all the main facts about Hatshepsut.
I did not know that she was as impressive of a king as she was. She was a king during peace and prosperity. She was able to keep on extracting large sums of money from the lands she subjugated, trade without entirely new peoples, and build some of the greatest monuments in Egypt ever. She was the greatest builder of all the Pharaohs. It was fascinating to read this and Cooney added in great questions about female rule, and how female rule is perceived throughout history and still today, in a negative light.
It is also interesting to note that Hatshepsut started and expanded the whole "the king is a god and rules by divine right" idea and expanded the priesthood and religious ceremonies and festivals to never before seen heights.
The sad part of this book however, was:
1. Many of Hatshepsut's creations were destroyed after her death many years later by her successor. This lead to her mummy never being found and a lot of her history lost. Even though he might not have destroyed these items out of hatred, it is still a sad loss for historical reasons.
2. The many questions about Hatshepsut. I really wanted to know the answers to many questions like, how did she gain power? Who was Senemut? What happened to her daughter? How did she die? Where is her body? I would also love to read a diary or something similar from her. Her intelligence is obvious given the literacy and writing that happened during her reign and architectural achievements, but I would like to know more about HER as a person. (Its pretty obvious Cooney does too).
Perhaps the funniest part of the whole book is how defensive Cooney is of Hatshepsut. I bet Hatshepsut would be delighted to have a female historian writing her story for once, and in a kind manner too.
This book goes into great detail, covering the history leading up to Hatshepsut's 22 year long reign and what happens after her death. However, since there are so many questions left unanswered about her, a lot of the book repeats itself. If you read only the last couple pages, which is a re-cap of the book, you will pretty much know all the main facts about Hatshepsut.
I did not know that she was as impressive of a king as she was. She was a king during peace and prosperity. She was able to keep on extracting large sums of money from the lands she subjugated, trade without entirely new peoples, and build some of the greatest monuments in Egypt ever. She was the greatest builder of all the Pharaohs. It was fascinating to read this and Cooney added in great questions about female rule, and how female rule is perceived throughout history and still today, in a negative light.
It is also interesting to note that Hatshepsut started and expanded the whole "the king is a god and rules by divine right" idea and expanded the priesthood and religious ceremonies and festivals to never before seen heights.
The sad part of this book however, was:
1. Many of Hatshepsut's creations were destroyed after her death many years later by her successor. This lead to her mummy never being found and a lot of her history lost. Even though he might not have destroyed these items out of hatred, it is still a sad loss for historical reasons.
2. The many questions about Hatshepsut. I really wanted to know the answers to many questions like, how did she gain power? Who was Senemut? What happened to her daughter? How did she die? Where is her body? I would also love to read a diary or something similar from her. Her intelligence is obvious given the literacy and writing that happened during her reign and architectural achievements, but I would like to know more about HER as a person. (Its pretty obvious Cooney does too).
Perhaps the funniest part of the whole book is how defensive Cooney is of Hatshepsut. I bet Hatshepsut would be delighted to have a female historian writing her story for once, and in a kind manner too.
September 30, 2021
The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt by Kara Cooney is a fascinating look back at ancient Egyptian history. I've always enjoyed learning about the topic and Cooney has done her research in presenting Hatshepsut. Not as much is known about her historically in comparison to other pharaohs, but this was still well put together and reasoned out. I love that the author also included great narrative moments of what her life could have been like. If you enjoyed this book, I also highly recommend The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women by Nancy Marie Brown.
July 18, 2021
“Through all of antiquity, however, history records only one female ruler who successfully negotiated a systemic rise to power–without assassinations or coups–during a time of peace, who formally labeled herself with the highest position known in government, and who ruled for a significant stretch of time: Hatshepsut.”
THE WOMAN WHO WOULD BE KING
The Woman Who Would Be King by Kara Cooney is a historical nonfiction epic about a prominent Egyptian woman: Hatshepsut. Very few women in this time were able to climb to this height of power. The book chronicles her time as a priestess, the wife of the God, Amun-Ra. She then uses her bloodline as sister, daughter, and wife of the King. This relationship to the kingship allows her status to be higher than any other. However, there are parts of her reign that remain a mystery as information and images were erased. Being a woman in a patriarchal society is already difficult enough without being a ruler. This shows that she had to be strategic and determined to name herself King.
“Although we might assume that Hatshepsut was completely forgotten by the people she once ruled, her existence and achievements lived on in the shadows of Egyptians’ historical memory.”
THE WOMAN WHO WOULD BE KING
This book is so different from other nonfiction that I have read. It almost has a fictional narrative to it. Because there is a lot of shadow around her reign with her erasure, a lot of this book is an assumption. Kara Cooney takes the information we have of her and the information we have of the Egyptians and adds it together to give us the most accurate portrait of her.
This book is also inspirational. As the author clearly states, the events surrounding her rise to power were so rare and it took a very strategic person to take advantage and rise to power like she did. She had every right to rule and made that known.
“But Hatshepsut had another legacy, too; her architectural innovations and royal theologies remained meaningful to the Kings who came after her.
THE WOMAN WHO WOULD BE KING
Her successor was Thutmose III and was responsible for much of her erasure in their society. There is no concrete evidence of why he actually removed her images. But it is evident that her innovation inspired kings in the future. There is something to be said about a woman who was so strong that men cannot fully erase her even when they try and that she would inspire male kings to come. Overall, this book was phenomenal. I do wish we had more concrete evidence about her. I think Kara Cooney did an amazing job at bringing her to life. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.
THE WOMAN WHO WOULD BE KING
The Woman Who Would Be King by Kara Cooney is a historical nonfiction epic about a prominent Egyptian woman: Hatshepsut. Very few women in this time were able to climb to this height of power. The book chronicles her time as a priestess, the wife of the God, Amun-Ra. She then uses her bloodline as sister, daughter, and wife of the King. This relationship to the kingship allows her status to be higher than any other. However, there are parts of her reign that remain a mystery as information and images were erased. Being a woman in a patriarchal society is already difficult enough without being a ruler. This shows that she had to be strategic and determined to name herself King.
“Although we might assume that Hatshepsut was completely forgotten by the people she once ruled, her existence and achievements lived on in the shadows of Egyptians’ historical memory.”
THE WOMAN WHO WOULD BE KING
This book is so different from other nonfiction that I have read. It almost has a fictional narrative to it. Because there is a lot of shadow around her reign with her erasure, a lot of this book is an assumption. Kara Cooney takes the information we have of her and the information we have of the Egyptians and adds it together to give us the most accurate portrait of her.
This book is also inspirational. As the author clearly states, the events surrounding her rise to power were so rare and it took a very strategic person to take advantage and rise to power like she did. She had every right to rule and made that known.
“But Hatshepsut had another legacy, too; her architectural innovations and royal theologies remained meaningful to the Kings who came after her.
THE WOMAN WHO WOULD BE KING
Her successor was Thutmose III and was responsible for much of her erasure in their society. There is no concrete evidence of why he actually removed her images. But it is evident that her innovation inspired kings in the future. There is something to be said about a woman who was so strong that men cannot fully erase her even when they try and that she would inspire male kings to come. Overall, this book was phenomenal. I do wish we had more concrete evidence about her. I think Kara Cooney did an amazing job at bringing her to life. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.
August 27, 2018
Hatshepsut has fascinated me since I took an Egyptian history elective in college, but this biography left me disappointed.
The scholarship here is laughable: every phrase is couched with "possibly," "perhaps," "maybe," "might have," "probably," and on and on. Of course, author Kara Cooney has not chosen an easy subject. Hatshepsut lived more than 3500 years ago in a culture we can scarcely understand. She left a trail of incomplete records that Cooney painstakingly pieces together, buttressed by general Egyptian knowledge that, again, possibly reflects how Hatshepsut would have lived as well.
Histories can be constructed on shaky foundations. The problem is Cooney doesn't do that in The Woman Who Would Be King. Instead of interrogating the various possibilities to arrive at debatable yet defensible conclusions, Cooney follows utterly bizarre narrative threads to radical extremes without a shred of evidence. She justifies doing so by popping a "possibly" or "perhaps" into every sentence. I had to put the book down after she spent a paragraph pondering Hatshepsut's reaction to her father the pharaoh returning from a war in Nubia with the mutilated corpse of the enemy. Cooney writes extensively how this incident must have marked Hatshepsut for life, introducing her to violence, imperialism, and symbolic power. And then, just at the end of this ponderous paragraph, she writes, "But perhaps Hatshepsut did not yet understand what she was seeing. She was just a baby, around a year and a half in age, and she likely did not even remember the sight."
Excuse me? If she was one-and-a-half years old, then OF COURSE, she did not remember the sight, holy shit. At this point I quit, because if your friendly neighborhood Egyptologist doesn't even understand basic developmental psychology, how can you trust said Egyptologist to present you with a soberly argued yet compelling account of their subject's life?
In the hands of a more talented historian (e.g., Helen Castor), this could be a fine biography. And in the hands of a more talented historical fiction writer (e.g., Hilary Mantel), this could be a fine novel. As it stands, however, it's a messy pile of unrelated facts manipulated into silly conjecture.
The scholarship here is laughable: every phrase is couched with "possibly," "perhaps," "maybe," "might have," "probably," and on and on. Of course, author Kara Cooney has not chosen an easy subject. Hatshepsut lived more than 3500 years ago in a culture we can scarcely understand. She left a trail of incomplete records that Cooney painstakingly pieces together, buttressed by general Egyptian knowledge that, again, possibly reflects how Hatshepsut would have lived as well.
Histories can be constructed on shaky foundations. The problem is Cooney doesn't do that in The Woman Who Would Be King. Instead of interrogating the various possibilities to arrive at debatable yet defensible conclusions, Cooney follows utterly bizarre narrative threads to radical extremes without a shred of evidence. She justifies doing so by popping a "possibly" or "perhaps" into every sentence. I had to put the book down after she spent a paragraph pondering Hatshepsut's reaction to her father the pharaoh returning from a war in Nubia with the mutilated corpse of the enemy. Cooney writes extensively how this incident must have marked Hatshepsut for life, introducing her to violence, imperialism, and symbolic power. And then, just at the end of this ponderous paragraph, she writes, "But perhaps Hatshepsut did not yet understand what she was seeing. She was just a baby, around a year and a half in age, and she likely did not even remember the sight."
Excuse me? If she was one-and-a-half years old, then OF COURSE, she did not remember the sight, holy shit. At this point I quit, because if your friendly neighborhood Egyptologist doesn't even understand basic developmental psychology, how can you trust said Egyptologist to present you with a soberly argued yet compelling account of their subject's life?
In the hands of a more talented historian (e.g., Helen Castor), this could be a fine biography. And in the hands of a more talented historical fiction writer (e.g., Hilary Mantel), this could be a fine novel. As it stands, however, it's a messy pile of unrelated facts manipulated into silly conjecture.
March 20, 2015
I am not a fan of what I think is a disturbing new trend in 'nonfiction' writing: suppositions that are written as fact to give the book a narrative structure more like fiction (I assume that's the goal). At least this author had the decency to honestly admit what she was going to do in her introduction, but I still disapprove. Obviously, there are a lot of details that we don't know about the Egyptians, including their emotions and mindsets at various points in their lives. Any intelligent reader knows this and knows that a nonfiction book is not meant to supply these unknown variables; what does it say about our culture that authors are, in my opinion, dumbing-down research for the masses? Is this the fault of the History Channel? Where are my exhaustive academically researched texts (like Stacy Schiff, for example) that are, yes, somewhat difficult to slog through, but that leave you feeling satisfied and educated? It is possible to intelligently discuss unknowns: by quoting contemporary source materials that have different points of view and comparing and contrasting those. Or is this done for increased word count to result in some sort of economic gain? Or is done to hear themselves talk or create a longer book? I would much rather read a short but 100% factual work than a longer book that has been unnecessarily fluffed up for some reason.
December 18, 2017
A fascinating history of a woman who ruled Egypt as king for 20 odd years. I only wish I had read this BEFORE going to Egypt.
February 9, 2017
Hatshepsut was the first woman to exercise long-term rule over Egypt as a king
Hatshepsut was one of the few ancient females to rule her people, and with a reign that spanned 2 decades she was definitely the longest ruling. Born to a Pharaoh, she knew from a young age that she was destined for greatness. When a turn of events landed her as regent for a toddler king, she used this position to her advantage and became a female king of one of the greatest ancient nations.
This was one of those biographies that might have been better as a biographical novel. It definitely felt like one of those books where the author has very little substance to make a full 300+ page book out of it by being repetitive and filling the pages with conjecture. It was great and informative to learn so much about Hatshepsut's life but I feel it might have been better either as a novel or part of a compilation of Egyptian monarchs/ancient female rulers/etc.
Biographies, especially those set in the ancient world, are always going to have some conjecture, but I feel like this went a little bit beyond that. Feelings and thoughts were assigned to people without differentiating between what came from records and what came from the author's head. There seemed to be entirely fictionalized scenes. I would have loved to see the book talk more about Hatshepsut's reign and its impact, and maybe some discussion about women in power, than it did trying to make something from nothing. There was a bit about this in the last chapter.
The book was just ok for me. I had to struggle through the last half of it because it was so repetitive. It definitely taught me a lot about Egypt and Egyptian mythology that I had not known before which was enjoyable. I would recommend it for those looking for a biography of Hatshepsut, but not someone looking for something too academic. If you don't mind speculation and conjecture in your biographies, it is enjoyable.
Hatshepsut was one of the few ancient females to rule her people, and with a reign that spanned 2 decades she was definitely the longest ruling. Born to a Pharaoh, she knew from a young age that she was destined for greatness. When a turn of events landed her as regent for a toddler king, she used this position to her advantage and became a female king of one of the greatest ancient nations.
This was one of those biographies that might have been better as a biographical novel. It definitely felt like one of those books where the author has very little substance to make a full 300+ page book out of it by being repetitive and filling the pages with conjecture. It was great and informative to learn so much about Hatshepsut's life but I feel it might have been better either as a novel or part of a compilation of Egyptian monarchs/ancient female rulers/etc.
Biographies, especially those set in the ancient world, are always going to have some conjecture, but I feel like this went a little bit beyond that. Feelings and thoughts were assigned to people without differentiating between what came from records and what came from the author's head. There seemed to be entirely fictionalized scenes. I would have loved to see the book talk more about Hatshepsut's reign and its impact, and maybe some discussion about women in power, than it did trying to make something from nothing. There was a bit about this in the last chapter.
The book was just ok for me. I had to struggle through the last half of it because it was so repetitive. It definitely taught me a lot about Egypt and Egyptian mythology that I had not known before which was enjoyable. I would recommend it for those looking for a biography of Hatshepsut, but not someone looking for something too academic. If you don't mind speculation and conjecture in your biographies, it is enjoyable.
August 28, 2014
I received this book as an eArc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
As a lover of history, I was excited to receive this book; the fact that it deals with the life of only the second, mostly little known Female Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, Hatshepsut was a big plus. As many who have reviewed The Woman Who Would be King have attested, Cleopatra is the main character that comes to mind when the issue of female rulers of Egypt are discussed. But Cleopatra was actually of the Greek Ptolemaic Bloodline, while Hatshepsut came 1,500 years before, ruling from 1472 to 1458 BCE. This is a time when the thought of a woman ruler was almost unheard of.
Also of note is the fact that aside from architectural evidence, there are little to no written records that chronicle the reign of Hatshepsut, as much was either not written, or was destroyed by her successors (men) after her rule ended. That said, Kara Cooney tries to fill in the blanks as best as she can. I must say that much of her conjecture is based on logic, and I almost wholeheartedly believe what she has come up with, for lack of any better explanations. Being a scholar who deals in Ancient Egyptian Social History, Cooney is well versed in the religious, cultural and social life that Hatshepsut would have experienced, therefore, it does not seem like much of a stretch when she simply imagines what forces of the time may have come into play concerning the decisions and actions of Hatshepsut in her capacity as the King's wife (as well as being his sister), and finally Pharaoh.
What I enjoyed most about this book is the knowledge of ancient Egyptian daily life that I have gained. The religious, civic and political atmosphere of the time is richly described in minute detail, giving me images of what normal, everyday life must have been like for the people of 18th dynasty Egypt. Kara Cooney offers a liberal amount of endnotes and references, and is quick to announce when she is taking liberties as to what she imagines may have happened. For an ancient figure as obscure as Hatshepsut, Cooney's biography adds real life to a figure that has up until now been viewed as a footnote in history.
This was a highly engaging read, offering excellent information on Ancient Egyptian culture, as well as an accounting of what Hatshepsut may have been like as a real, living and breathing human being who found an opportunity to buck the male dominated system, and reign successfully for almost 2 decades of peaceful prosperity. Highly recommended for those who are interested in Ancient Egyptian History, Ancient religions and politics.
As a lover of history, I was excited to receive this book; the fact that it deals with the life of only the second, mostly little known Female Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, Hatshepsut was a big plus. As many who have reviewed The Woman Who Would be King have attested, Cleopatra is the main character that comes to mind when the issue of female rulers of Egypt are discussed. But Cleopatra was actually of the Greek Ptolemaic Bloodline, while Hatshepsut came 1,500 years before, ruling from 1472 to 1458 BCE. This is a time when the thought of a woman ruler was almost unheard of.
Also of note is the fact that aside from architectural evidence, there are little to no written records that chronicle the reign of Hatshepsut, as much was either not written, or was destroyed by her successors (men) after her rule ended. That said, Kara Cooney tries to fill in the blanks as best as she can. I must say that much of her conjecture is based on logic, and I almost wholeheartedly believe what she has come up with, for lack of any better explanations. Being a scholar who deals in Ancient Egyptian Social History, Cooney is well versed in the religious, cultural and social life that Hatshepsut would have experienced, therefore, it does not seem like much of a stretch when she simply imagines what forces of the time may have come into play concerning the decisions and actions of Hatshepsut in her capacity as the King's wife (as well as being his sister), and finally Pharaoh.
What I enjoyed most about this book is the knowledge of ancient Egyptian daily life that I have gained. The religious, civic and political atmosphere of the time is richly described in minute detail, giving me images of what normal, everyday life must have been like for the people of 18th dynasty Egypt. Kara Cooney offers a liberal amount of endnotes and references, and is quick to announce when she is taking liberties as to what she imagines may have happened. For an ancient figure as obscure as Hatshepsut, Cooney's biography adds real life to a figure that has up until now been viewed as a footnote in history.
This was a highly engaging read, offering excellent information on Ancient Egyptian culture, as well as an accounting of what Hatshepsut may have been like as a real, living and breathing human being who found an opportunity to buck the male dominated system, and reign successfully for almost 2 decades of peaceful prosperity. Highly recommended for those who are interested in Ancient Egyptian History, Ancient religions and politics.
February 7, 2017
This was an excellent, detailed biography of one of Egypt's most influential female rulers, Hatshepsut. Although she was the first example of definitive feminine power in the ancient world, she is much less well-known than Cleopatra VII, so I was excited to see a full-length biography of Hatshepsut. She was known both as a Queen of Egypt (the King's Great Wife), married to Thutmose II, and also as a self-styled King of Egypt.
Not a lot is known for sure about the life of Hatshepsut, but Kara Cooney does a great job of discussing what is known for sure via archaeology and Egyptology, and also making educated conjectures based on historical precedent and what we know about the time period. I wish there was more definitive information out there about her thoughts and feelings, but ancient Egyptian scribes did not record things like that for posterity, preferring to focus strictly on religion and fact, so we will never truly know.
I gave this book 4 stars because of the occasional conjectures due to lack of straightforward knowledge, which is definitely not Cooney's fault - it's just the way ancient history must be, unfortunately. I also gave this rating because while I am very interested in the personal lives and rules and royal lineages of ancient Egypt, I am less interested in knowing all about the gods of ancient Egypt, of which there are hundreds and many are hybrids of each other or are extremely similar. I'm just not hugely into religion as reading material; it's a personal preference and often bores me. I understand why there needed to be a lot of discussion of religious rites and aspects here though: not only was religion probably the main tenet of Egyptian life, but besides being the King's Great Wife, the first way that Hatshepsut was able to grab hold of power was through the office of God's Wife of Amen, so it was a huge part of her life and legacy as well.
I would recommend this biography to anyone interested in ancient Egyptian life, powerful and unique women, or examining how the reality of a female King came about. It's probably the most detailed and comprehensive biography of Hatshepsut that has been written thus far.
Not a lot is known for sure about the life of Hatshepsut, but Kara Cooney does a great job of discussing what is known for sure via archaeology and Egyptology, and also making educated conjectures based on historical precedent and what we know about the time period. I wish there was more definitive information out there about her thoughts and feelings, but ancient Egyptian scribes did not record things like that for posterity, preferring to focus strictly on religion and fact, so we will never truly know.
I gave this book 4 stars because of the occasional conjectures due to lack of straightforward knowledge, which is definitely not Cooney's fault - it's just the way ancient history must be, unfortunately. I also gave this rating because while I am very interested in the personal lives and rules and royal lineages of ancient Egypt, I am less interested in knowing all about the gods of ancient Egypt, of which there are hundreds and many are hybrids of each other or are extremely similar. I'm just not hugely into religion as reading material; it's a personal preference and often bores me. I understand why there needed to be a lot of discussion of religious rites and aspects here though: not only was religion probably the main tenet of Egyptian life, but besides being the King's Great Wife, the first way that Hatshepsut was able to grab hold of power was through the office of God's Wife of Amen, so it was a huge part of her life and legacy as well.
I would recommend this biography to anyone interested in ancient Egyptian life, powerful and unique women, or examining how the reality of a female King came about. It's probably the most detailed and comprehensive biography of Hatshepsut that has been written thus far.
December 15, 2017
I would rate this book 3.5. 4.0 for the portrayal of a strong, successful female king who pushed herself and others extremely hard and embodied all the qualities of her successful Father, Thutmose I. She was wife to a weak, sickly king, then co-king with Thutmose III who she mentored and groomed from the time he was a toddler. I found Hatshepsut's life and rise to power fascinating however, I give the writing style a 3.0. Very repetitive, it was filled with much assumption and doubt. At times I felt I was reading a college thesis rather than a factual historical review by a highly educated and experienced Egyptologist. However, I am very glad I read the book and spent the time learning about the 18th dynasty and the woman who could not, no she would not, be erased from history.
November 28, 2014
First off HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!
Ok I received this book as a part of a goodreads giveaway. (Boy am I happy I got it!!)
I seen this as a history lesson on a very Important woman that no one really knows about BUT SHOULD!!!!
She not only pushed aside gender issues and took the throne, Or wisely say back and learned everything she could to became the best, oh no like all great women she was so much ahead of her time others who where stuck in the mud were happy to erase her...
But this author gives new life to this INCREDABLELY FIERCE WOMAN!!!!
So happy I finally go too this book
Ok I received this book as a part of a goodreads giveaway. (Boy am I happy I got it!!)
I seen this as a history lesson on a very Important woman that no one really knows about BUT SHOULD!!!!
She not only pushed aside gender issues and took the throne, Or wisely say back and learned everything she could to became the best, oh no like all great women she was so much ahead of her time others who where stuck in the mud were happy to erase her...
But this author gives new life to this INCREDABLELY FIERCE WOMAN!!!!
So happy I finally go too this book
November 13, 2022
Hatshepsut has the misfortune to be antiquity’s female leader who did everything right.
[...]Hatshepsut’s story should teach us that women cannot rule unless they veil their true intent and proclaim that their pretentions are not their own but only for others. They must claim to sacrifice themselves to service, declare that they have been chosen by providence or destiny for such a role, and assert that they never sought such authority for themselves. If a woman does not renounce ambition for ambition’s sake, she will be viewed as twofaced or selfish, her actions fueled by ulterior motives.
[...]Hatshepsut’s story should teach us that women cannot rule unless they veil their true intent and proclaim that their pretentions are not their own but only for others. They must claim to sacrifice themselves to service, declare that they have been chosen by providence or destiny for such a role, and assert that they never sought such authority for themselves. If a woman does not renounce ambition for ambition’s sake, she will be viewed as twofaced or selfish, her actions fueled by ulterior motives.
February 5, 2021
Unfortunately with so little firm evidence of Hatshepsut's time, telling her story is a challenge. I'm not sure this book rose to that challenge. There were lengthy passages of conjecture and emotional theorizing that seemed to serve more to fill pages than to derive emotional context from the historical record. This was compounded by the repetition-- There was so much of this book that was the same information repeated in different sections. That may be effective in a reference text, but because of the additions of theorizing and narrating, I'm not sure it serves that purpose either.
February 16, 2016
“Male leaders are celebrated for their successes, while their excesses are typically excused as the necessary and expected price of masculine ambition.” – Kara Cooney, The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut’s Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt
Click below for the review.
http://www.ballemillner.com/thewomanw...
Click below for the review.
http://www.ballemillner.com/thewomanw...
June 6, 2018
"Through all of antiquity, history records only one female ruler who successfully negotiated a systematic rise to power - without assassinations or coups - during a time of peace, who formally labeled herself with the highest position known in government, and who ruled for a significant stretch of time: Hatshepsut."
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