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Start giftingWhen Women Ruled the World
Six Queens of Egypt
Narrator
Kara Cooney
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Length
9 hours 15 minutes
Language
English
This riveting narrative explores the lives of six remarkable female pharaohs, from Hatshepsut to Cleopatra—women who ruled with real power—and shines a piercing light on our own perceptions of women in power today.
Female rulers are a rare phenomenon—but thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt, women reigned supreme. Regularly, repeatedly, and with impunity, queens like Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, and Cleopatra controlled the totalitarian state as power-brokers and rulers. But throughout human history, women in positions of power were more often used as political pawns in a male-dominated society. What was so special about ancient Egypt that provided women this kind of access to the highest political office? What was it about these women that allowed them to transcend patriarchal obstacles? What did Egypt gain from its liberal reliance on female leadership, and could today’s world learn from its example?
Celebrated Egyptologist Kara Cooney delivers a fascinating tale of female power, exploring the reasons why it has seldom been allowed through the ages, and why we should care.
Kara Cooney is a professor of Egyptology at UCLA. Her academic work focuses on death preparations, afterlife beliefs, and gender studies. She is currently investigating coffin reuse during the Bronze Age Collapse, allowing her to examine funerary objects in dozens of museums around the world, including the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Louvre in Paris, the British Museum in London, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. She appeared as lead expert in the popular Discovery Channel special The Secrets of Egypt’s Lost Queen and is the creator and host of Discovery’s Out of Egypt. Her book The Woman Who Would Be King was published in 2014. She lives in Los Angeles.
Kara Cooney is a professor of Egyptology at UCLA. Her academic work focuses on death preparations, afterlife beliefs, and gender studies. She is currently investigating coffin reuse during the Bronze Age Collapse, allowing her to examine funerary objects in dozens of museums around the world, including the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Louvre in Paris, the British Museum in London, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. She appeared as lead expert in the popular Discovery Channel special The Secrets of Egypt’s Lost Queen and is the creator and host of Discovery’s Out of Egypt. Her book The Woman Who Would Be King was published in 2014. She lives in Los Angeles.
Reviews
“Discusses some of the female pharaohs who led this powerful and legendary civilization. From Hatshepsut to Nefertiti and Cleopatra, Cooney manages to synthesize modern perceptions of womanhood and femininity with those of ancient Egypt and what feels like our eternal struggle to put women in positions of power.”
“This book shines as an introduction to ancient Egyptian society and beliefs centered around elite women’s experiences.”
“Cooney provides welcome insights into pharaonic politics while bringing numerous little-known Egyptian women to the fore.”
“An engrossing, well-researched collective study of Egyptian power queens…Definitively recommended.”
“Fascinating…Condenses a wealth of specific information into a readable, engrossing format. Cooney creates an effective narrative of political machinations, incest, murder, and deception that will intrigue adults and teenagers, especially given the young age of the queens represented.”
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