Hatchepsut: The Female Pharoah

The Female Pharaoh

Author: Joyce A. Tyldesley

The forgotten pharaoh — brilliant, defiant, statesmanlike, and a woman

Egypt's Queen — or, as she would prefer to be remembered, King — Hatchepsut ruled over an age of peace, prosperity, and remarkable architectural achievement (c. 1490 B.C.). Had she been born a man, her reign would almost certainly have been remembered for its stable government, successful trade missions, and the construction of one of the most beautiful structures in the world — the Deir el-Bahri temple at Luxor. After her death, however, her name and image were viciously attacked, her monuments destroyed or usurped, her place in history systematically obliterated. At last, in this dazzling work of archaeological and historical sleuthing, Joyce Tyldesley rescues this intriguing figure from more than two thousand years of oblivion and finally restores the female pharaoh to her rightful prominence as the first woman in recorded history to rule a nation.

"An absorbing scholarly biography, based on a meticulous review of the archaeological record, of a remarkable woman". — Kirkus Reviews

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Summary

The forgotten pharaoh — brilliant, defiant, statesmanlike, and a woman

"An absorbing scholarly biography, based on a meticulous review of the archaeological record, of a remarkable woman". — Kirkus Reviews

Description

Queen - or, as she would prefer to be remembered King - Hatchepsut was an astonishing woman. Brilliantly defying tradition she became the female embodiment of a male role, dressing in men's clothes and even wearing a false beard. Forgotten until Egptologists deciphered hieroglyphics in the 1820's, she has since been subject to intense speculation about her actions and motivations. Combining archaeological and historical evidence from a wide range of sources, Joyce Tyldesley's dazzling piece of detection strips away the myths and misconceptions and finally restores the female pharaoh to her rightful place.

About the Author

Joyce Tyldesley lives in Bolton, Lancashire. She gained a first-class honours degree in archaeology from Liverpool University in 1981 and a doctorate from Oxford in 1986. She is now Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Archaeology, Classics andOriental Studies at Liverpool University and a freelance writer and lecturer on Egyptian archaeology. Daughters of Isis- Women of Ancient Egypt, is published by Penguin and her next book - a biography of Nefertiti - will be delivered in May 1997.