When Women Ruled the World

October 1, 2018
An accessible spin through the corridors of power in ancient Egypt, corridors that converged on thrones on which women reigned.You wouldn't know it to read the standard survey texts, but the history of ancient Egypt is punctuated by periods of rule by women--and more of them than just Nefertiti and Cleopatra. Cooney (Egyptology/UCLA; The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt, 2014) digs into the tombs, papyri, and literature to look at the past of a polity that, though "no less cruel and oppressive to women than every other complex society on Earth," was not programmatically opposed to the notion that women could rule. Most of these women were on the throne for relatively short periods, often because they stood in when male heirs to the throne were too young or otherwise unable to assume it. One, Merneith, ruled without formal title as regent for one such too-young son; we know little about her largely because "the Egyptians, it seems, never wanted to directly state that the king's mother was calling the shots." When her son hit 16 or 17, she continued to advise him behind the scenes. As Cooney notes, it was the last such unacknowledged rule; other women who followed on the throne bore the title "king." One regent, Hatshepsut, connected to the venerable and powerful bloodline of the 18th Dynasty, was herself only 16 when she ascended the throne, having outlived a number of unlucky brothers (and avoided being married off to one of them, which would have made her queen). The author makes it clear that these female kings could be as tough, and sometimes as sanguinary, as their male counterparts; if forgotten, most were also skillful. The most famous, Cleopatra, was an exception, for Cooney reckons her a failure, having tied her fortunes too closely to a man, if one whose record has also been tarnished by "the Roman misinformation and propaganda campaign against her."Cooney provides welcome insights into pharaonic politics while bringing numerous little-known Egyptian women to the fore.

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March 1, 2019

In ancient Egypt, where authoritarian god kings dominated, a few women rose to positions of political power. Cooney traces the history of six women who ruled one of the greatest civilizations of the ancient world, from Merneith, a mysterious and little-known first dynasty queen, to more familiar figures like Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, and Cleopatra VII. The author paints an evocative picture of female power in ancient Egypt. Her descriptions of archaeological evidence and her conclusions about these women's lives are fascinating and will appeal to a broad audience, while still remaining grounded in her extensive research. The book 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. However, the work's attempt to compare female power in ancient Egypt to contemporary politics is less successful. Cooney engages in regressive gender essentialism, arguing about the so-called "biological predisposition[s]" that inform male and female leadership, and the connections she makes between ancient leaders and modern figures such as Hillary Clinton and Angela Merkel lack nuance and context. VERDICT Overall, Cooney's compelling writing about the ancient world outweighs her overly simplistic use of contemporary politics. Recommended for large high school and public library collections that feature ancient history and women's studies titles.-Molly Saunders, Homewood Public Library, AL

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2018
Nefertiti, Hatshepsut, and Cleopatra all rank among the most famous rulers of ancient Egypt, but in their own times and places, they were oddities, since Egypt rarely turned to female leadership. In this group biography, Egyptologist Cooney, the author of a previous biography of Hatshepsut (The Woman Who Would Be King, 2014), explores both why female pharaohs were rare and why they occurred at all. She illuminates women's role in Egyptian governance by presenting the big three alongside the lesser-known Merneith, Neferusobek, and Tawosret. All six women left relatively clear (by Egyptological standards) records of their lives and reigns, allowing Cooney to position them within the 3,000-year sweep of ancient Egyptian history. Emphasizing the shared strands in their stories, she argues that they embodied a distinctively female approach to rulership that was valued for its emphasis on stability and consensus in troubled times and uniquely suited to wealthy, conservative Egyptian society. Although Cooney occasionally flirts with gender essentialism, this book shines as an introduction to ancient Egyptian society and beliefs centered around elite women's experiences.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from November 15, 2018

Cooney (Egyptology, Univ. of California Los Angeles; The Woman Who Would Be King) explores the premise that "the ancient Egyptians brilliantly used female power...to keep a culture going for more than 3,000 years" through the prism of six queens who assumed kingship to varying degrees at times of dynastic crisis. Included are profiles of Merneith of Dynasty I (3000-2890 BCE), Neferusobek of Dynasty XII (1985-1773 BCE), Hatshepsut and Nefertiti of Dynasty XVIII (1550-1295 BCE), Tawosret of Dynsty XIX (1295-1186 BCE), and Cleopatra VII of the Ptolemaic Period (305-30 BCE). Despite ancient Egyptian society promoting greater gender equality than its contemporaries, each of these queens was compelled to manifest certain masculine trappings in order to succeed. Most intriguing is the author's persuasive explanation of the recent theory that Nefertiti morphed from queen to co-king, and ultimately sole king, evinced through changes in her titles and iconography. VERDICT Not since Leonard Cottrell's Lady of the Two Lands (1966) has such an engrossing, well-researched collective study of Egyptian power queens been available. Definitively recommended for anyone with an interest in ancient Egyptian civilization or women's studies.--Edward K. Werner, formerly with St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Syst., FL

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.