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410 reviews for:
The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt
Kara Cooney
3.71 AVERAGE
410 reviews for:
The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt
Kara Cooney
3.71 AVERAGE
2021 Read Harder Challenge: A book by/about a non-Western world leader. I learned so much from this! I finally found my notes, so here comes a longer post.
One of my main takeaways is how glad I am that I don't live in the ancient world, where "being healthy meant merely being alive."
--"I want to know how people coped in a world over which they had so little control and in which they had so little time to make their mark, a place where grief, sorrow, and apprehension were more commonplace than success and where most knew they could never create any kind of change in their life, beyond doing what their fathers and mothers had done before them."
--"This constant, inescapable physical suffering is the greatest difference between us and the ancients, even making allowance for the vast disparities of society, language, culture and circumstance, and it is certainly a chief obstacle when it comes to our understanding of their motivations."
I didn't know that most royal unions were between siblings or half-siblings (to keep the royal lineage), and that child kings functioned because they had a queen-regent doing all the royal work until they came of age.
--"With no societal qualms about premarital sex or images of gods masturbating, and with many extended Egyptian families living in one-room homes with no protection of privacy, sex was simply more visible, even to a young child of the royal nursery. A short life expectancy meant that people grew up faster and started sexual activity younger than we would think appropriate or even ethical."
--"Evidence for the practice of highborn, educated women ruling on behalf of their young male charges goes back to the Old Kingdom at least, almost one thousand years before…Young kings were so common during this time period that, according to the calculations of one Egyptologist, women had ruled Egypt informally and unrecognized for almost half of the seventy years before the reign of Thutmose III, an astounding feat given Egypt’s patriarchal systems of power."
I was also struck by how much religion and power were intertwined, so much that to be the king meant to work with the gods so that the sun would rise each day, and the universe would continue. Talk about pressure!
--"In Egypt, creation was an ongoing process, not a single origin story that happened once at the beginning of history, like the Bible’s Genesis. In Egyptian belief, the king had to construct the right conditions for the god to manifest himself and the world continuously."
Hatshepsut documented her power everywhere she could, but Thutmose III, the king who followed her, made it his mission to erase her, and did a pretty good job, literally chipping her image out of stone, and, in one case, replacing her with an image of a table of food (!).
--"Egypt has always maintained two narratives, the ideological and the real: temple reliefs were religiously driven and represented a cleaned-up and idealized version of history, while historical papyri recorded what was actually known to have happened, even if it did not accord with the orthodox expectations of the gods or the political agenda of the ruling king. Present-day knowledge of ancient Egypt is largely based on the ideologically driven story, the one inscribed on massive blocks of stone meant to survive through the ages, because stone lasts longer than fragile papyrus or vellum rolls."
--"But in the long term, Hatshepsut’s authority was finite and severely limited. A man could pass down rule to his male progeny in the ancient world whereas a woman could not – because when considering men as an economic construct, the male body will always outproduce the female body. He can create multiple children simultaneously, using the wombs of many women, but women can only depend on their one womb, with one (or, rarely, two) offspring in a given year. In a system dependent on royal succession, it was in NO dynasty’s best interest to place a woman at the center of the wheel of political power. Evolutionarily speaking, this was tremendously inefficient…[A female ruler’s] leadership would always conclude with a man resuming the throne."
One of my main takeaways is how glad I am that I don't live in the ancient world, where "being healthy meant merely being alive."
--"I want to know how people coped in a world over which they had so little control and in which they had so little time to make their mark, a place where grief, sorrow, and apprehension were more commonplace than success and where most knew they could never create any kind of change in their life, beyond doing what their fathers and mothers had done before them."
--"This constant, inescapable physical suffering is the greatest difference between us and the ancients, even making allowance for the vast disparities of society, language, culture and circumstance, and it is certainly a chief obstacle when it comes to our understanding of their motivations."
I didn't know that most royal unions were between siblings or half-siblings (to keep the royal lineage), and that child kings functioned because they had a queen-regent doing all the royal work until they came of age.
--"With no societal qualms about premarital sex or images of gods masturbating, and with many extended Egyptian families living in one-room homes with no protection of privacy, sex was simply more visible, even to a young child of the royal nursery. A short life expectancy meant that people grew up faster and started sexual activity younger than we would think appropriate or even ethical."
--"Evidence for the practice of highborn, educated women ruling on behalf of their young male charges goes back to the Old Kingdom at least, almost one thousand years before…Young kings were so common during this time period that, according to the calculations of one Egyptologist, women had ruled Egypt informally and unrecognized for almost half of the seventy years before the reign of Thutmose III, an astounding feat given Egypt’s patriarchal systems of power."
I was also struck by how much religion and power were intertwined, so much that to be the king meant to work with the gods so that the sun would rise each day, and the universe would continue. Talk about pressure!
--"In Egypt, creation was an ongoing process, not a single origin story that happened once at the beginning of history, like the Bible’s Genesis. In Egyptian belief, the king had to construct the right conditions for the god to manifest himself and the world continuously."
Hatshepsut documented her power everywhere she could, but Thutmose III, the king who followed her, made it his mission to erase her, and did a pretty good job, literally chipping her image out of stone, and, in one case, replacing her with an image of a table of food (!).
--"Egypt has always maintained two narratives, the ideological and the real: temple reliefs were religiously driven and represented a cleaned-up and idealized version of history, while historical papyri recorded what was actually known to have happened, even if it did not accord with the orthodox expectations of the gods or the political agenda of the ruling king. Present-day knowledge of ancient Egypt is largely based on the ideologically driven story, the one inscribed on massive blocks of stone meant to survive through the ages, because stone lasts longer than fragile papyrus or vellum rolls."
--"But in the long term, Hatshepsut’s authority was finite and severely limited. A man could pass down rule to his male progeny in the ancient world whereas a woman could not – because when considering men as an economic construct, the male body will always outproduce the female body. He can create multiple children simultaneously, using the wombs of many women, but women can only depend on their one womb, with one (or, rarely, two) offspring in a given year. In a system dependent on royal succession, it was in NO dynasty’s best interest to place a woman at the center of the wheel of political power. Evolutionarily speaking, this was tremendously inefficient…[A female ruler’s] leadership would always conclude with a man resuming the throne."
Engrossing study of Hatshepsut and her rise to power through the skillful and incremental use of Egyptian institutions to legitimize her rule on behalf of and then replacing her nephew/stepson Thutmose III. Cooney is the first historian I've read who is not obsessed with pointing out the "usurpation by a woooooman!" aspect of this and concentrates on the acceptance by the general public, the court and how it benefited the kingdom to have a stable adult ruler within the bounds of Egyptian religion and political structure.
This book is an attempt to imagine what happened to allow Hatshepsut to rise in power to the level of a pharoah when a young man with more traditional ties to the throne was seated literally right next to her. Several reviewers have chastised her for doing so (speculating!) when it is exactly what she says she's going to do in the introduction. It is necessary because the only facts that survive are the official state propaganda, which is a) not always believable, and b) isn't consistent through time. In fact, these contradictions are what inform her writings and make her speculations plausible.
The book has a few repetitions that drag a few times, but is otherwise excellent. The only thing missing is a larger description of the social, cultural, and religion milieu of the era. While this is certainly not ignored, much of it was new to me and I would have liked to hear more about the mythologies, religious practice, and everyday life.
I also wish the publisher had gone with footnotes rather than endnotes (at least that's how they appear in the Kindle version). When reading, I assumed they were simply references to supporting articles and generally ignored them. In fact, Ms. Cooney provides a great deal of ancillary information that is worth seeing on the same page. Additionally, while the book provides a timeline of the New Kingdom and a family tree, I would have liked a finer grained personal timeline of the life of Hapshetsut in the front matter. (This would have to be approximate, but it would still be helpful.)
The book has a few repetitions that drag a few times, but is otherwise excellent. The only thing missing is a larger description of the social, cultural, and religion milieu of the era. While this is certainly not ignored, much of it was new to me and I would have liked to hear more about the mythologies, religious practice, and everyday life.
I also wish the publisher had gone with footnotes rather than endnotes (at least that's how they appear in the Kindle version). When reading, I assumed they were simply references to supporting articles and generally ignored them. In fact, Ms. Cooney provides a great deal of ancillary information that is worth seeing on the same page. Additionally, while the book provides a timeline of the New Kingdom and a family tree, I would have liked a finer grained personal timeline of the life of Hapshetsut in the front matter. (This would have to be approximate, but it would still be helpful.)
Cooney's is an interesting book to say the least, especially from my perspective as a writer and individual interested in history. She begins with a preface of only a few pages that is (as marked in my annotations) "a brief feminist rant." These first few pages alert the reader that Cooney is setting out not only to tell Hatshepsut's story, but also to push her own political agenda.
In fact, throughout the book, Cooney presents Hatshepsut as a woman worthy to be the heroic champion of the modern feminist cause. She tends to approach history in a very slanted and sloppy manner. Her evidence is gathered and presented so it aligns with the narrative she wants to tell, and she often makes Hatshepsut out to be the perfect model of female power—no plots to gain control, no evil stepmother routine with Thutmose III. Cooney loves to use words such as "if" and "possibly," and she also loves to conjecture about real historical events: how things played out, how people felt, what people thought, why people acted as they did.
Cooney tries to take existing artifacts and events and use them to figure out all the psychology behind Hatshepsut and some of the prominent people in her life. Moreover, Cooney does so while trying to cast Hatshepsut in a positive and powerful light.
Some parts of this book were interesting, and, overall, I'm glad I read it. It was a good opportunity for me to develop my skills at picking out biased statements and discerning weak arguments or faulty logic. However, as a straight-historical book, it was quite lacking. Cooney seems skirt around certain pieces of evidence or founded theories of historians, and she often passes off conjecture as true fact. All that to say, if you're going to read this book, read carefully. See where her argument falls flat and realize that this book is a bad example of how to "do" history.
In fact, throughout the book, Cooney presents Hatshepsut as a woman worthy to be the heroic champion of the modern feminist cause. She tends to approach history in a very slanted and sloppy manner. Her evidence is gathered and presented so it aligns with the narrative she wants to tell, and she often makes Hatshepsut out to be the perfect model of female power—no plots to gain control, no evil stepmother routine with Thutmose III. Cooney loves to use words such as "if" and "possibly," and she also loves to conjecture about real historical events: how things played out, how people felt, what people thought, why people acted as they did.
Cooney tries to take existing artifacts and events and use them to figure out all the psychology behind Hatshepsut and some of the prominent people in her life. Moreover, Cooney does so while trying to cast Hatshepsut in a positive and powerful light.
Some parts of this book were interesting, and, overall, I'm glad I read it. It was a good opportunity for me to develop my skills at picking out biased statements and discerning weak arguments or faulty logic. However, as a straight-historical book, it was quite lacking. Cooney seems skirt around certain pieces of evidence or founded theories of historians, and she often passes off conjecture as true fact. All that to say, if you're going to read this book, read carefully. See where her argument falls flat and realize that this book is a bad example of how to "do" history.
Absolutely fascinating subject, but took a long time to finish. I expected a historical novel, but this was a very detailed essay. Worth the read, for sure.
Very dense, somewhat repetitive at times. But fascinating!
While there are many questions left unanswered, and endless mysteries to uncover still, Kara Cooney's "The Woman Who Would Be King" offers readers a treasured glimpse into the life and continued influence of one of histories most powerful enigmas: Hatshepsut.
Like most students who covered ancient Egypt in their middle school history class, we often get the abridged and entertaining events of a person's life in our textbooks. For Cleopatra it was her seduction, for Joan of Arc it was how she died, and for Elenore Roosevelt it was for being married to the president who served the longest term in office.
Hatshepsut was no exception to this practice, and until I listened to Cooney's book she was simply "the first woman pharaoh". Not only does the research of Egyptologists like Cooney correct readers and other historians in this statement (Sobekneferu was technically the first female pharaoh), but she and others continue to expand upon this woman who did an immeasurable amount in her lifetime, whether she was female or male, human or god. Her echoes never fully died, even though key players in her story tried to silence her forever.
Cooney also offers readers a glimpse into the religion and culture of ancient Egypt, and how it was inextricably linked to the political climate of the day. We learn more about the temples, who inhabited them, and how those who celebrated there worshiped. We also get an extremely detailed description of how one would have been mummified in ancient times, and it may be best to not eat or drink during that portion.
I feel as though this book could offer so much to most discussions, from women's studies to sociology, from religion to architecture, and from biography to mystery. I look forward to more of Cooney's work, and how she spotlights other women of ancient Egypt who, like Hatshepsut, were lucky to be condensed to a sentence in a seventh grade history textbook.
Like most students who covered ancient Egypt in their middle school history class, we often get the abridged and entertaining events of a person's life in our textbooks. For Cleopatra it was her seduction, for Joan of Arc it was how she died, and for Elenore Roosevelt it was for being married to the president who served the longest term in office.
Hatshepsut was no exception to this practice, and until I listened to Cooney's book she was simply "the first woman pharaoh". Not only does the research of Egyptologists like Cooney correct readers and other historians in this statement (Sobekneferu was technically the first female pharaoh), but she and others continue to expand upon this woman who did an immeasurable amount in her lifetime, whether she was female or male, human or god. Her echoes never fully died, even though key players in her story tried to silence her forever.
Cooney also offers readers a glimpse into the religion and culture of ancient Egypt, and how it was inextricably linked to the political climate of the day. We learn more about the temples, who inhabited them, and how those who celebrated there worshiped. We also get an extremely detailed description of how one would have been mummified in ancient times, and it may be best to not eat or drink during that portion.
I feel as though this book could offer so much to most discussions, from women's studies to sociology, from religion to architecture, and from biography to mystery. I look forward to more of Cooney's work, and how she spotlights other women of ancient Egypt who, like Hatshepsut, were lucky to be condensed to a sentence in a seventh grade history textbook.
This book is exceptionally well-written. A lot of the recounts are Cooney speculating as to Hatshepsut's thoughts and motives, but they're based off of extensive research. Cooney writes in an immersive way that really catches ones attention and causes one to think. The fact that it was written by a women appeals to me as well; too many works about women are written by men whom are either biased in their thinking of gender or whom seem to forget women are people. This book will have a permanent place on my shelf.
Incredibly well-researched - but due to the sheer lack of concrete information among all the research, there's a lot of supposition. "Could she have felt this?" "Could she have done that?" "Could she have wanted this?"
It's hard to fault it for this - the information just isn't there. And Kara Cooney has done a fantastic job with what she has. It's still a worth a read - but it you're looking for a lot of concrete answers about Hatshepsut's life, you just won't find them here.
It's hard to fault it for this - the information just isn't there. And Kara Cooney has done a fantastic job with what she has. It's still a worth a read - but it you're looking for a lot of concrete answers about Hatshepsut's life, you just won't find them here.
I listened to the audiobook read by Dr. Cooney herself. Not only did she write an excellent book but she reads it superbly. Which I expected. I saw Dr. Cooney speak a few weeks before listening to this audiobook and was quite impressed by her stage presence. Such a dynamic speaker! But then, that what she does for a living, teaching several seminars.
The contents of the book itself were very interesting to me. I know very little about ancient Egypt so this book was an eye-opener. I had heard that Egypt was all about religion but did not know the full extent. While not a focus of this book it permeated ancient Egyptian society so much that it was inescapable. Much of what Hatshepsut did was religious in nature. Her means and her ends were a mixture of the political and religious and it may have been her astuteness in both that enabled her to attain the power she did.
I've heard some complain that the book is not "scientific enough". Dr. Cooney does introduce opinion and speculation that would be inappropriate in a scientific paper but I think enhance the enjoyment of the book. And remember, her speculation is based on a large amount of archeological knowledge and experience.
So read it. Or better yet, imo, listen to it! The book has a few photos and no illustrations so you won't be missing much. But do what I did: Get the book from your local library and look at the photos.
The contents of the book itself were very interesting to me. I know very little about ancient Egypt so this book was an eye-opener. I had heard that Egypt was all about religion but did not know the full extent. While not a focus of this book it permeated ancient Egyptian society so much that it was inescapable. Much of what Hatshepsut did was religious in nature. Her means and her ends were a mixture of the political and religious and it may have been her astuteness in both that enabled her to attain the power she did.
I've heard some complain that the book is not "scientific enough". Dr. Cooney does introduce opinion and speculation that would be inappropriate in a scientific paper but I think enhance the enjoyment of the book. And remember, her speculation is based on a large amount of archeological knowledge and experience.
So read it. Or better yet, imo, listen to it! The book has a few photos and no illustrations so you won't be missing much. But do what I did: Get the book from your local library and look at the photos.