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The Woman Who Would Be King is an interesting biography of King Hatshepsut, a successful female pharaoh who history has vastly overlooked -- as Cooney posits, mostly because of her inherent success.
Cooney asserts many fanciful ideas and interpretations of how Hatshepsut thought and may have acted. She begins her book by admitting outright, "I have had to break many rules of my Egyptological training in order resurrect and reanimate Hatshepsut's intentions, ambitions, and appointments, by engaging in conjecture and speculation, and creating untestable hypotheses as I attempt to fill out her character and decision making processes)..." My warning bells flashed red, and I almost didn't make it past the Author's Note. Despite these glaring flaws, I am glad overall that I read this updated biography.
Cooney's work as a social historian is where the biography shines. Most of the author's flights of fancy about what so-and-so might have done are forgivable as they often lead her to include facts about daily life, rituals, etc. that were common in ancient Egypt, even if we can't prove Hatshepsut, Thutmose, or Nefrure did X, Y, or Z.
Some of her hypotheses are quite thought provoking:
-Rather than focusing on Hatshepsut's ambition, Cooney posits an intriguing alternative theory for Hatshepsut's power grab: solidifying her dynasty in the face of Thutmose III's immature years.
-Cooney does have many interesting interpretations of Hatshepsut's behavior. For instance, she suggests that Hatshepsut's masculinization of her imagery corresponds to Thutmose III's maturation. This process further legitimizes Hatshepsut's position as pharaoh while further preventing Thutmose from claiming what was rightfully his. (Cooney doesn't dare acknowledge this latter rationale for her motives; instead Hatshepsut is justifying herself to the people and the gods.)
-Thutmose III's later destruction of Hatshepsut's images also has an interesting theory: for legitimizing his son's claim to the throne without having to link through the female's line.
And I also enjoyed seeing the Egyptological disputes about the identity of Hatshepsut's mummy, and I learned that the pharaoh title dates to Hatshepsut's reign.
And now the ugly:
All that aforementioned speculation leads to many far fetched claims based on little to no evidence. One small example: "All the evidence indicates that elites from established families worked with the new appointees." As Cooney previously acknowledged, Egyptians did not publish negative press. How would we know? The only evidence is that Hatshepsut was successful in her ambitious tasks as fulfilled by her appointees. Tensions, however, cannot be guessed at.
Additionally, Cooney also seems to be caught up in the romance of Hatshepsut: imagining her slim form going about her business. Oy.
The Woman Who Would Be King is an interesting book that gives Hatshepsut her due as a worthy, female historical presence that is too often forgotten. If read with a critical eye, it is well worth the time.
Cooney asserts many fanciful ideas and interpretations of how Hatshepsut thought and may have acted. She begins her book by admitting outright, "I have had to break many rules of my Egyptological training in order resurrect and reanimate Hatshepsut's intentions, ambitions, and appointments, by engaging in conjecture and speculation, and creating untestable hypotheses as I attempt to fill out her character and decision making processes)..." My warning bells flashed red, and I almost didn't make it past the Author's Note. Despite these glaring flaws, I am glad overall that I read this updated biography.
Cooney's work as a social historian is where the biography shines. Most of the author's flights of fancy about what so-and-so might have done are forgivable as they often lead her to include facts about daily life, rituals, etc. that were common in ancient Egypt, even if we can't prove Hatshepsut, Thutmose, or Nefrure did X, Y, or Z.
Some of her hypotheses are quite thought provoking:
-Rather than focusing on Hatshepsut's ambition, Cooney posits an intriguing alternative theory for Hatshepsut's power grab: solidifying her dynasty in the face of Thutmose III's immature years.
-Cooney does have many interesting interpretations of Hatshepsut's behavior. For instance, she suggests that Hatshepsut's masculinization of her imagery corresponds to Thutmose III's maturation. This process further legitimizes Hatshepsut's position as pharaoh while further preventing Thutmose from claiming what was rightfully his. (Cooney doesn't dare acknowledge this latter rationale for her motives; instead Hatshepsut is justifying herself to the people and the gods.)
-Thutmose III's later destruction of Hatshepsut's images also has an interesting theory: for legitimizing his son's claim to the throne without having to link through the female's line.
And I also enjoyed seeing the Egyptological disputes about the identity of Hatshepsut's mummy, and I learned that the pharaoh title dates to Hatshepsut's reign.
And now the ugly:
All that aforementioned speculation leads to many far fetched claims based on little to no evidence. One small example: "All the evidence indicates that elites from established families worked with the new appointees." As Cooney previously acknowledged, Egyptians did not publish negative press. How would we know? The only evidence is that Hatshepsut was successful in her ambitious tasks as fulfilled by her appointees. Tensions, however, cannot be guessed at.
Additionally, Cooney also seems to be caught up in the romance of Hatshepsut: imagining her slim form going about her business. Oy.
The Woman Who Would Be King is an interesting book that gives Hatshepsut her due as a worthy, female historical presence that is too often forgotten. If read with a critical eye, it is well worth the time.