Hatchepsut The Female Pharaoh [Paperback]

Imagine buying a historical book about Ancient Rome, looking at a map in a book and spotting Vatican City there? (established in 1929!) Or even better, a book about Byzantium Empire and find that Constantinople, the capital of the Empire, is called by the author "Istanbul". Just because this is what it is called now, does not mean you should be using the name. Write away it is historically incorrect.

This is what disturbs me in the books written about Ancient Egypt both fiction and non-fiction. What is Cairo or any Arabic origin names (El-Kab, Deir el-Medina, Karnak, Giza) are doing on the map of the Ancient Egypt? The author is also using such terms as "Harem", "Vizier", "Caravan", "Mastaba" and pretty much turning the pharaohs into sultans from "1001 nights". The author fearfully mentions that the terms are not quite applicable but uses them nevertheless. "Ancient Egyptians" as a nation have nothing in common with Arabs and if one attempts to write a historical book this should be clearly stated. (Arabs conquered the land long after the last pharaoh was dead.)

It is a historical research book but nowhere in the book is mentioned that Egypt, for example, was called "Kemet", the Nile - "Hapy" and so on.
The beaten formula on publishing Ancient Egypt book perhaps requires the writers to use commonly accepted names but I expected much more from an Oxford scholar and an Honorary Research Fellow.

There is a lot of well summarized information about Hatshepsut and the book is well organized. However, there was nothing new, everything that was told was already said at many websites and documentary films.

I expected to finally see the breakthrough in the "beaten path". Disappointed.

'Had Hatchepsut been born a man, her lengthy rule would almost certainly be remembered for its achievements: its stable government, successful trade missions, and the impressive architectural advances which include the construction of the Deir el-Bahri temple on the west bank of the Nile at Luxor, a building which is still widely regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world. Instead, Hatchepsut's gender has become her most important characteristic, and almost all references to her reign have concentrated not on her policies but on the person relationship and power struggles which many historians have felt able to detect within the claustrophobic early 18th Dynasty Theban royal family.'

Egypt was of course a male-dominated society, but for being so, it produced many strong women, including Hatchepsut, Cleopatra, and Nefertiti. The latter two are far more famous, having been renowned as well more for their gender and gender-attributes (the beauty of their physical form) than for any political or social achievements they might have made (although Cleopatra's foray into Roman politics most likely would have assured her fame).

Hatchepsut took on the outward aspects of male dress and iconography when assuming the power of Pharoah -- while Cleopatra has always been described as 'Queen' Cleopatra, it is perhaps more correct to refer to Hatchepsut as a 'King', a Pharoah, which is a male term with no real feminine equivalent in the language. She even wore a false beard in the manner of Pharoahs of the time to play the role of ruler. She was an eldest daughter of Tuthmosis I, married to her half-brother Tuthmosis II (a regular custom in Egyptian royal families from earliest times to the final dynasty of Cleopatra, whose generation also had such intermarriages), and guardian of her stepson Tuthmosis III. Much of the history of her reign was suppressed by later generations of Egyptians who wanted to prevent another female from assuming royal/divine power.

Joyce Tyldesley (who also wrote the book on 'Nefertiti', which I have reviewed recently) has produced a well-researched work exploring the political, social and family climate into which Hatchepsut was thrown. Using historical research and archaeological discoveries, she has produced a marvelous biography, restoring this long-forgotten ruler to the ranks of the Pharoahs.

Hatchepsut was short-tempered and made many mistakes during her twenty-year-long reign. However, she was also a capable and able ruler in many respects. The Tuthmosidian Theban royal family which uneasily straddled the divide between the 17th and 18th Dynasties was a tight-knit but feuding lot. To give themselves stability and legitimacy, they strove to replicate glories of the past, in particular those of the 12th Dynasty. This was an era of unease, due to the quickening pace of technological advance occurring simultaneously with a resurgence of interest in 'traditional' values (much like our own time today, in many respects).

Tyldesley begins with an examination of the general society: the role of pharoah, a divine/absolute ruler upon which almost all society turned; the role of the royal family, the priest and military classes, and the interaction with foreign cultures. From here she proceeds to examine the specifics of the Tuthmoside family, with their warring factions and cooperative ventures designed to shore up a tenuous grasp on the authority of power. Examining Hatchepsut's rise to power, she divides it into two chapters - 'Queen of Egypt' and 'King of Egypt'. The precise sequence of reigns between the three Tuthmosis rulers and Hatchepsut is still unclear (given the degradation and recasting of monumental and inscription engravings to eliminate Hatchepsut's name) -- it is likely that the authority shifted back and forth, with periods of co-regency during multiple years.

What became of Hatchepsut is a bit of a mystery. She may have been killed by Tuthmosis III who was tired of sharing the reigns of power or waiting for his inheritance. However, this is unlikely given Hatchepsut's advanced age -- nature would take its course in any event. Hatchepsut's mummy has never been definitively identified, nor has any particular tomb been found that might have been hers and hers alone. Multiple sites have been discovered that are possible candidates, but this mystery awaits future discoveries.

This is an interesting, accessible biography which brings to light many recent discoveries and shares contrasting theories of the history of this interesting figure.

With a use of the historical and archaeological evidence from various places in Egypt and beyond, an Oxford-educated Joyce Tyldesley has written a well-detailed biography book entitled "Hatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh." The book, as similar to her "Nefertiti," drives the general readers to experience and to understand the story of the female Pharaoh named Hatchepsut, her historical family background, the history of her memory after her death, and theories of historical scholars who have studied. There are eight chapters in the book with the addition of the "Introduction," which highlights Hatchepsut as a preferred King of Egypt, addresses a brief history of the Dynasty periods, and introduces Manetho who preserved the memory of Hatchepsut.

What came as interesting to which this book explores the relationship between Hatchepsut and her father, Pharaoh Tuthmosis I. There does not appeared to be any negativity between them, and was seen as very positive. Throughout the years of her rule, Hatchepsut honored her father "in every way possible" in order to preserve her direct link to Tuthmosis I as a rightful heir to Egyptian throne (p. 117-8). Since she was born to both Tuthmosis I and Queen Ahmose who were of a royal blood, Hatchepsut believed that she had a direct royal bloodline because her brother-husband, Tuthmosis II, was born to a mother who was not from a royal bloodline. Therefore, she believed that she had a right to rule Egypt regardless of what her gender was. An impression that comes to one's mind from the book is that Hatchepsut needed to rule Egypt in the honor of her father and not for her personal agenda.

Tyldesley also pointed out the creation of Hatchepsut's "divine birth" story as well the role of women in the Theban royal family as evidence for Hatchepsut to be a rightful ruler of Egypt.

The author holds the readers' interest with a clear writing and vivid understanding when it comes to historical biography and theories. The book is well-organized with the visual aspects of maps, figures, and pictures. She has presented a historical analysis that was not dry or technical, and it should be a good advantage for readers' ancient Egyptian knowledge. Tyldesley's book is recommended to both the general readers and historical scholars because the author brought forth a readable and very interesting book.