A fascinating look at the artistically productive reign of Hatshepsut, a female pharaoh in ancient Egypt

Bringing to life the story of a woman who boldly declared herself pharaoh, this book tells of Hatshepsut, who lived in ancient Egypt.

An engrossing biography of the longest-reigning female pharaoh in Ancient Egypt and the story of her audacious rise to power. Hatshepsut—the daughter of a general who usurped Egypt's throne—was expected to bear the sons who would legitimize the reign of her father’s family. Her failure to produce a male heir, however, paved the way for her improbable rule as a cross-dressing king. At just over twenty, Hatshepsut out-maneuvered the mother of Thutmose III, the infant king, for a seat on the throne, and ascended to the rank of pharaoh. Shrewdly operating the levers of power to emerge as Egypt's second female pharaoh, Hatshepsut was a master strategist, cloaking her political power plays in the veil of piety and sexual reinvention. She successfully negotiated a path from the royal nursery to the very pinnacle of authority, and her reign saw one of Ancient Egypt’s most prolific building periods. Constructing a rich narrative history using the artifacts that remain, noted Egyptologist Kara Cooney offers a remarkable interpretation of how Hatshepsut rapidly but methodically consolidated power—and why she fell from public favor just as quickly. The Woman Who Would Be King traces the unconventional life of an almost-forgotten pharaoh and explores our complicated reactions to women in power.

Biography of Hatshepsut's palace childhood and her adult life as Egypt's female pharaoh.

The legacy of ancient Egypt has captivated historians, archaeologists, and the public at large for centuries. This includes the physical relics left behind, primary sources that serve as a window into the lives of the long-gone Egyptians, especially the pharaohs, kings elevated to the status of gods. Among the more intriguing pharaohs was Hatshepsut, perhaps the most powerful woman who led a nation up to that time. The story of how she possibly ruled in the guise of a male pharaoh is explored in this volume via an exploration of the artifacts and sites throughout Egypt that remain to tell her tale.

A biography of Hatshepsut, daughter of Thutmose I, who became Egypt's first female pharaoh.

"Get the facts about princesses past and present--their clothes, their homes, their families, and their fates!"--P. [4] of cover.