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Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt: From Early Dynastic Times to the Death of Cleopatra
The definitive book that recounts the full history of the colorful queens of Egypt. This fascinating saga spans 3,000 years of Egyptian queenship from Early Dynastic times until the suicide of Cleopatra in 30 BC. Starting with the unique role enjoyed by Egypt's women in the ancient world, the book goes on to present a biographical portrait of every queen, supplemented by a wealth of pictorial detail, datafiles, genealogical trees, timelines, and special features―from Childbirth to Wigs―highlighting different aspects of Egyptian culture.
The queen of Egypt was, first and foremost, a supportive wife and mother, but in times of dynastic crisis she was expected to act as her husband's deputy. The queen might be required to marshal troops, or to rule on behalf of an infant son. She might even be called upon to rule in her own right in the absence of a suitable king. The female pharaohs Hatshepsut and Tawosret, the sun queens Tiy and Nefertiti, the seductive Nefertari and many of Egypt's queens have left an indelible mark on their country's history.
And what of Egypt's lesser queens, the numerous wives and daughters maintained in pampered seclusion in the harem palaces? These women are generally forgotten, their graves lost in the desert sands. But the anonymous ladies occasionally stepped from the security of the harem to influence the royal succession, and their stories too are told. 273 illustrations, 150 in color
The queen of Egypt was, first and foremost, a supportive wife and mother, but in times of dynastic crisis she was expected to act as her husband's deputy. The queen might be required to marshal troops, or to rule on behalf of an infant son. She might even be called upon to rule in her own right in the absence of a suitable king. The female pharaohs Hatshepsut and Tawosret, the sun queens Tiy and Nefertiti, the seductive Nefertari and many of Egypt's queens have left an indelible mark on their country's history.
And what of Egypt's lesser queens, the numerous wives and daughters maintained in pampered seclusion in the harem palaces? These women are generally forgotten, their graves lost in the desert sands. But the anonymous ladies occasionally stepped from the security of the harem to influence the royal succession, and their stories too are told. 273 illustrations, 150 in color
224 pages, Hardcover
First published October 30, 2006
4 people are currently reading
780 people want to read
About the author
Joyce A. Tyldesley
34 books167 followersJoyce Tyldesley is a British archaeologist and Egyptologist, academic, writer and broadcaster.
Tyldesley was born in Bolton, Lancashire and attended Bolton School. In 1981, she earned a first-class honours degree in archaeology from Liverpool University, and a doctorate in Prehistoric Archaeology from Oxford in 1986. She is a Teaching Fellow at Manchester University where she is tutor and course organiser of the three-year distance learning (internet based) Certificate in Egyptology programme run from the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology.
She is an Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Archaeology, Classics, and Egyptology at Liverpool University, an ex-trustee of the Egypt Exploration Society, Chairperson of Bolton Archaeology and Egyptology Society, and a trustee of Chowbent Chapel.
In 2004 she established, with Steven Snape of Rutherford Press Limited, a publishing firm dedicated to publishing serious but accessible books on ancient Egypt while raising money for Egyptology field work. Donations from RPL have been made to Manchester Museum and the Egypt Exploration Society: currently all profits are donated to the ongoing fieldwork at Zawiyet umm el-Rakham.
She is married with two children to Egyptologist Steven Snape and lives in Lancashire.
Tyldesley was born in Bolton, Lancashire and attended Bolton School. In 1981, she earned a first-class honours degree in archaeology from Liverpool University, and a doctorate in Prehistoric Archaeology from Oxford in 1986. She is a Teaching Fellow at Manchester University where she is tutor and course organiser of the three-year distance learning (internet based) Certificate in Egyptology programme run from the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology.
She is an Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Archaeology, Classics, and Egyptology at Liverpool University, an ex-trustee of the Egypt Exploration Society, Chairperson of Bolton Archaeology and Egyptology Society, and a trustee of Chowbent Chapel.
In 2004 she established, with Steven Snape of Rutherford Press Limited, a publishing firm dedicated to publishing serious but accessible books on ancient Egypt while raising money for Egyptology field work. Donations from RPL have been made to Manchester Museum and the Egypt Exploration Society: currently all profits are donated to the ongoing fieldwork at Zawiyet umm el-Rakham.
She is married with two children to Egyptologist Steven Snape and lives in Lancashire.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 15, 2018
I got this book in the bargain section so I didn’t have high expectations going in, but I was pleasantly surprised. It is essentially an encyclopedia, moving chronologically queen by queen, outlining what we know about her. Sometimes there is very little information or it has been muddled, but I thought the book did a good job pointing out what was fact and what was theory.
April 28, 2022
Queen Nefertari bringing offerings to Isis (Photo taken from Earth Trekkers)
A very nice read. The author provided info on all the queens of Egypt (those we know the existence of, thanks to the statues, papyri etc). What I loved the most about this particular lecture is the hieroglyphs written for all of them! That added an extra star to this book. And also the neatly chosen pictures. This is a book I actually enjoyed reading. :)
January 19, 2025
A very thorough overview of the Queens of Egypt as far as can be determined, given that these women stretch back to over 4000-5000 years ago. Although it's an older book and clearly out of date (for example, later research and examination have shown that the Harem Conspiracy, led by Queen Tiye during the reign of Ramesses III did succeed in one thing - murdering the Pharaoh), much of what Tyldesley writes here is still quite viable and relevant. A good read.
(Also, when is someone going to make a miniseries about the Ptolemies? Like, this family's propensity for dramatics and murdering each other for power over Egypt makes the characters from Game of Thrones look like rank amateurs lol.)
(Also, when is someone going to make a miniseries about the Ptolemies? Like, this family's propensity for dramatics and murdering each other for power over Egypt makes the characters from Game of Thrones look like rank amateurs lol.)
April 12, 2024
More detailed than the Chronicle of the Pharaohs. Beautiful pictures throughout and lots of details for better known Queens. A good companion book to further research on ancient Egypt.
March 7, 2025
Jag älskar Hatshepsut, Sodeknefru och Tawosret.
Lätt att hänga med i. Det är bara familjeträden som är svåra att förstå (i mitt tycke) men knappt Tyldesleys fel.
Lätt att hänga med i. Det är bara familjeträden som är svåra att förstå (i mitt tycke) men knappt Tyldesleys fel.
June 25, 2014
Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt traces the lives and reigns of Ancient Egyptian queens from early dynastic times to the Ptolemaic period. It's important to stress right off the bat that this is a book written and designed for a general, rather than specialist, audience. That said, it is a Joyce Tyldesley book which means it's a high quality, reliable read regardless.
I really enjoyed reading a book dedicated to Ancient Egypt's royal women. Tyldesley is not alone in dedicating a book to this subject, but I believe Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt is more accessible than most, if not all. Typically, an overview of Egyptian history will focus on the kings, and only really explore the few female pharaohs (e.g. Hatshepsut), those queens that have left their mark on popular culture (e.g. Nefertiti) and those queens that straddle that border (e.g. Cleopatra). As such, this book is a very welcome addition to my library.
After providing an overview on the role of women and, more specifically, royal women in Egyptian society, Tyldesley begins by discussing each individual queen that ruled from c. 3100 BCE to 30 BCE. The book is divided into six sections:
1. The First Queens (Early Dynastic Egypt)
2. Queens of the Pyramid Age (Old Kingdom)
3. Chaos and Rebirth (First and Second Intermediate Periods, Middle Kingdom)
4. Queens of the Empire (The New Kingdom)
5. Weakened Royal Power (Third Intermediate and Late Periods)
6. The Last Queens of Egypt (Ptolemaic period)
Each section provides a basic overview and then discusses each queen in as much detail as possible. This is no doubt dictated by what evidence there is for each queen – there is a severe lack of evidence for many of Egypt's queens. The queens that are better attested naturally have more written about them than the ones we have minimal evidence of. Obviously, the likes of Nefertiti and Cleopatra could have – and have had – entire books dedicated to their lives and reigns, but Tyldesley wisely limits herself to an overview lasting only a few pages.
The largest section is dedicated to the New Kingdom ("Queens of the Empire"), which is just under 90 pages long. This is hardly surprising – the New Kingdom was the time of the most famous of Egypt's native queens. Hatshepsut, Tiye, Nefertiti, Ankhesenamun and Nefertari all lived and ruled in this time period.
Along the way, Tyldesley provides "special features" to provide more detail about a particular topic. These topic run from women's health and childbirth to particular titles or regalia used by the queens to Cleopatra's adoption of Isis's imagery and more.
All in all, it's a very thorough look at Egypt's royal women. And it's typical Tyldesley – detailed, reliable and an easily accessible read. You really can't go wrong with a book written by Tyldesley.
It is not perfect read, though. To begin with, some information is out of date. I'm not suggesting that Tyldesley should have updated her book with every new bit of information that was released, but it's something for the reader to be aware of.
As it is designed for a general audience (as mentioned above), the book is sometimes quiet on the detailed debates going on in Egyptology circles. A few times, Tyldesley would make a statement, I'd blink and think, "well, it's actually a lot more complicated and a hell of a lot less certain than that". But again, Tyldesley is writing for an audience that don't need to be (and probably wouldn't want to be) dragged down into the tarpits of Egyptological debate.
I also thought that the section on the Ptolemaic queens could have been longer and more detailed.
Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt is a very thorough, detailed look at the queens of Ancient Egypt, a welcome addition to my library with only a few minor flaws to bring it down. I would find it very easy to recommend this book.
I really enjoyed reading a book dedicated to Ancient Egypt's royal women. Tyldesley is not alone in dedicating a book to this subject, but I believe Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt is more accessible than most, if not all. Typically, an overview of Egyptian history will focus on the kings, and only really explore the few female pharaohs (e.g. Hatshepsut), those queens that have left their mark on popular culture (e.g. Nefertiti) and those queens that straddle that border (e.g. Cleopatra). As such, this book is a very welcome addition to my library.
After providing an overview on the role of women and, more specifically, royal women in Egyptian society, Tyldesley begins by discussing each individual queen that ruled from c. 3100 BCE to 30 BCE. The book is divided into six sections:
1. The First Queens (Early Dynastic Egypt)
2. Queens of the Pyramid Age (Old Kingdom)
3. Chaos and Rebirth (First and Second Intermediate Periods, Middle Kingdom)
4. Queens of the Empire (The New Kingdom)
5. Weakened Royal Power (Third Intermediate and Late Periods)
6. The Last Queens of Egypt (Ptolemaic period)
Each section provides a basic overview and then discusses each queen in as much detail as possible. This is no doubt dictated by what evidence there is for each queen – there is a severe lack of evidence for many of Egypt's queens. The queens that are better attested naturally have more written about them than the ones we have minimal evidence of. Obviously, the likes of Nefertiti and Cleopatra could have – and have had – entire books dedicated to their lives and reigns, but Tyldesley wisely limits herself to an overview lasting only a few pages.
The largest section is dedicated to the New Kingdom ("Queens of the Empire"), which is just under 90 pages long. This is hardly surprising – the New Kingdom was the time of the most famous of Egypt's native queens. Hatshepsut, Tiye, Nefertiti, Ankhesenamun and Nefertari all lived and ruled in this time period.
Along the way, Tyldesley provides "special features" to provide more detail about a particular topic. These topic run from women's health and childbirth to particular titles or regalia used by the queens to Cleopatra's adoption of Isis's imagery and more.
All in all, it's a very thorough look at Egypt's royal women. And it's typical Tyldesley – detailed, reliable and an easily accessible read. You really can't go wrong with a book written by Tyldesley.
It is not perfect read, though. To begin with, some information is out of date. I'm not suggesting that Tyldesley should have updated her book with every new bit of information that was released, but it's something for the reader to be aware of.
As it is designed for a general audience (as mentioned above), the book is sometimes quiet on the detailed debates going on in Egyptology circles. A few times, Tyldesley would make a statement, I'd blink and think, "well, it's actually a lot more complicated and a hell of a lot less certain than that". But again, Tyldesley is writing for an audience that don't need to be (and probably wouldn't want to be) dragged down into the tarpits of Egyptological debate.
I also thought that the section on the Ptolemaic queens could have been longer and more detailed.
Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt is a very thorough, detailed look at the queens of Ancient Egypt, a welcome addition to my library with only a few minor flaws to bring it down. I would find it very easy to recommend this book.
September 7, 2014
In Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt, Tyldesley's novel of the history of ancient Egypt is told from a different perspective, the queens of Egypt. The queens that have been shrouded in the background and eclipsed for centuries by their more-powerful and more-famous husbands, the pharaohs of Egypt, now take center stage in this biography. Spanning for 3,000 years of Egypt's history, Tyldesley's novel gives an intriguing biography of each queen.
Among these amazing stories of these queens are the biographies of the famous women: Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, Ankhesenamun (King Tut's wife), Nefertari, and Cleopatra VII (the last Egyptian pharaoh), and along with the other less well-known queen consorts. Each of these consorts were powerful in their own right and played a vital necessary role in serving the pharaoh, participating in both political and religious roles of ancient Egypt. Some of these queens had as much power as their husbands, were recognized as their equals, and ruled alongside as co-regents. Some of the queens were regents and female kings (some of them like Sobeknefru, Hatshepsut, and Tawosret were both). Some were the King's Mother, who was given more power and authority than a queen's consort.
Tyldesley also gives the reader detailed information about the women of ancient Egypt for example, women's health and childbirth, women's hygiene, and hairdressing, and women in literature. She also talks about the religion of ancient Egypt, the roles of the Egyptian priestesses, and the roles of the female deities. She also mentions the obscure secondary wives of the pharaohs, wives who were not queen consorts. Unlike the hegemonic discourse of harem women sitting idly in the palace, these women actually had to work for their keep. Some of the harem queens became King Mothers (a title to given to mothers of the king). Tyldesley mentions one harem queen, Tiy, who plotted to kill her husband, Ramesses III, so her son could rule as Egypt's next king. The plan ultimately backfired, and Queen Tiy and her son were forced to commit suicide.
Overall, Tyldesley's biography of each Egyptian queen is a fascinating and much needed account. The novel is written in a comprehensive style for the general reader. It is complete with timelines and genealogical trees that helps the reader understand and not get lost. It is filled with fascinating pictures of the archeological findings of the majority of the queens, for instance, some of the queens' jewelry, statues of the queens, pictures of their tombs, and even pictures of their mummies. The stories themselves are very easy to read and enjoyable. The reader will also gain an accessible, quick, and detailed account about the history of the Egyptian empire that spanned for 3,000 years. My only complaint about this book is that the names are hard to pronounce, and I wish that there was a pronunciation guide included. This novel is a tribute to not only the Egyptian queens but also to all women in Ancient Egypt.
Among these amazing stories of these queens are the biographies of the famous women: Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, Ankhesenamun (King Tut's wife), Nefertari, and Cleopatra VII (the last Egyptian pharaoh), and along with the other less well-known queen consorts. Each of these consorts were powerful in their own right and played a vital necessary role in serving the pharaoh, participating in both political and religious roles of ancient Egypt. Some of these queens had as much power as their husbands, were recognized as their equals, and ruled alongside as co-regents. Some of the queens were regents and female kings (some of them like Sobeknefru, Hatshepsut, and Tawosret were both). Some were the King's Mother, who was given more power and authority than a queen's consort.
Tyldesley also gives the reader detailed information about the women of ancient Egypt for example, women's health and childbirth, women's hygiene, and hairdressing, and women in literature. She also talks about the religion of ancient Egypt, the roles of the Egyptian priestesses, and the roles of the female deities. She also mentions the obscure secondary wives of the pharaohs, wives who were not queen consorts. Unlike the hegemonic discourse of harem women sitting idly in the palace, these women actually had to work for their keep. Some of the harem queens became King Mothers (a title to given to mothers of the king). Tyldesley mentions one harem queen, Tiy, who plotted to kill her husband, Ramesses III, so her son could rule as Egypt's next king. The plan ultimately backfired, and Queen Tiy and her son were forced to commit suicide.
Overall, Tyldesley's biography of each Egyptian queen is a fascinating and much needed account. The novel is written in a comprehensive style for the general reader. It is complete with timelines and genealogical trees that helps the reader understand and not get lost. It is filled with fascinating pictures of the archeological findings of the majority of the queens, for instance, some of the queens' jewelry, statues of the queens, pictures of their tombs, and even pictures of their mummies. The stories themselves are very easy to read and enjoyable. The reader will also gain an accessible, quick, and detailed account about the history of the Egyptian empire that spanned for 3,000 years. My only complaint about this book is that the names are hard to pronounce, and I wish that there was a pronunciation guide included. This novel is a tribute to not only the Egyptian queens but also to all women in Ancient Egypt.
May 18, 2008
Title of the German edition:
Die Königinnen des alten Ägypten
This book illuminates the political and religious role of the queens in ancient egypt. Not much is known about these royal women living the the shadow of their more famous husbands, the pharaohs. But queens were also very important for the balance of the ma´at and many of them held the fate of their country in their hands be it as regent for their underaged son or even as pharaoh like the famous Hatchepsut. It´s a very interesting book with many pictures of women I hadn´t seen before in other books and I really would have liked to learn more about these queens but the source material of their lifes is very sparse and sometimes it´s even impossible to assign a queen with certainty to a pharaoh. Nonetheless there are described more than 180 queens in chronological order with all their titles and as far as possible their husband and children. A very fascinating book for everybody who is interested in ancient egypt and their queens.
Die Königinnen des alten Ägypten
This book illuminates the political and religious role of the queens in ancient egypt. Not much is known about these royal women living the the shadow of their more famous husbands, the pharaohs. But queens were also very important for the balance of the ma´at and many of them held the fate of their country in their hands be it as regent for their underaged son or even as pharaoh like the famous Hatchepsut. It´s a very interesting book with many pictures of women I hadn´t seen before in other books and I really would have liked to learn more about these queens but the source material of their lifes is very sparse and sometimes it´s even impossible to assign a queen with certainty to a pharaoh. Nonetheless there are described more than 180 queens in chronological order with all their titles and as far as possible their husband and children. A very fascinating book for everybody who is interested in ancient egypt and their queens.
May 25, 2012
Considering how little information we have from most of the queens, this is quite coherently compiled. An extended list that doesn't just throw queens one after another, but also offers a short and clear biography of each of those it's possible. Kind of sad really, that there might be an incredible amount of equally or even more intelligent consorts and harem wives than Cleopatra, but we just don't know that (yet?). We give more attention to the more famous kings and queens, because there's more information regarding their reigns, therefore it leads us to believe that they were the most important ones. Anyway, Tyldesley has also written an introduction to the book, so it's a bit easier to put the queens into context if you're not familiar with the women's history in Egypt yet.
November 16, 2013
This book has magnificent illustrations and includes very clear timelines of the various dynasties. The challenge is keeping all the names straight (since so many pharaohs and queens shared the same names.) A worthwhile read.
November 2, 2009
Excellent collection of well-organized information about the Egyptian queens. Contains lots of picture with detailed explanation.
December 26, 2012
Very good resource on the queens; unique. Wish there was an updated version with the new DNA questions available.
April 26, 2013
Lovely illustrated tale -- since so much is still conjecture & not known with validity -- of what little we know of Egypt's Dynastic Queens.
February 21, 2016
A non-fiction chronicle of the queens of Egypt. Lots of gorgeous pictures, interesting daily life details, and plenty of educational entertainment by a great writer on the subject.
December 3, 2020
'45. The book that's been on your TBR list for the longest amount of time'
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews