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Queens of Egypt
Of all the great ancient civilizations, Egypt has provided the world the most alluring portraits of women. Here, from author Leonard Cottrell, are the fascinating stories of those women - from the legendary beauty, Nefertiti, and Nefertari, the favorite wife of the great Ramesses II; to Tiye, wife of the uxorious, luxury-loving Amenophis III, and the formidable Hatsepshut, the only queen of Egypt to rule as a divine pharaoh in her own right.
- GenresHistory
155 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 29, 2019
85 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Leonard Cottrell
181 books23 followersLeonard Eric Cottrell was a prolific and popular British author and journalist. Many of his books were popularizations of the archaeology of ancient Egypt.
Leonard Cottrell was born in 1913 in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, to William and Beatrice Cottrell (née Tootell). His father inspired his interest in history from a very young age. At King Edward's Grammar School, Birmingham, Leonard was notably only interested in English and history, in which he read widely.
In the 1930s, Cottrell toured the English countryside on his motorcycle, visiting prehistoric stone circles, burial mounds of the Bronze Age, medieval and Renaissance monuments. On those journeys, he was often accompanied by Doris Swain, whom he later married. After gaining experience writing articles on historical subjects for motoring magazines, he wrote his first documentary for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 1937.
Cottrell was rejected by the RAF during World War II for medical reasons, but he joined the BBC in 1942 and was stationed in the Mediterranean with the RAF in 1944, as a war correspondent. His wartime experiences formed the basis of his book All Men are Neighbours (1947). He worked at the BBC until 1960, when he resigned and moved to a house overlooking the estuary of the River Kent in Westmoreland, Cumbria, where he stayed for the rest of his life, writing.
Among other achievements, Cottrell was the editor of the Concise Encyclopaedia of Archaeology (1965).
He was married and divorced twice, first to Doris Swain (divorced 1962) and Diana Bonakis (married 1965; divorced 1968). He had no children by either marriage.
Leonard Cottrell died on 6 October 1974.
Leonard Cottrell was born in 1913 in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, to William and Beatrice Cottrell (née Tootell). His father inspired his interest in history from a very young age. At King Edward's Grammar School, Birmingham, Leonard was notably only interested in English and history, in which he read widely.
In the 1930s, Cottrell toured the English countryside on his motorcycle, visiting prehistoric stone circles, burial mounds of the Bronze Age, medieval and Renaissance monuments. On those journeys, he was often accompanied by Doris Swain, whom he later married. After gaining experience writing articles on historical subjects for motoring magazines, he wrote his first documentary for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 1937.
Cottrell was rejected by the RAF during World War II for medical reasons, but he joined the BBC in 1942 and was stationed in the Mediterranean with the RAF in 1944, as a war correspondent. His wartime experiences formed the basis of his book All Men are Neighbours (1947). He worked at the BBC until 1960, when he resigned and moved to a house overlooking the estuary of the River Kent in Westmoreland, Cumbria, where he stayed for the rest of his life, writing.
Among other achievements, Cottrell was the editor of the Concise Encyclopaedia of Archaeology (1965).
He was married and divorced twice, first to Doris Swain (divorced 1962) and Diana Bonakis (married 1965; divorced 1968). He had no children by either marriage.
Leonard Cottrell died on 6 October 1974.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 7, 2020
This book was supposed to be about the women of egypt and I feel like it was...for 20% of the book. Not what I was looking for!
April 10, 2019
First read a Cottrell book on Egypt when I was in my teens and was enthralled. Luckily later in life I was fortunate to work and live in Egypt for 3 years. His work is meticulously researched as was this book. To criticise him for using the writings of males is to be ignorant of Pharonic history of 3000 years ago. Males ruled, women had little role in society. Hence the reason this book contains new and unique information about the women of Those times. Great history by a great and knowledgeable historian. If you are interested in pharonic history, read this book.
March 22, 2019
I was disappointed in this book. The title is quite misleading; most of the book is about the men associated with the queens he claims to want to discuss. I understand we need to know about them to uncover hints of the queens real life but pages are devoted to these men and their accomplishments, military campaigns and are unrelated to the women. Very little is revealed about the women. I found it sad in this day and age to have such a male centric book about women. I kept checking the published date thinking I was reading an old book.
Edit: this author died in 1974, so it is an old book. Unsure why it was recently published.
Edit: this author died in 1974, so it is an old book. Unsure why it was recently published.
January 12, 2022
Another in an excellent series by Leonard Cottrell that I first discovered in my local library as a teenager. While I have read most of the ones he has written on Ancient Egypt this was one that I hadn't seen before so when I saw it on Amazon I treated myself for Christmas. An excellent book detailing the backgrounds and lives of some of the most well known women in Egypt's history but whose own lives and histories are, perhaps not surprisingly given the distance in time, not as well known or documented as they possibly should be.
As the writer explains, in Egyptian times inheritance went through the female line, to become pharaoh the successor must marry the heiress of the previous incumbent and as a result there are thousands of images of those long ago mysterious women who were so important to the country when alive.
Unfortunately little now survives to tell us who they were and exactly what they did in terms that are relatable to the majority rather than only those knowledgable in the subject. But Leonard Cottrell has gone about things in a slightly different way. He has chosen five different women, all queens but whose lives were possibly no so different in many ways from the many others who also shared that great country and were also loved and cherished by their sweethearts and family. And rather than padding out what little is known with speculation and fantasy the writer has instead chosen to show the reader how the facts about these Queens have been discovered, little bit by little bit from an inscription here and an image there, a reference on a stele in one place or on a papyrus somewhere else. This rather unusual method makes for a fascinating book to anyone interested in both the period and some of the more famous women of the time, from Hatshepsut who became Pharaoh in her own right to Nefertiti - sometimes called the most beautiful woman in the world - and her, presumed, mother Tiye to Ankhesenpaaten - later known as Ankhesenamun, the child bride and widow of Tutankamun and finally to Nefertari, Queen and wife to the mighty Rameses II, whose image will forever be known thanks to the beautiful statue of her saved from the waters of the Nile when they undertook the mammoth task of moving the mighty, and beautiful, carved figures at Abu Simbel out of reach of the encroaching river.
If you have an interest in powerful but also much loved and admired women as well as an interest in the mysterious land of Ancient Egypt then I cannot recommend this book highly enough. The writer sticks to facts without the usual embroidery of what facts are known with suppositions and myths which makes for a pleasant change in a book on real historical figures.
As the writer explains, in Egyptian times inheritance went through the female line, to become pharaoh the successor must marry the heiress of the previous incumbent and as a result there are thousands of images of those long ago mysterious women who were so important to the country when alive.
Unfortunately little now survives to tell us who they were and exactly what they did in terms that are relatable to the majority rather than only those knowledgable in the subject. But Leonard Cottrell has gone about things in a slightly different way. He has chosen five different women, all queens but whose lives were possibly no so different in many ways from the many others who also shared that great country and were also loved and cherished by their sweethearts and family. And rather than padding out what little is known with speculation and fantasy the writer has instead chosen to show the reader how the facts about these Queens have been discovered, little bit by little bit from an inscription here and an image there, a reference on a stele in one place or on a papyrus somewhere else. This rather unusual method makes for a fascinating book to anyone interested in both the period and some of the more famous women of the time, from Hatshepsut who became Pharaoh in her own right to Nefertiti - sometimes called the most beautiful woman in the world - and her, presumed, mother Tiye to Ankhesenpaaten - later known as Ankhesenamun, the child bride and widow of Tutankamun and finally to Nefertari, Queen and wife to the mighty Rameses II, whose image will forever be known thanks to the beautiful statue of her saved from the waters of the Nile when they undertook the mammoth task of moving the mighty, and beautiful, carved figures at Abu Simbel out of reach of the encroaching river.
If you have an interest in powerful but also much loved and admired women as well as an interest in the mysterious land of Ancient Egypt then I cannot recommend this book highly enough. The writer sticks to facts without the usual embroidery of what facts are known with suppositions and myths which makes for a pleasant change in a book on real historical figures.
April 6, 2019
Boring and clinical
This would be a book you would read for research possibly....There was no soul or story line, just facts. I feel I know less than what I knew previously.
This would be a book you would read for research possibly....There was no soul or story line, just facts. I feel I know less than what I knew previously.
June 7, 2019
Good read
As with all Egyptian history, much of this is guessed or perhaps inferred, but it is a great read. Lots of information about the Egyptian royals, or at least a good story hanging on the available facts. A must read for anyone interested in Egyptian history or royals in general. Review by Steve Cole, Leanna's husband, who has read at least twenty books on the subject.
As with all Egyptian history, much of this is guessed or perhaps inferred, but it is a great read. Lots of information about the Egyptian royals, or at least a good story hanging on the available facts. A must read for anyone interested in Egyptian history or royals in general. Review by Steve Cole, Leanna's husband, who has read at least twenty books on the subject.
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March 27, 2019Ancient Egyptian Queens told with care!
Good story's based on fact not guess! Well told
no bias just good sense well told with good narratives each queens story told with care
Great source material good for those studying the
subject!
Good story's based on fact not guess! Well told
no bias just good sense well told with good narratives each queens story told with care
Great source material good for those studying the
subject!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews