Nefertiti and Cleopatra: Queen-Monarchs of Ancient Egypt

by Julia Samson

A vivid account of two female pharaohs; beautiful Nefertiti (1367-1350 BC) and mysterious Cleopatra (51-30 BC). Both politically adept, they also distinguished themselves in their love for the greatest men of their Nefertiti for the sun-worshipping Akhenaten, and Cleopatra for Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. The author has researched museum collections and excavation reports, as well as contemporary writings, to recreate the settings of their domestic lives.

Genres: Nonfiction, Egypt, History, Biography

165 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Maja - BibliophiliaDK ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

When reading this book it quickly became clear to me, that the author, Julia Samson, is more enthusiastic about Nefertiti than Cleopatra - the section about Neferti take up almost 70 % of the book! It also seems to be a bit of an advertisement for the museum, where Samson works; the Petrie Museum in London. There were some clear differences between the writing in the two parts: The Nefertiti-part is well-explained, colourful and with a lot of examples, figures and plates used to support Samsons hypothesis', whereas the Cleopatra is narrative and with (practically) only Shakespeare as a source. This is partly a testament to what I wrote before, about Samson's main focus, but also to the general sources we have about the two different Queens, born about 1000 years apart. From the time and life of Nefertiti our sources are mainly archeological and therefore open for interpretation (at least more open that written accounts from Cleopatra's time). It must also be noted, that some of things that Samson writes as truths have later been widely disputed (like her Nefertiti-as-Smenkhkare-theory). So while reading this book it is wise to always keep in mind that it is almost 30 years old; new evidence and new theories have emerged.

[Connie D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting for those with a serious interest. Nefertiti's section includes lots of images on reliefs in Amarna, some of which i hadn't seen or heard of. The Cleopatra section feels quite different, with more literary than artistic sources.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, written by a woman intimately involved with the Amarna discoveries over decades since the thirties, consists of two biographies of two of the female pharaohs of Egypt. There were others probably and one of the points of the book is to argue that they were indeed seen as the actual heads of state.

Be that as it may, I found this book interesting primarily because it was written with more attention paid to domestic matters than most others I've read which have concentrated on religion, politics, the sciences or the arts. There is considerable attention paid to such topics as dress, cosmetology, child-rearing and household arrangements (albeit only of the very wealthy).

Both Nefertiti and Cleopatra are treated very sympathetically, which is to say imaginatively, because the author does often make inferences which are no more than plausible given existing written and archaeological records. This is, in other words, a kind of feminist appropriation of these figures, a rather quaintly old-fashioned kind of feminism in keeping with the author's age at the time of composition and her British background.

[Mercurybard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every once in a while, I go through spurts where I read everything about the Amarna Period I can get my hands on. This book was picked up then.

I just read the first half (Cleopatra doesn't interest me) and found it all right. The authoress is insistent that the two young men who supposedly ruled after the Heretic King but prior to King Tut were actually Nefertiti (something that I believe).

She also includes descriptions of some of the most trivial of every day objects--like cosmetics pots and tubes--that would be invaluable to anyone trying to write about every day life in Egypt.

[Christina (Boupie)]

Historical Fiction with Non-fiction (non-fiction)

[Tess J]

I'd like to thank Julia Samson for helping me (hopefully) pass Ancient History.

[Cortney BeesInTheBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and was looking forward to learning more about Cleopatra. Sadly the author talked more about Nefertiti which was a treat since I didn’t know much about her. I am still bummed that Cleopatra was not talked about in great lengths like Nefertiti. Overall, an interesting read.

[Charles Fortune · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit out of date. The Cleopatra section is the better of the two. The Nefertiti section focuses more on the Egypt of her age.

[Jo-jean Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to read more about the lives of two compelling women.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are two of our world's greatest women leaders and how their leadership powers of Egypt.

[Breanna Camp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some parts dragged a bit but overall it was quite interesting and quick to get through (:

[Jimena Casillas · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can we learn about Nefertiti and Cleopatra?