In this book, Lisa Sabbahy presents a history of ancient Egyptian kingship in the Old Kingdom and its re-formation in the early Middle Kingdom. Beginning with an account of Egypt's history before the Old Kingdom, she examines the basis of kingship and its legitimacy. The heart of her study is an exploration of the king's constant emphasis on his relationship to his divine parents, the sun god Ra and his mother, the goddess Hathor, who were two of the most important deities backing the rule of a divine king. Sabbahy focuses on the cardinal importance of this relationship, which is reflected in the king's monuments, particularly his pyramid complexes, several of which are analysed in detail. Sabbahy also offers new insights into the role of queens in the early history of Egypt, notably sibling royal marriages, harem conspiracies, and the possible connotations of royal female titles.

Readable and scholarly, this up-to-date book covers every aspect of the life of women in ancient Egypt. This book focuses on the life of women in ancient Egypt, while also putting forth a vast array of information about ancient Egyptians in general. Readers begin with a short but thorough introduction to the three great periods of Pharaonic civilization: the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom. Main chapters include the newest evidence scholars have uncovered at important archeological sites in ancient Egypt. The scope of this book is wide and all inclusive, even though it is focused on the life of ancient Egyptian women. The topics in the book cover a vast amount of the knowledge we have about the ancient Egyptians, including material on architecture, art, law, education, medicine, food, religion, music, and spiritual beliefs. It is important to point out that royal women are only discussed in one chapter, so that more "ordinary" ancient Egyptians are the focus of the book. This book is also designed to be readable for people without any background knowledge of the time period. Any reader interested in ancient Egypt will discover a great deal of material. Begins with introductory material so that a reader can acquire any needed background information Focuses on the lives of "typical women" in ancient Egypt rather than royal women Includes introductions to each chapter comprised of a short story of a women in a situation discussed in that chapter Includes a short Bibliography at the end of each chapter, listing the sources used and making it easy for readers to do further research