Women in Ancient Egypt

by Gay Robins

Book Overview

An idealized version of women appears everywhere in the art of ancient Egypt, but the true nature of these women's lives has long remained hidden. Gay Robins's book, gracefully written and copiously illustrated, cuts through the obscurity of the ages to show us what the archaeological riches of Egypt really say about how these women lived, both in the public eye and within the family.

The art and written records of the time present a fascinating...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674954696
• ISBN13: 9780674954694
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.9" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Women in Ancient Egypt

Biased that I am, I was dreading reading this book, as I've read too many books of the feminist variety. I was quickly going to have to acknowledge my preconceived bias, though! What a wonderful book! It contains such a wealth of information on ancient Egypt never mind what gender one is out after information on. Naturally, most of the book centres around the higher castes, but that is to be fair only natural considering that the lesser castes seldom left traces of themselves that are open to interpretation after several millenniums have passed. Perhaps the best way to summarize a book is merely to name the chapters of the book, so here are the respective names of the ten chapters; "Royal women and queenship", "Queens, power and the assumption of kingship", "Marriage", "Fertility, pregnancy and childbirth", "The family and the household", "Women outside the home", "The economic and legal position of women", "Women and temple ritual", "Personal religion and death" and finally "Images of women in literature and art". The book is in addition beautifully illustrated throughout with high-quality b & w photographs and images. The author holds nothing back when describing this ancient society, so be aware that the material can be somewhat shocking in regards to the ancient Egyptian relationships between the genders. I would go so far as to call this a must-read if you have any interest in the ancient world that came before our degenerate world-wide Weimar Republic (and you should have an interest!). 5 stars and highly recommended for everyone.

Questionable evidence

The author is obviously very learned and has every right to draw conclusions from evidence witnessed first-hand; however, she too often mentions that the evidence is weak or strong without discussing why the evidence seems to suggest (either weakly or strongly) what has been asserted. This simply happens too often and leaves the reader wondering whether or not she has "learned" something that is not exactly true. Overall, the portraits of the lives and interactions of the historical characters are very compelling and vivid, among them many pharaohs and their various wives and lovers.

useful contribution on women in Ancient Egypt

This book is a detailed account of domestic, economic, social and legal lives of ancient Egyptian women. The author describes queenship, marriage, childbirth, family, religion, and death; she also discusses women in Ancient Egyptian literature and art; and she provides excellent information to back up her study. An excellent bibliography is included, as well as good black and white illustrations. This is a recommended book for those interested in the lives and roles of women.

Excellent for Assignments

This is a very detailed book that I found invaluable when doing a research task on Women in New Kingdom Egypt. The information is organised into the Old, Middle and New Kingdom periods, and is backed up with numerous pictures and references to tombs.