The truth behind Egypt’s female pharaohs and their power

No woman has ever held the highest office in the US but 3,000 years ago in ancient Egypt women ruled with Cleopatra and Nefertiti. In her new book When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt looks at how these women often acted as placeholders until a male successor took the throne

explores the lives of these powerful women, why Hatshepsut was perfect for the job, how Cleopatra’s upbringing in a crazy family was like the Sopranos and what these female rulers meant for their society and ours and there are Memorial Temple of Hatshepsut which you can visit

Let’s look at one of the last, but most famous, Egyptian queens: Cleopatra. You said she had “brilliant leadership and a productive womb”. Can you explain the Ptolemaic dynasty and how Cleopatra used those traits to keep her throne? That’s a big question so let’s break it down. Growing up in the Ptolemaic dynasty was a nightmare. Each Ptolemy son or daughter had their own entourage, treasuries and independent sources of power while sharing authority

The Ptolemaic dynasty was infamous for its internal wars. One of the most dramatic stories is that of Cleopatra II who married her brother. After a big fight he was killed and she married another brother. Her daughter Cleopatra III eventually overthrew her mother and aligned herself with her uncle, Cleopatra II’s brother, and exiled Cleopatra II. In a particularly nasty move the uncle sent Cleopatra II a birthday present: the dismembered body parts of her own son. Despite all this family squabbling they would often reunite for political convenience.

Cleopatra is the only woman in our story who used her reproductive organs to build a legacy like a man. unlike other female rulers who ruled for a minor or in the absence of a male heir, Cleopatra used her fertility to increase her power. She had children with two of Rome’s most powerful men—Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. With Caesar she had one child and with Antony she had three children including twins. She survived all those births and placed each child in charge of a different part of her growing Eastern Empire and set them up as rivals to the Western Roman Empire. If Antony had not made the mistakes he did, Cleopatra’s legacy would be viewed very differently today and you can her statue through Egypt Tours also you can visit another landmarks in Egypt

cleopatra is remembered as a great Beauty but lets be real she was probably a product of incest a common practice among the ptolemaic dynasty which didn’t always produce beautiful people charles II of spain for example was a product of royal inbreeding and was Severely deformed cleopatras coinage doesnt Depict her as a classic beauty its said she was witty Conversational and intelligent whatever it was that the roman Warlords saw in her she used it to her Advantage better than any other woman in her story.

let’s go back to another queen. You say “more than any other egyptian queen Nefertiti is true female power”. Introduce us to this Woman and tell us how she saved egypt at its most vulnerable moment

Nefertiti is One of the Toughest to talk about because only recently have egyptologists started to realize she was a Leader of her people, For a long time she was only Celebrated for her Beauty as seen in the Bust in the Neues Museum in berlin but when she took Power Nefertiti changed herself she renamed herself and ditched traditional Feminine Imagery and presented herself as Powerful and Authoritative and also you can visit Egyptain Museum to visit this beautiful these landmarks and many more and if you want to visit another places Egypt Travel Packages will help you alot to choose and book them

when I say nefertiti was the most Successful of our Female leaders I mean she Fixed the mess left by the Men Before her She used her Emotional intelligence to do this not her personal Ambition unlike other leaders nefertiti didnt Assert her Power or seek recognition instead she Erased all evidence of her authority from the records and if you want to be in tours for women only Egypt Women Tours will give you many recommendations to choose from

They still argue about whether nefertiti became coregent or even queen in her own right. If she did become queen she had to give up being the symbol of beauty and allure. this shows how much political power can change a woman and the sacrifices and shifts she has to make to navigate leadership.

why do you think that, while the u.s still seems to have an aversion to powerful women leaders the ancient egyptians accepte and even welcomed them? .

the uS is not alone in its struggle with powerful women. Globally there is Resistance to women in leadership Be careful not to assume having women leaders means greater Enlightenment in many Countries with female heads of state (like britain or India) the System is parliamentary not direct Voters elect parliamentary representatives who then choose the pm The indirect election means when a Woman is Elected it’s not always the result of a Direct vote by the Public

What made the ancient Egyptians different?

first and foremost my book is a tragedy. [laughs] I’m not rewriting history, I’m just telling it as I see it. The women of ancient Egypt lived in a patriarchal society and a society of social inequality. They stepped into roles of power to support their husbands, brothers or sons. The presence of female rulers in Egypt is a sign of the society’s risk aversion and desire to ensure the continuity of divine kingship. The egyptians knew women governed differently they were not warlords or tyrants, and while they were not without violence they were less likely to commit it. And that’s probably true in the ancient world too and if you to know more about Egypt Histoy you can visit Egypt Travel Guide which has so many useful information

one of your favorite egyptian Queens is Clearly the almost Unpronounceable hatshepsut why do you especially Admire this Woman?

She left Egypt in better shape than she found it! By securing her dynasty and setting the foundations in place, she set the stage for her successor Thutmose III who would become the Napoleon of Egypt and expand the empire to new heights She used ideology to consolidate her power, presenting herself as chosen by the gods rather than driven by personal desire. She told her people: “It is not my own will but the will of Amon-Re that has chosen me for this role. I do as he commands and if you to visit another histrical landmarks in private tours Egypt Private Tours will give you many recommendations to choose from

i love Hatshepsut because she did it so well which is often the ideal But success can be stolen Her achievements Building Obelisks or sending Expeditions to Punt – could be given to someone else just by erasing her Name from the reliefs and putting someone else’s in

failure is tangible and personal. [laughs] It’s got drama – suicide by asp or naval battles. Failure is individualised so it’s memorable. That’s why cleopatra is in history and shakespeare wrote a play about her. hatshepsut’s successes have been erased from history We need to bring her back to life and understand why female success is so easily forgotten and female failure so dramatically highlighted

You stress that, though these women were allowed to rule, their power “was a short-term illusion.” They were usually erased from the historical record too weren’t they? Why was that?

they were place holders in a larger patriarchal structure. their job was to make sure the next man in line could take power. Simple biology explains why it’s harder for a woman to be at the center of this power circle woman can only have one maybe two children a year while a man can have hundreds without going through the hormonal changes and vulnerabilities of pregnancy So women stepped in during times of crisis to protect the patriarchy when the male line was broken. Once stability was restored they were pushed to the side. five of the six women in this book were even called king But that didnt stop them from being erased from history a few generations later when it was convenient for men to take credit for their accomplishments

bring it home for us, by talking about the legacy of these fabulously rich and Powerful Women. Do they hold lessons for us today?

firstly we need to acknowledge if Racism is part of our Biology then Sexism Might be too. If we Don’t openly Discuss and Understand the Ways it shows up we will struggle to get rid of it.

And secondly the qualities that are seen as a liability in women – crying or being able to put themselves in other people’s shoes might actually be the key to navigating the 21st century. This emotional intelligence means women commit fewer violent acts avoid war and make more thoughtful decisions. Its this empathy that might stop us from acting on impulse like pressing the red button in a crisis. Historically women who ruled did so in a way that protected those around them and their dynasties and if you are curious about egypt and want to know more about it and visit its beautiful landmarks you can do this through Egypt Tour Packages give you also many options to choose from and also there so many activities to do during your stay Things To Do In Egypt provide you many options to choose from