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Women in Ancient Egypt Paperback – December 15, 2011

by Barbara Watterson (Author)

3.9 25 ratings

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Women in Ancient Egypt is a detailed and fascinating study of the often overlooked contributions made by women of all classes to the social, and sometimes the political, history of ancient Egypt. Using evidence gleaned from written records, monuments, sculpture, tomb-paintings and the material found in tombs, including objects and human remains, Barbara Watterson has been able to build up an intriguing picture of the lives led by ancient Egyptian women, lives that were free of the restraints normally placed upon women in the rest of the ancient world, allowing them to exercise a full part in society, recognised as equal with men under the law. The types of occupations and careers open to women are described, as are their domestic and personal lives - marriage, health and childbirth; family life; running a home; clothing, jewellery and beauty preparations. The women whose lives are fleshed out in this book are largely the 'little people' of history, women who rarely exercised any power outside the domestic sphere. In contrast, however, the final chapter deals with those women, surprisingly few in number, whose influence on the political affairs of their country was considerable and, in some cases, legendary, with a small number of royal women able to ascend the throne of Egypt and rule as female kings. The book is supplemented by a series of superb illustrations, detailed references and a comprehensive bibliography. It is an entertaining survey of the role of women in ancient Egypt, written in an authoritative yet highly readable way.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"In ancient Egyptian society a woman was accorded legal rights equal to those of a man from the same social class and had the same expectation of a life after death". Women in Ancient Egypt is a detailed and fascinating study of the often overlooked contributions made by women of all classes to the political and social history of pharaonic Egypt, c. 3100 B.C. to 30 B.C. Using evidence gleaned from written records, monuments, sculpture, tomb-paintings and material found in tombs, including objects and human remains, the author has been able to build up an intriguing picture of the lives led by ancient Egyptian women throughout the pharaonic period. The types of occupations and careers open to women are described; as are their domestic and personal lives--marriage, health and childbirth; the family; household chores undertaken by women; and their clothing, jewellery and beauty preparations. The women whose lives are fleshed out in these pages are largely the "little people" of history, women who rarely exercised any power outside the home. In contrast, however, the final chapter deals with those women, surprisingly few in number, whose influence on the political affairs of their country was considerable and legendary. The book is supplemented by a collection of superb illustrations, a comprehensive bibliography and detailed references.

About the Author

Barbara Watterson received her doctorate from the University of Liverpool. She is currently a freelance lecturer in Egyptology, working, in particular, in Adult Education. Her other books include The Egyptians, Introductory Egyptian Hieroglyphics and Gods of Ancient Egypt. She lives on the Isle of Man.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amberley Publishing (December 15, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 157 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1445604949
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1445604947
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.01 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.77 x 0.5 x 9.76 inches

Customer Reviews:
3.9 25 ratings

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3.9 out of 5

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Ollie Spencer, Sr.

Life of ancient Egyptian women

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2023

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A good source of information

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doc peterson

An outstanding and detailed history

Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2015

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Watterson does an outstanding job of exploring the role and place of women in ancient Egyptian society. As in any discussion of women's history, the topics one would expect are discussed here: the social and legal statu of women, marriage, contributions to the economy (both in and outside of the home.) But Watterson goes further, looking at fashion, dress and adornment, relationships and courting, women's health and childbirth, and a brief discussion of female pharohs.

Drawing from a variety of sources - tomb art and ostraca (naturally), Watterson also makes inferences from sociological research and literature, which not only gives a broader context for her inferences, but also makes connects the ancient world to the modern one.

This, along with Women in Ancient Egypt give a well-rounded idea of not only ancient Egyptian society in general, but of women in particular. A recommended read for those interested in the ancient world or Egypt.

5 people found this helpful

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M. Bolin

Have your magnifying glass handy.

Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2016

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I didn't actually read this book because when I recently received it the print was very tiny. The book wasn't much bigger than an ordinary paperback and the extreme small size of the print and the small size of the black and white photos crammed onto the pages in the middle of the book completely discouraged me. It might be a well written interesting book, but I returned it unread.

2 people found this helpful

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Mr. William J. Walter

Not for Thrills and Spills.

Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2013

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This is not for buckle and swash addicts but for serious study and consideration. I am impressed by how up to date life was so long ago. We have little space to pride ourselves on "Political Correctness" when we see how old it is! A very big THANK YOU to Barbara Watterson. I admire you! WJW.

One person found this helpful

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Grandma Kathy

Well written history

Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2020

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Approchable well written book on ancient egyptian women.

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K. Maxwell

An easy and informative read on Ancient Egyptian women

Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2004

The lives of women in ancient Egypt are poorly documented and Barbara Watterson is careful to note the gaps in our knowledge in this well written and very interesting book on the lives of these ancient ladies.
The author points out that Egyptian society was for practical purposes a "man's world" where all the public offices were held by men, but it was the women who held the land (and the right to descent for property). Both men and women were equal before the law and the women of ancient Egypt had many rights before the law that were not granted again in the western world till the late 19th century.
This book discusses male attitudes towards women, as has survived in ancient manuscripts, women in society and law, health and childbirth (where you can be disgusted by the medical remedies), dress and adornment, household duties and women of power such as the four Queens Regent of Egypt and the power and history of the Divine Wives of Amun.
For anyone who is interested in the lives of women in ancient Egypt this book is well researched and informative and makes an interesting read.

10 people found this helpful

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shonda jones

Hated it!

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2016

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Didn't like at all. This lady in my opinion has no clue about who the real ancient Egyptians were. She's living in a fantasy world and is possibly focusing on a time period in ancient Egypt when they were invaded by foreigners. I hate that I contributed one penny to her

3 people found this helpful

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Judith

Bought as present

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 29, 2021

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It came on time and was as advertised.

Lisa Adams

For Those New to Egyptian History

Reviewed in Canada on August 16, 2016

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Ancient Egyptian women did not have gender equality as we understand it. However, they were accorded a higher level of rights and freedoms than women in any contemporary culture, and indeed in almost any culture up until the twentieth century.

Watterson uses evidence found in written records, monuments, tombs, artifacts and even human remains to paint a picture of the lives of women in Egypt from 3100BCE to 30BCE. She writes in a manner easily accessible to the layperson, and breaks the topic down into manageable sub-topics. Chapters include Attitudes Towards Women, Legal Position, Female Occupations & Professions, Love & Marriage, Health & Childbirth, Dress & Adornment, Domestic Life and Women of Power.

The chapter on health is particularly interesting as Watterson discusses gynecological remedies from ancient medical papyri, including contraceptives. Some of these, such as acacia, have been shown to be effective spermicides. I suspect, however, that the crocodile dung suppositories worked more as a deterrent than a preventive.

What makes this book so relatable is that most of it focuses on ordinary women. It's only in the last chapter that Watterson documents the lives of the few, but spectacular, women who ruled Egypt on their own. A fascinating chapter, in spite of her glossing over Nefertiti (given the scarcity of hard evidence, I'll forgive her that oversight).

If you are a die-hard aficionado of ancient Egyptian history, this book is a summary of what you already know, although it is still an interesting read. If, however, you are new to the field, you will be pleasantly surprised to know how much Egyptian women were like us.

Dashura

NEGATIVE, DEPRESSED AUTHOR

Reviewed in Canada on May 8, 2015

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The author seems to have a somewhat negative opinion of women in Ancient Egypt, or was depressed when she wrote the book.

There is some information in it, if you are not a person who has seen a lot of temple art, or knows the hieroglyphic texts, otherwise it will only confirm what you already know.

The illustrations should have accompanied the texts that describe them, not put in a separate section in the middle of the book, and they are in black and white, and dirty-looking, and small. If you didn't previously know the images they were copied from, you may ha ve some difficulty understanding them. The pages are not top quality or glossy, so Watch out for smearing with finger.

The author is racially biased ( ''Egyptians are not and were never black'') with her comment neither enlightening, nor proven in her book, and off topic. The book end up being dry and uninviting.

I would recommend Christiane Desroches Noblecourt, ''La Femme au temps des Pharaons'',if you can read french.

And, if you are really passionate about the topic (unlike this author), you can go to the sources, which are mostly found in temple mural and column art, tomb mural art, and papyri such as that of nobles (Hunefer, Ani). Better information can even be found on the internet, for free!!!

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