November 1, 2021
Cooney (When Women Ruled the World, 2018) identifies herself as a "recovering Egyptologist." Here she explores the world of the pharaohs and draws out of their ancient politics and social structure some lessons for the modern world. Deftly describing how Egyptians built monuments that have endured for millennia, Cooney holds that these structures, magnificent as they seem, actually reflect the insecurity of the pharaohs who ordered them to be built, hoping to so impress and cow any rivals that their thrones and their dynasties might rest secure. The pharaohs' authority derived from their creation of a "mortuary industrial complex" that demanded skilled artisans and thus empowered elites to the eventual detriment of the monarch. Dispensing with the pyramid-constructing pharaohs, Cooney cites the Theban Senwosret III for his appointment of loyalist and relatives to cement his power, but whose dynasty quickly dissolved. Cooney's feminist critique of Egypt's heritage offers instructive perspective, and she does not hesitate to draw parallels to today's leaders' impulses toward authoritarianism and autocracy. Color photographs illustrate the text. Includes bibliographic notes.
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