May 2023 MBR The Egyptology Shelf

The Egyptology Shelf

The First Female Pharaoh
Andrew Collins
Bear & Company
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
9781591434450, $26.00, PB, 464pp

https://www.amazon.com/First-Female-Pharaoh-Sobekneferu-Goddess/dp/1591434459

Synopsis: Cleopatra. Nefertiti. Hatshepsut. All of them are ancient Egyptian female rulers who rose above their predominantly patriarchal societies to become controllers of a great empire. Missing from this list, however, is Sobekneferu, ancient Egypt's first female ruler. Why was the reign of this powerful woman all but forgotten?

Piecing together the lost history of the first female pharaoh, with the publication of "The First Female Pharaoh: Sobekneferu, Goddess of the Seven Stars", science and history writer Andrew Collins presents the first comprehensive biography of Sobekneferu.

Using every text and monument that concerns Sobekneferu and her time in power, Collins examines her achievements as ruler, the political and religious issues of her age, the temples and ruins associated with her, and her continuing impact on ancient Egypt after her reign. He also explores her relationship with her brother Amenemhet IV, her sister Neferuptah, and their father Amenemhet III, regarded as one of the most beloved pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom. He then examines Sobekneferu's untimely end, the fate of her body, and the cult that developed in her name.

Discussing Sobekneferu's magical beliefs and practices, Collins shows how they centered on the crocodile god Sobek, the hippo goddess Neith, and the circumpolar stars of the night sky in which they were personified. He also reveals how the setting of the Crocodile Star (Eltanin), the brightest star in the constellation of Draco, aligns with Sobekneferu's suspected pyramid.

Examining the modern-day resurrection of Sobekneferu among the occultists and mystics of Victorian London, Collins shows how she is the true inspiration behind every ancient Egyptian female queen who comes back to life after her tomb is found -- as featured first in Bram Stoker's shocking 1903 novel "The Jewel of the Seven Stars" and later in several modern blockbuster movies.

Revealing how Sobekneferu has left a lasting impact on culture and occulture through the ages despite being nearly erased from history, Collins shows how her continuing legacy is perhaps, ultimately, her true resurrection.

Critique: Absolutely fascinating, impressively informative, expertly written, nicely illustrated, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "The First Female Pharaoh: Sobekneferu, Goddess of the Seven Stars" by Andrew Collins will prove to be a prized and enduringly appreciated addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Egyptology collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the cult, magic, reign, and resurrection of the first female ruler in Egypt that "The First Female Pharaoh" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99).

Editorial Note: Andrew Collins (https://www.andrewcollins.com) is a science and history writer who investigates advanced civilizations in prehistory. He is the co-discoverer of a massive cave complex beneath the Giza plateau, now known as "Collins' Cave." The author of several books, including Origins of the Gods and Gobekli Tepe: Genesis of the Gods, he regularly appears on radio shows, podcasts, and TV series, including Ancient Aliens, The UnXplained with William Shatner, and Lost Worlds. He lives in Essex, England.

Ramesses, Loved by Ptah: The History of a Colossal Royal Statue
Susanna Thames
American University in Cairo Press
200 Park Avenue, Suite 1700, New York, NY 10166
www.aucpress.com
9781649031853, $24.95, PB, 140pp

https://www.amazon.com/Ramesses-Loved-Ptah-History-Colossal/dp/1649031858

Synopsis: King Ramesses II ruled Egypt for an extraordinary sixty-six years (1279-1213 BC) during the Nineteenth Dynasty. A great warrior and lavish builder, he fathered dozens of children and is widely regarded as the most celebrated and powerful pharaoh of the New Kingdom.

With the publication of "Ramesses, Loved by Ptah: The History of a Colossal Royal Statue", Egyptologist Susanna Thomas presents a wonderfully clear and engaging study that recounts the dramatic history of the famed red granite colossal statue of Ramesses II now residing in Egypt's Grand Egyptian Museum. One of the biggest statues ever made and part of the urban landscape of modern Cairo, the statue lent its name to Ramses Square and the city's mainline train station, and was so much a symbol of Cairo that it featured in countless Egyptian films. Susanna Thomas recounts the full history of the statue's creation and installation in the Great Temple of Ptah at Memphis during the reign of Ramesses II, its reuse by Ramesses IV, and the later history of the statue during the Greco-Roman and Islamic Periods.

"Ramesses, Loved by Ptah: The History of a Colossal Royal Statue" also provides an overview of how statues were made in ancient Egypt and includes a brief discussion of the statue cults of Ramesses II, kingship, temples, and the expansion of the New Kingdom capital city of Memphis and its temples. The final section covers the history of the statue since its rediscovery and subsequent rescue in the mid-nineteenth century until its installation in the entrance hall of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza.

Written by a New Kingdom specialist and curatorial expert and illustrated with over 150 images, "Ramesses, Loved by Ptah: The History of a Colossal Royal Statue" tells the fascinating story of this magnificent statue within the wider context of statue cults and the reign of Ramesses II, and its subsequent rescue and restoration in modern times.

Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout will full color photography, "Ramesses, Loved by Ptah: The History of a Colossal Royal Statue" is an extraordinarily informative and seminal contribution that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Archaeology collections in general, and supplemental Egyptology curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non- specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Ramesses, Loved by Ptah: The History of a Colossal Royal Statue" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.67).

Editorial Note: Susanna Thomas works at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, Egypt, where she is a specialist in the interpretation and display of ancient Egyptian material culture. She has been engaged in excavation and research at sites all over Egypt for many years, from fortresses in the north to the Valley of the Kings at Luxor. Awarded her PhD in Egyptian Archaeology by the University of Liverpool in 2000, she is particularly interested in all aspects of the Ramesside Period and the archaeology of Tutankhamun. She previously taught at Liverpool, Manchester, and Helwan Universities, and has worked for museums in both Egypt and the UK. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=MKDRiSQAAAAJ

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