Rating: 
Summary: great
Review: i would like to start off by saying something about one of the other reveiws this reveiwer said something about the way joyce tyldesley spelled the name hatchepsut instead of the way most people spell it hatshepsut and their is a reason for this the egyptians didn't have all the same sounds as us for instence cleoparta if you where to write her name in hieroglyphs you would spell it kleopatra. anyways this is a great book on hatchepsut. this book has 8 chapters about the eighteenth dynasty, the tuthmosides, queen of egypt, king of egypt, war and peace, propaganda in science, senenmut, and the end and the aftermath. and like in all her books she gives a section of notes. this is a great book.
Rating:
Summary: Good read and fairly balanced
Review: Joyce Tyldesley's Hatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh is more than a good introduction to the title figure from ancient Egyptian history. The book is, in a way, Hatshepsut's biography; however it is quite honest about the amount of evidence that survives today--very little--and therefore does not pretend that some sort of definitive and personal narrative of the Pharaoh's life is possible. Instead of giving a year-by-year account of Hatshepsut and her life, the book presents and examines its subject in terms of historiography. Tyldesley discusses previous theories and extant evidence in a frank manner while offering her own interpretations, which tend to legitimize Hatshepsut's reign (and are sometimes quite compelling). Because there is so little evidence and the subject of Hatshepsut, a woman who ruled Egypt as a Pharaoh, is so easily entangled is people's own ideas about gender and power, all these interpretations--including Tydesley's--involve a degree of bias. This was particularly the case when scholars argued from silence, constructing their own ideas about Hatshepsut based on the logic of contemporary gender roles but in the absence of tangible facts. To address such interpretations by previous scholars, Tyldesley has had to put forth arguments in this same vacuum. She recognizes that interpretation without corroborating evidence is fundamentally problematic, and, when it comes to such difficult topics, she makes a laudable effort to be honest about how just what is and is not firm fact, and to give previous scholars their due credit. Overall, then, the book does an excellent job of problematizing the study of Hatshepsut--of showing what we know, what we assume (and why), and what is still wholly mystery. Those who read this book even slightly critically should come away with a decently balanced view of Hatshepsut.
At the same time as she displays a scholar's caution in weighing evidence and interpretation, Tyldesley writes a very readable book. This is not a novel or highly-animated biography, but it does hold the reader's attention with lucid writing and a good structure. Even its historiographic analyses should be interesting to the non-specialist--they are not dry and technical, instead having an element of the excitement of a mystery--Tyldesley traces clues and leads us toward some possible answers without closing the topic. The book should be useful and interesting for students of the field as well as for the general public--I read the book for a graduate paper, but I intend to send it to a friend to read for fun!
Rating: 
Summary: Not a biography
Review: This is not a biography. The author explains why this book could not be a biography -- not enough is known about the pharoah or her lifetime. This book is more for those who are interested in archaelogy/Egyptology. Still an interesting read, although the author's writing tends to read "As I mentioned in Chapter 4" or "I will discuss further in Chapter 7" (highly irritating).
Rating:
Summary: A fresh look at Hatshepsut
Review: While some Egyptologists may disagree with this view of Hatchepsut, I find this book a great analytical look of evidence to create a woman who was neither evil, conniving, nor power-hungry as the old view had her be. Tyldesley's writing was clear and easy to read, as well as being amusing at times. This is a great book for anyone who wants to learn about Egyptian culture as well, since she does very well at creating the background context. I highly recommend this book for any scholar of Egypt.
Rating:
Summary: The female pharoah
Review: `Had Hatchepsut been born a man, her lengthy rule would almost certainly be remembered for its achievements: its stable government, successful trade missions, and the impressive architectural advances which include the construction of the Deir el-Bahri temple on the west bank of the Nile at Luxor, a building which is still widely regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world. Instead, Hatchepsut's gender has become her most important characteristic, and almost all references to her reign have concentrated not on her policies but on the person relationship and power struggles which many historians have felt able to detect within the claustrophobic early 18th Dynasty Theban royal family.'Egypt was of course a male-dominated society, but for being so, it produced many strong women, including Hatchepsut, Cleopatra, and Nefertiti. The latter two are far more famous, having been renowned as well more for their gender and gender-attributes (the beauty of their physical form) than for any political or social achievements they might have made (although Cleopatra's foray into Roman politics most likely would have assured her fame). Hatchepsut took on the outward aspects of male dress and iconography when assuming the power of Pharoah -- while Cleopatra has always been described as 'Queen' Cleopatra, it is perhaps more correct to refer to Hatchepsut as a 'King', a Pharoah, which is a male term with no real feminine equivalent in the language. She even wore a false beard in the manner of Pharoahs of the time to play the role of ruler. She was an eldest daughter of Tuthmosis I, married to her half-brother Tuthmosis II (a regular custom in Egyptian royal families from earliest times to the final dynasty of Cleopatra, whose generation also had such intermarriages), and guardian of her stepson Tuthmosis III. Much of the history of her reign was suppressed by later generations of Egyptians who wanted to prevent another female from assuming royal/divine power. Joyce Tyldesley (who also wrote the book on `Nefertiti', which I have reviewed recently) has produced a well-researched work exploring the political, social and family climate into which Hatchepsut was thrown. Using historical research and archaeological discoveries, she has produced a marvelous biography, restoring this long-forgotten ruler to the ranks of the Pharoahs. Hatchepsut was short-tempered and made many mistakes during her twenty-year-long reign. However, she was also a capable and able ruler in many respects. The Tuthmosidian Theban royal family which uneasily straddled the divide between the 17th and 18th Dynasties was a tight-knit but feuding lot. To give themselves stability and legitimacy, they strove to replicate glories of the past, in particular those of the 12th Dynasty. This was an era of unease, due to the quickening pace of technological advance occurring simultaneously with a resurgence of interest in 'traditional' values (much like our own time today, in many respects). Tyldesley begins with an examination of the general society: the role of pharoah, a divine/absolute ruler upon which almost all society turned; the role of the royal family, the priest and military classes, and the interaction with foreign cultures. From here she proceeds to examine the specifics of the Tuthmoside family, with their warring factions and cooperative ventures designed to shore up a tenuous grasp on the authority of power. Examining Hatchepsut's rise to power, she divides it into two chapters - `Queen of Egypt' and `King of Egypt'. The precise sequence of reigns between the three Tuthmosis rulers and Hatchepsut is still unclear (given the degradation and recasting of monumental and inscription engravings to eliminate Hatchepsut's name) -- it is likely that the authority shifted back and forth, with periods of co-regency during multiple years. What became of Hatchepsut is a bit of a mystery. She may have been killed by Tuthmosis III who was tired of sharing the reigns of power or waiting for his inheritance. However, this is unlikely given Hatchepsut's advanced age -- nature would take its course in any event. Hatchepsut's mummy has never been definitively identified, nor has any particular tomb been found that might have been hers and hers alone. Multiple sites have been discovered that are possible candidates, but this mystery awaits future discoveries. This is an interesting, accessible biography which brings to light many recent discoveries and shares contrasting theories of the history of this interesting figure.
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