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I’ll admit I don’t know a whole lot about the history of Egyptology; I do know that Howard Carter is famous for discovering the intact tomb of King Tutankhamun, and that his sponsor was Lord Carnarvon. And I’ve certainly seen my share of Egyptian artifacts in various museums.
But Women in the Valley of the Kings taught me about how women made invaluable contributions to Egyptology in the late 1800s and early to mid-1900s. The author makes the point that, as with pretty much every other important endeavor in history, men are given much of the credit for all the famous work that got done, but women’s names, voices and work are left out of the stories.
Kathleen Sheppard rectifies that oversight in Egyptology in this book. She makes her way through the contributions and stories of a number of women in seven sections. The final section focuses on Caroline Ransom Williams, whose work came most recently and is a kind of culmination of the stories.
Sheppard shares all that she can from any extant information left behind, which all too often is sadly not nearly enough. Perhaps in part because of that lack, or perhaps the writer’s skill in weaving narrative nonfiction, too much of the book felt fairly dry to me. I had to push my way through; the book felt more like a reading assignment for a class so I could learn about history, rather than a fascinating examination of important people.
I’d definitely recommend Women in the Valley of the Kings for those who are Egyptology buffs, but maybe others wouldn’t find it compelling.
Rated: None. There is no profanity; there are some brief references to violence, mentioning an uprising that led to a great deal of property damage and some deaths. There are references to unmarried couples being lovers but no details.
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*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
