For over 3,000 years Egypt’s queens provided the essential female element that would allow the kingship to function correctly. The queen of Egypt was, first and foremost, a supportive wife and mother. But hers was not a passive role. In times of dynastic crisis, the queen was expected to act as her husband’s deputy. She might be required to marshal troops, or to rule on behalf of an infant son. She might even be called upon to rule in her own right in the absence of a more suitable king.

Taking a chronological approach, with an emphasis on the queens of the New Kingdom, Queens of Ancient Egypt uses a combination of archaeological and textual evidence to explore the developing role of the Egyptian queen consort from Predynastic times until the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC. It is a fascinating story of political power, divinity and death.

Can it ever be valid to tell a 'woman’s history', focussing on just one aspect of a mechanism as complicated as the Egyptian royal family? Take this short course, and find out.

Content

Week 1 - The Royal Women of Ancient Egypt

Week 2 - Pyramid Queens: Queens of the Old and Middle Kingdoms

Week 3 - Fighting Queens: Queens of the 17th and Earlier 18th Dynasty

Week 4 - Sun Queens: the Royal Women of Amarna

Week 5 - Queens and God's Wives

Week 6 - Ptolemaic Queens