In ancient Egypt women enjoyed a legal, social and sexual independence unrivalled by their Greek or Roman sisters, or in fact by most women until the late nineteenth century. They could own and trade in property, work outside the home, marry foreigners and live alone without the protection of a male guardian. Some of them even rose to rule Egypt as female kings . Joyce Tyldesley s vivid history of how women lived in ancient Egypt weaves a fascinating picture of daily life marriage and the home, work and play, grooming and religion viewed from a female perspective, in a work that is engaging,...

Ramesses II was the most powerful king ever to rule Egypt, well known for his profusion of wives - Egyptian beauties, foreign princesses, and even his own daughters - who gave him children numbered in three figures. But among the royal wives, the only title which mattered was that of Great Royal Wife. Only four women held this title, two of them being blood relatives of the king. This book introduces the reader to the world of high politics and international intrigue which were part of the very fabric of life in the court of Ramesses, and to the opulent existence of the aristocratic elite.