Describes the tumultuous reign of Hatshepsut, daughter of Thothmes I, and life in ancient Egypt during her reign.

After a series of slayings within the temple of Anubis, and the theft of Egypt's national treasure, only Amerotke, judge of the female pharoah Hatusu, can resolve if the murders are the work of the god Anubis or a simple man.

Examines the life and times of the first woman pharaoh of ancient Egypt.

"I know," Satiah called. Her voice was musical, light, confident as a king's. "It's the bull of Min you remember, Thutmose. You remember, and you fear." Conspiracy and treason simmer in the northern reaches of the Two Lands. Thutmose is crippled by guilt over past wrongs. Hatshepsut is subdued by the grief of betrayal and loss. Meryet, the new Great Royal Wife, is the sole force holding the royal family - and Egypt - together. When an unexpected challenger...

Reared by her Pharoh father to assume his throne upon his death, Hatshepsut - a real historical figure - has to contend with her weak half-brother before she can realize her dream.

"Hatshepsut longs for power, but she is constrained by her commitment to maat--the sacred order of righteousness, the way things must be. Her mother claims Hatshepsut is destined for Egypt's throne not as the king's chief wife, but as the king herself, despite her female body. But a woman on the throne defies maat, and even Hatshepsut is not so bold as to risk the safety of the Two Lands for her own ends"--Page 4 of cover.

A portrait of the longest-reigning woman pharaoh in Ancient Egypt draws on surviving artifacts to consider her unprecedented rise, her achievements and why most of her monuments were destroyed after her death. Hatshepsut--the daughter of a general who usurped Egypt's throne and a mother with ties to the previous dynasty--was born into a privileged position in the royal household, and she was expected to bear the sons who would legitimize the reign...

"Explores the lives of six remarkable female pharaohs, from Hatshepsut to Cleopatra--women who ruled with real power. What was so special about ancient Egypt that provided women this kind of access to the highest political office? What was it about these women that allowed them to transcend patriarchal obstacles? What did Egypt gain from its liberal reliance on female leadership, and could today's world learn from its example?"-- Provided by publisher....