Dancing for Hathor: Women in Ancient Egypt

Graves-Brown, in her introduction, writes, "This book is ... for the educated lay person and the student of Egyptology or women in history, a book which makes an understanding of the past relevant to the present." It is indeed, all of these things - and a good deal more. It is an excellent piece of critical scholarship on both of these topics (women in history generally and Egyptology specifically) as well as thoughtful examination of women in ancient societies and how the roles of women have changed over time (and, to some extent, how they have remained the same.)Throughout the book, Graves-Brown is careful to remind readers of the vast ocean of time that encompasses "ancient Egypt" (a period of over 3000 years, from the Naqada period (ca. 4400 BCE) to the Late Period (332 BCE)) and therefore it is problematic to speak in generalizations, and to have readers keep in mind that even within a specific time period there were differences in social class that impacted the roles, perspectives and power that women had. To her credit, Graves-Brown therefore provides a super-abundance of detail and specificity of both time period and social class as she writes.Often Graves-Brown states up-front that there is disagreement within the academic community around women in ancient Egypt; I was pleased that she provides citations for the various interpretations of archaeological and historical evidence, while frequently explaining her own conclusions. It is uncommon that a question is left open-ended. (The most vexing instance of this for me was "why did women lose influence and places of authority after the 1st Intermediate Period".) Several times she corrects common misconceptions - that ancient Egyptians were polygamous, for example. This sort of thoughtful, well supported critical scholarship sets this text apart from many written for the general reader.The perceptions of women and their social and economic roles are visited and revisited throughout the book - as workers (textiles were the second-most important industry in ancient Egypt), as businesswomen, as daughters, wives and mothers, as sexual beings and as priestesses and goddesses. I was impressed again and again with the detail and supporting evidence used from ostraca, tomb art and literature. Yet this is not a dry, academic text - Graves-Brown's dry sense of humor and clever wit shows through.There are several very good books on women in the ancient world (among my favorites are  Women in Ancient Egypt  and  Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity ). However this goes to the top of my list of recommendations on the topic. It is, in a word, brilliant.

This is a valuable book for many reasons - it summarizes many areas of scholarship and interest that touches upon women in Ancient Egypt and their place in Egyptian society. Although a theocratic society dominated by a male pharaoh (with few exceptions), it was also a society that gave a great place to women, both publicly and in the private sphere. Religiously, women were vital - as dancers, as priestesses (full time or part-time) and as seers. In Egyptian cosmology, it is the feminine that empowers and energises the masculine, which gives life its form. The goddess Hwt-Hwr (Hathor in Greek) is the epitome of that approach to the feminine in Egyptian thought - her role in empowering the Pharaoh and in bringing life to the Kingdom through her erotic and nurturing power cannot be underestimated. Her priestesses were at the same time dancers and embodiments of the goddess, and indeed, we know of a number of royal wives who were priestesses of Hathor.Unlike the previous reviewer, who seems to bear a grudge against feminism that quite blinds him to the book's qualities, I don't see this as a feminist tract so much as a needed light cast on Ancient Egypt. Its conclusion draws a contrast - unflattering for the latter - with the overwhelmingly anti-women habits of most large Christian denomination, even to this day (the Coptic and Orthodox Churches are among the most patriarchal institutions in the world), but this contrast does not dominate the book, it is merely an interesting and instructive way to compare our world with theirs. We have documents and art to depend upon to form a view of how women lived and were considered in Ancient Egypt. Much remains unknown about the land of Kemet, and as the author writes herself, we are offered tantalizing glimpses across the centuries of what life was like. But the strong importance of women and eroticism cannot be overstated, nor their equality with me in several areas of life and their central role in Egyptian cosmology and religious thinking. Egypt appears to have been a land of joy - a land where one of the highest expressions of religion was dancing for the goddess of love. At the same time, the anger and passion of the goddess - and through her, of women - was understood.

This book discusses the flawed past theories that overstated the high status of women in Egypt; the changes in women's status through Egyptian history; the stages of their lives; and their occupations. Only after that does it get to the glamorous subjects, goddesses and queens. The religious aspects of sexuality and fertility receive their own chapter and are a running theme throughout the book, because they heavily affected, but sometimes contrasted with, beliefs about what women in real life were "supposed" to be like. And all that, without feeling too cursory, in only 172 pages of body text.

The author writes about her subject, the roles of women in Pharaonic Egypt, in clear, concise language accessible to those outside of academia - which is not always the case in Egyptology or Anthropology. A museum curator for two decades, she has command of the latest research in her field and shares it with wit and insight. I would rate her work along side that of Geraldine Pinch.

Any scholarship that might be here is subsumed under an avalanche of feminist ideology. The book is disappointing since, because of that, it is difficult to believe the author's conclusion.

For an academic book, this is an easy read and very enjoyable. It looks at women in Ancient Egypt and their role in society through the example of Hathor, the cow-headed god. Fascinatingly it describes how Hathor was worshiped by women in Ancient Egypt, how her example and religion infiltrated all aspects of women's life in society. It looks at how women are depicted in art, in burial and also in palace and temple life. It even looks and women's sexuality. I found this book a fairly swift read and a pleasurable learning experience.

Masses and masses of information covering all aspects of females in the Ancient Egypt, a must for scholars and the lay reader. From the female peasant to goddess, from Ahmes Nefertari to Cleopatra, a great buy

I don't remember when I enjoyed a scholarly work so much, or learned so much from it. This is modern Egyptology at it's best; factual and impartial. A keen eye coupled with a quick mind. I highly recommend this book for enthusiasts of Egyptology, and womens' places in that society. I'm getting this one in hard cover.

Inspiring!