WOMEN IN THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age

In a measured yet appreciative tone, Elizabeth Wiley narrates a fascinating, fact-filled celebration of the first women scholars, diarists, and collectors to help uncover the historic riches of ancient Egypt. Amelia Edwards, Marianne Brocklehurst, and Maggie Benson, who was the first woman granted permission to excavate in Egypt, may not be household names, but their contributions were critical. Beginning in the 1880s, they cataloged and painstakingly copied 4,000-year-old murals and hieroglyphics before the artwork succumbed to humidity, light, and looting. Wiley is especially adept at pronouncing the many pharaoh and place names and delivers stories of the women battling scorching temperatures, tropical diseases, and a sluggish bureaucracy to buy shovels, rent camels, and hire crews to get a peek at civilization's distant past. B.P. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2024]