Egyptian Woman: A year in the life of a woman during the reign of Ramesses II

by Hilary Wilson

Following the experiences of Nebetiunet - an Egyptian mother and wife living in the holy city of Waset (Thebes) during the fifth year of the reign of Ramesses II - Egyptian Woman offers a fascinating insight into a year in her busy and remarkable life.

When Nebet was orphaned at the age of ten, she was taken into the household of her Uncle Nebneteru in Thebes and was established as an apprentice seamstress in the linen workshop of the great Temple of Amen-Ra. She later married a young scribe, Amenmose, and had six children in the first nine years of her marriage.

Now, with a household to run, servants to manage, a husband and family to care for, and a highly responsible job to do, Nebetiunet's hardworking life is never without incident. From the inundation of the Nile at the start of the year, through the winter and summer months, we share in the many highs and lows encompassing birth, death, marriage, war, work and education, all experienced by Nebetiunet and her close family and friends.

Described in vivid and accurate detail, Egyptian Woman provides an absorbing fictional account of a year in the life of an exceptional woman in ancient Egypt.

294 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 20, 2014

Reviews

[Iset · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was something of a surprise. I was expecting another academic overview of the lives of ancient Egyptian women, but what I got was a cross between A Year in the Life, examining the daily routine of a non-royal family over the course of a single year, and a fictional novel. The author invents a family, some of whose distant relatives are actual known and attested real people, and spends the entire body of text immersed in telling their story. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. If I judge it as a novel, it was clearly and competently written, but obviously it lacked a novel’s creative flair and there was, as expected, plenty of infodumping because the point of the book is to inform and educate about ancient Egyptians’ daily lives. So strictly speaking I am not sure I would classify it as a novel. On the other hand, I’m not sure I would call it an academic non-fiction either. I’ve read a few histories before where the author offers a few pages of an imagined scene at the beginning of a chapter, before putting their academic’s hat on and tackling the topic in a more traditional manner – this book never does that, it’s as if the fictional scene simply persists through the entire book, never breaking off to lift the veil and have the author explain in a more factual manner the archaeological work and the sources. That isn’t to say the book isn’t fairly well-written and enjoyable, just that I’ve never encountered a book that takes this approach, and I’m not quite sure what to make of it. Give it a go if you think you’d be interested.

7 out of 10

[BookeyWitchey Random Vibes · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the more historically correct books out there

[Juanita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that this fiction is based on what we know about Ancient Egypt. The characters were truly life-like. I felt as if I was there experiencing the good and the bad. If you have any interest in Ancient Egypt then this book is definitely for you. Enjoy!

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

2025 Re-read. Still great, still very interesting, I'd love a book in this style for as many time periods as possible. I'd read them all!

This was really interesting and I had a great time reading it.