The Last Queens of Egypt: Cleopatra's Royal House [Paperback]

Sally-Ann Ashton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 12, 2003

The last of the Ptolemaic monarchs who ruled Egypt for 300 years, Cleopatra is the most famous of the Ptolemaic queens. But what of her predecessors? The Last Queens of Egypt examines the roles played by the Ptolemaic royal women and explores their part in religion, politics and court intrigue. Explaining their propensity for incest, murder and power, Sally Ann Ashton shows the extent of the power they enjoyed, the price they paid, and how they shaped Cleopatra's reign.  

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Sally-Ann Ashton has a remarkable talent for decoding iconography - the language of images. Here she uses visual sources with surviving written evidence and the latest archaeological discoveries to construct an illuminating guide to the complex world of the last queens of Egypt".

Dr. Susan Walker, British Museum

 

"For three centuries the Ptolemies were the most successful dynasty to follow in the steps of Alexander the Great, and the women of this dynasty were more than a match for the men. The Last Queens of Egypt gives a detailed and up-to-date reappraisal of a period which in many ways is still to be explored."

John Ray, University of Cambridge

 

 

 

About the Author

Sally-Ann Ashton is Assistant Keeper in the Department of Antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. She helped to organise the recent Cleopatra exhibition at the British Museum.

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Longman; 1 edition (June 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0582772109
• ISBN-13: 978-0582772106
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,166,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but not what I 'd expected, November 16, 2011

By 

J. N. W. Bos "Joan" (Utrecht, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Last Queens of Egypt: Cleopatra's Royal House (Paperback)

This book is not what I'd expected. Only half of a chapter contained short biographies of the different Cleopatra's in the Ptolemy dynasty. A large part of the book is dedicated to descriptions and interpretations of remaining statues of the different Cleopatra's, mainly the first ones and the last. In my opinion it's not really about the Cleopatra's in the title, but more about the world in which they lived.