The fascination with Egypt was at its all-time high from late 1800s to early-mid 1900s. In 1952, Egypt expelled most foreign interest, so there that went. But before that fateful time, Westerners loved nothing more that the exoticism of the desert and the treasures it hid.
Explorers were aplenty, but mostly you hear things about people like Carter who found King Tut’s resting place. And all those people tend to be men. Well, no more. With this book, the author firmly claims the place in the storied past of Egypt’s exploration for women.
Women, as it turns out, played a crucial role in finding and preserving the historical past buried beneath the sands. Mostly English, often unwed, not infrequently lesbian, they went to Egypt for a change of air, ended up falling in love with the place, and began to intrepidly, explore it, raise funds and organize such explorations, and write about it.
To be clear, women did not just play a role in all of it, they were instrumental to it, laying down the foundation upon future explorers built. They did so methodically, dedicatedly, and cleverly. So all in all, it’s a really impressive account of the characters that might have been passed over in the past.
But how is it as a book? Well, a bit less exciting, to be honest. It’s competently written with a heavy lean on the denser, factual narrative. I tend to prefer my nonfiction with a bit more personality and even on a humorous side if possible, but that’s a purely personal preference.
Does the book educate? Absolutely. Does it show that women of that time were far from clichéd helpless damsels and asserted themselves rather nicely within the constraints of their society? You bet. Does it remind you of just how much women did and still do get overlooked for their considerable accomplishments? Oh yes.
Final verdict—a solid read. Grear for fans of historical nonfiction. Reader beware, the publisher’s ARC for Netgalley frustratingly features no photographs, only marking placing where photos will be in the actual book. Way to detract from the reader experience, publishers. Thanks Netgalley.

this book is so empowering for women!!!! i cannot even begin to explain how proud i am of these women after reading this book. highly recommend to all audiences looking for an uplifting and eye opening reader experience

Disclaimer: I received an ARC via Netgalley.

Recently, Apple TV aired Masters of the Air, a Spielberg and Hanks production about bomber pilots in the WW II. It is the third of the trilogy as it were – the first two were Band of Brothers and the Pacific. While it is important to record and bring the stories of WW II veterans to popular television, I’m always left with questions. To be fair, Masters of the Air does bring in the Tuskegee Airman for its closing episodes and does, finally, include a woman who is more than a nurse, yet it is a very white, man, heterosexual experience of the war. This is not to diminish the importance of the men but where are the multimillion-dollar miniseries about the Tuskegee airmen or about spies like Virigina Lake? Why when you do finally include a woman SOE office do you make her generic and mostly there for one male character to have an affair with, so we know the mental toll the war is taking on him? Why not spend more time on the Tuskegee airmen instead of only introducing them in the closing episodes? Why mention that Gale “Buck” Cleven kept a photo of his first wife on the mantel even though she died less than ten years after their marriage but neglect to mention his second wife when that marriage lasted fifty years and ended with his death? How Hollywood or whatever media tells a story is important because, whether intentionally or not, it can write out people from history, and usually it is those people who are already written out of many of the history books. It isn’t just World War II, though it is the most obvious one.
Luckily, there are people in the world like Kathleen Shepherd who are willing to do the work to bring people back into the history books, even if they cannot bring everyone who was there back in. Shepherd’s book aims to showcase the women who were impactful during the Golden Age of Egyptology. She focuses on roughly eleven women who in many cases impacted each other’s careers. Some of the women were married, some got married, some were lesbians, some did not marry at all. But they all impacted what went on in the Valley of the Kings in some way.
Shepherd is aware of the American Euro-centric focus of the women as well as the fact that they were part of colonialism as it occurred in Egypt. She points out that in many cases in the names of Egyptian workers- both men and women – were not recorded and that those workers were the ones that did the work. She contends that in many cases the reasons why we know some of the names is because of the notes and diaries of the women she profiles here. An example of this would be Emma Andrews who not only traveled to Egypt to go on digs with her partner but also funded them herself, though at times the various scholars credited just her male partner.
Shepherd starts with Amelia Edwards and Marianne Brocklehurst. Amelia Edwards is mostly likely the name most familiar to people without degrees in Egyptology in part because of her work on Egypt but also, perhaps, for her grave where she is buried with her long-time companion Ellen Braysher. Shepherd ends with Caroline Ransom Williams, an American who Shepherd sees as a product of the work of the women who had come before her in the field. In general, the book is engaging, with the focus being on the work the women did as oppose to their personal and private lives – though Shepherd does discusses the sexualities for a few of the women as well as in the case of Emma Andrews their unusual for the time living arrangements.
Generally speaking, Shepherd does present the women warts and all, including when their worldwide, shaped by times in which they lived, would make modern people wince. Additionally, Shepherd highlights women who may not have had glamorous roles but because of their academic work - either in the terms of writing or education – had a vast impact on the field. This is particularly true of the section that deals with Margaret Alice Murray and her work in teaching in terms of Egyptology. Though much of the book, Shepherd also addresses the sexism that existed on dig sites and academic settings (though some men come off better than you would think) as well as the various movements at the time as well.
There are places where the book seems to let the reader down. In discussing Margaret Benson’s parents, Shepherd notes that the relationship started when Benson’s father, at 23, kissed Benson’s mother, then 12 and proposed. The reaction of Benson’s grandmother (her mother’s mother) is lessened by an aside that she was interested in her future son-in-law. Additionally, when discussing Murray, Shepherd notes that when Murray retired, she was unhappy and upset but really does not go into detail as to why nor does she really discuss the discrediting of some of Murray’s folklore writings.

Still, this was a good read.

With extensive research and engaging storytelling, the author shines a spotlight on these remarkable women and their overlooked achievements, the pioneering women who defied convention to make significant contributions to the field of Egyptology during the Gilded Age. Naunton chronicles the many obstacles that these women faced, from societal prejudice to institutional barriers, and celebrates their tenacity in overcoming them. The author explores the evolving roles of women in society during the Gilded Age, shedding light on the ways in which changing attitudes towards gender influenced the field of archaeology and vice versa.

This is a history of the great many accomplishments of a multitude of women in Egyptology. These women achieved much, with little early recognition, despite the overshadowing of their male colleagues. Fighting pay inequality, gendered field expectations, and access to education these women dazzled in their field and remade it to be what we recognize today.

I appreciated the recognition and discussion not just on the science done by these women, but also their friendships and relationships with each other. The trope of “and they were seen as two friends” in historical works can be exhausting, especially when paired with passionate love letters, so having that outright acknowledged was refreshing. We’re in a time in archaeology where our discussion of queer interpretation of evidence, or bare minimum keeping an open mind to queer expressions, in our sites and subjects is part of regular consideration, so having that done here so well was delightful.

I especially found myself frustrated, though, reading examples where they would disappear from history after a heterosexual marriage, or where they would assume womanly duties and caregiving tasks for a husband or parent. Even worse, the reality of recognizing a woman’s indispensability to the field, only to take her for granted. One example in particular, Caroline Ransom Williams, who was the best educated, trained, and experienced Egyptologist in the US, but couldn’t get museums to hire replacements for her in the form of male colleagues. Why you may ask? They couldn’t afford to pay a man’s salary. It’s one thing to know that happened (happens still), but to literally see academic work NOT get done because of it? Damn.

Overall the descriptions of fieldwork to the landscape were engaging. The scholarship here is clearly high marked and was wonderfully written as well. As an archaeologist myself I was also lost in the dream of Egypt’s beauty and promise early in my education, and this made me wish to go back, and maybe push 19 year old me not to listen to how dangerous it might, but and to go explore.

A wonderful story about women Egyptologists. If you love Evie Carmichael from The Mummy, this book will fascinate you like it did me. I love untold historical stories, especially about women. This was a perfect read for me. It was informative, engaging, and entertaining.

A well researched and revealing work depicting some of the most important figures in the study of Egypt and Egyptian artifacts - women. Unsurprisingly, many of these names were almost lost to time. I always appreciate an author who is willing to bring hidden figures to light. The desriptions of the camps and the towns at the edge of the Nile near the dawning of the 20th century are taken from writings of the subjects of the book. I could almost smell the flowers and feel the heat of the desert.

The introduction acknowledges the negative impacts of colonolism and the plunder of Egypt's history.. It was unsurprising that the subjects of the book did not think what they were doing at the time was wrong, but it was still interesting to see how staunchly some defended the practice.

Overall, fascinating and worth a read.

A very interesting look at the women who helped to make Egyptology the phenomenon it was and is. The men couldn't have become households without the women who raised the money and did much of the work.

A refreshing look at the women who were pioneers in the developing field of Egyptology, but often overshadowed by their more prominent and famous male colleagues. Beyond that, it's also a fascinating book for those interested in learning about Egyptology as a field, and some of the prominent discoveries within.

This was a thorough and well-researched book about women's contributions to Egyptology and how each woman inspired those women who came after her. I also appreciated how Sheppard did not shy away from the colonial evils of Egyptology. It gave a much more nuanced look. Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for this ARC.

There are a lot of books on the early years of archeology in Egypt. It's an interesting topic and there are plenty of ways to look at it from both the standpoint of what was being dug up and the evolving ways of excavating. This book looks at the contributions of women in the field. In some ways this must have been a difficult topic to research. The women left behind plenty of records of their work, but personal details of their lives are a bit thinner. This book is an excellent read if you are looking to make your understanding of Egyptology more robust.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC copy of the book. This review represents my opinion of the title.

Women in the Valley of the Kings details the lives and experiences of eleven women who made significant contributions to the archaeological work in Egypt during the late 19th and early twentieth centuries. While the early male archaeologists/excavators were more often motivated by what they could remove/rape for profit, the women were more concerned with the protection of sites. Author Kathleen Sheppard has written an interesting, distinctly feminist book that anyone interested in Egyptian archaeology should enjoy. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley. Highly recommend.

Women in the Valley of the Kings by Kathleen Sheppard

304 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: July 16, 2024

Nonfiction (Adult), Biographies, Memoirs, History, Egypt, Archeology

This is an informative take on eleven women who were early pioneers in archeology. There has been very little written about these women and their contributions in the field. Most of these women found comfort in the company of other women.These are the women included in this book.

Amelia Edwards and Marianne Brocklehurst
Maggie Benson and Nettie Gourlay
Emma Andrews
Margaret Alice Murray
Kate Griffin and Emily Paterson
Mrytle Broome and Amice Calverley
Caroline Ransom Williams

The book is well written and researched. I wish more people knew about these brave women trying to compete in a man’s world. If you enjoy reading women’s history and archeology, you may like this book.

In any field or industry, you will find women ground into the cement of the foundations, essential but unacknowledged. Here, Sheppard examines the lives and work of a group of women who helped create modern Egyptology. They were just as problematic as their male counterparts, but just as, if not more so, hard working as them in unearthing the past and deserve the same recognition as the likes of men like Carter and Petire.

As a lover of ALL things ancient Egyptian, I truly enjoyed this book. Easily read and highly researched, the womens' place in emerging Egyptology is the soul of this story. During a very specific time frame, we are introduced to the women who made Egypt and all its wonders accessible to Europe and the U.S.
Highly recommended.

This was an interesting read , However , I would love to hear how Egyptians feel about this book and the overall narrative .

Thank you Netgalley for the Arc and thank you to SMP .

There was a sentence about 1/5 of the way into this book that I stopped and highlighted, because it seemed to sum up things so well. "If one had the time to travel and the money to support excavations or purchasing artifacts, or both, that was enough to make you an archaeologist at this point in the history of archaeology in Egypt." One has to take this fact into account when reading the stories of the women covered in this book (most of whom were British).

Some of them indeed had time and money, and after wandering into Egypt in hopes of a more healthful climate, they were smitten with what they saw going on, and decided they wanted to do it too, so they got together a bunch of money, found some man who was interested in or experienced with archaeology, and went off and started a dig; at which point they managed the day to day hiring and paying of the local workers who REALLY did the work. Some of them ended up holding the reins at home of academic departments, or of foundations set up to promote interest in and solicit funds for archaeological activity in Egypt, which they did extremely well. Some of them were such talented artists that they made better documentation of the interior art in excavated tombs than contemporary photographers could do. On the whole, I do not come away with the impression that they did research and chose likely locations to dig in, and had a leadership role in the actual archaeology.

On the other hand, at least pre 1900, given that nobody really had any expertise in this field, the men who were out there leading digs mostly seemed to be bashing about shouting "By jove" and "What ho" and often destroying as much as they appropriated. So context is important!

I am most convinced of the substantive work of Caroline Ransom, who almost singlehandedly documented and managed the Met Egyptian collections, and also traveled around documenting other collections as well. She had to amass a huge amount of knowledge in order to create guidebooks for the popular audiences who were flocking to see these items, as well as develop a procedure by which teams from the University of Chicago created hand-made copies of tomb art (which began to decay and vanish as the outside air flowed into the excavated tombs).

A few things needed the eye of a careful editor. For example, she refers to "hospital parades" a dozen or so pages before she actually tells you what they were. Occasionally a sentence just doesn't quite make sense or read smoothly and could have benefited from some rearranging. The chronology became a little confusing, as following the story of one woman would mean bringing in another one, briefly, even though her chapter was yet to come. At one point, someone is accompanied somewhere by "Nettie" but there is no indication that Nettie Gourlay was present at that site so I'm not sure how she popped into that paragraph and perhaps that was a mistake?

On the whole, it's fair to say that Egyptian archaeology, such as it was between 1880 and 1930, would not have been able to accomplish what it did without the skills and talents of these women, even if they were not out leading digs. That doesn't mean everything they did was super fascinating. If you already have some interest and background in ancient Egypt, this book will make a lot more sense to you; if you don't, this may or may not be a good place to start.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me a chance to read an advance galley of this book. I wish the pictures had been in it!!!

“Women in the Valley of the Kings” is a fascinating look at the women who never made the headlines for their archeological work in Egypt in the late 1800s and early 1900s — those accolades went to William Petrie, Howard Carter, and others. Female scientists were few on the ground, and even when they were responsible for ground-breaking work, men took the credit.

The author's primary research into the women’s papers and books gives her “characters” depth and makes them real. It seemed like these women knew how to have fun, even in challenging circumstances — and while wearing crazy petticoats in 100F heat.

I thoroughly enjoyed this deep dive into ancient Egypt and the stories of the women who helped build our understanding of it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

What an interesting story about strong women venturing into Egypt and working among other archeologists. In a man's world at the time I had not heard this story and was very engaged with the characters. This was an easy read with a great history that I was not aware of. A must-historical read on a subject I knew little about before this book.

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Kathleen Sheppard
Women in the Valley of the Kings

Finally, a book acknowledging women for their contributions to Egyptian archaeology.
This is also a book about women’s friendships in the 19th and 20th CAD. Their subsequent books and journals assured female readers that they could travel alone confidently, have fun and survive quite nicely. Kathleen Sheppard uses original sources to create this very interesting story that reads as smoothly as fiction. So many intrepid ladies deserve excavation credit as well as the local diggers, but history credits men until this book. They even engaged in a bit of antiquities smuggling. They financed some of the most amazing discoveries. They trained the locals in proper digging techniques.
It boggles my mind that these tough ladies wearing yards of fabric, voluminous skirts and cinched waists, managed the Egyptian heat and managed an excavation with diligence and exactness.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.