Since I've been reading Michelle Moran's Nefertiti, I thought I would look and see what other books I might own about this period that could be used as supplemental reading (or browsing). I thought I might create a Thursday Thirteen. Only I couldn't find enough books on my shelves to make a list! I knew this was a period I hadn't read much about, but apparently I've also not bought many books about it either. There is more information on Nefertiti found on Michelle's blog, which will be useful as I finish reading the book. I especially like seeing what the characters (like the narrator of the story, Nefertiti's sister, Mutnodjmet) looked like. It's always nice having some sort of visual in mind as I read.
As for the few books I do have: Daughters of Isis: Women of Ancient Egypt by Joyce Tyldesley -- I bought this ages and ages ago and must have started reading it at some point as I discovered a bookmark in it about a 100 pages in. It's a survey of what a typical and perhaps not so typical Egyptian woman's life was like in ancient times. Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years by Elizabeth Wayland Barber -- This is definitely on my list to read this year. I'm especially interested in this book on textiles and women's roles in the manufacturing (perhaps not the best word to use when textiles were woven solely by hand) of them. Uppity Women of Ancient Times by Vicki Leon -- There's a whole series of these books and granted they are on the irreverent side, but they do give just a tiny peek at a variety of women you may or may not have heard of. What Life Was Like on the Banks of the Nile (Egypt 3050-30BC) -- This is one of those glossy, illustrated Time-Life books, and they're sort of hokey sometimes, but there are lots of nice pictures, like what a pair of sandals looked like or an ancient cosmetic case!
Michelle Moran also suggested Joyce Tyldesley's biography Nefertiti: Unlocking the Mystery Surrounding Egypt's Most Famous and Beautiful Queen as a good resource to learn more about her. The famous bust of Nefertiti is found in the Alte Museum in Berlin. Click here to see more representations of Nefertiti and Akhenaton.
Since I couldn't come up with a list of books about Ancient Egypt (or the ancient world in general), any good reading suggestions? Fiction or nonfiction. Now that I've gotten a little taste, I'd like to read more.