ALPHABETICAL BRAIN® VOCABULARY HUMANIST GALAXY OF SECULAR SCIENCE STARS KARA COONEY October 29, 2022 THE GOOD KINGS: Absolute Power in Ancient Egypt and the Modern World Kara Cooney National Geographic, 2021 (400 pages) Quote = "This provocative story explores the lives of five remarkable pharaohs who ruled Egypt with absolute power. It shines a new light on the country's 3,000-year empire and especially its meaning for us today. In a new era when democracies around the world are threatened or crumbling, best-selling author Kara Cooney turns to five ancient Egyptian pharaohs — Khufu, Senwosret III, Akenhaten, Ramses II, and Taharqa — to understand why the many so often give up power to the few and what it can mean for our future." (Paraphrased slightly by webmaster from publisher's blurb) Quote = "Kara Cooney, whose previous book was When Women Ruled the World published in 2018, identifies herself as a 'recovering Egyptologist.' Here she explores the world of the pharaohs and draws out of their ancient politics and social structure some lessons for the modern world. Cooney deftly describes how Egyptians built monuments that have endured for millennia. In addition, she claims that these structures, magnificent as they seem to be, actually reflect the insecurity of the pharaohs who had ordered them to be built. They hoped to impress and intimidate any rivals for royal power so their thrones and their dynasties might be secure." [Note from webmaster: the word 'intimidate' implies inducing fear or a sense of inferiority in potential rivals] "Also, Cooney explains how the royal authority of pharaohs derived from their creation of a 'mortuary industrial complex' which demanded skilled artisans and thus empowered elites to the eventual detriment of the monarchs." (Paraphrased slightly by webmaster from Booklist Review) Quote = "As the first centralized political power on earth, the pharaohs and their bureaucratic policy ('process of divine kingship') can tell us a lot about the world's politics, past and present. Every animal-headed god. every monumental temple, every pyramid, every tomb, offers extraordinary insight into the culture that combined deeply held religious beliefs with uniquely human schemes to justify a political system in which an un-elected royal tyrant could rule over the many." (Paraphrased slightly by webmaster from publisher's blurb. Note: the animal-headed images of gods symbolized to the Egyptian people that the pharaohs had taken on the powers of the animals, whether gentle or fierce) Quote = "From Khufu, the man who built the Great Pyramid at Giza as testament to his authoritarian reign, and Taharqa, the last true pharaoh who worked to make Egypt great again, we discover a clear lens into understanding how power was earned, controlled, and manipulated in ancient times. And in exploring the past through an archaeologist's eyes, Cooney uncovers the reason why societies have so willingly chosen a dictator over democracy, time and time again." (Paraphrased by webmaster from publisher's blurb) BOOK OUTLINE Note = Numbers in parentheses refer to pages ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CHRONOLOGY (8) MAP OF ANCIENT EGYPT (9) I) WE ARE ALL PHARAOH’S GROUPIES (11-49) 2) KHUFU --- Size Matters (51-99 3) SENWOSRET III --- The King Strikes Back (101-149) 4) AKHENATEN --- Drinking the Kool-Aid (151-210) 5) RAMSES II --- The Grand Illusion (211-265) 6) TAHARCQX --- No zealot like the convert (267-319) 7) SMASHING THE PATRIARCHY (321-357) note = "Make no mistake: The systems of power in Egypt were just as brutal, just as unfair and cruel, as in other ancient societies. But the pharaohs ably marketed themselves as nothing less than the saviors of the world, the thoughtful managers of scarce resources, the genius con- trollers of technologies that built pyramids and obelisks, the initiated priests who understood the secrets of the universe, the moral dictators." (322) "The propaganda of the pharaohs was so clever, so successful, that everyone believed them in the end, even though those gold—encrusted kings lied just like every other ancient monarch. They lied to their people. They lied to themselves. And we still believe them. We love them for the success of their righteousness. This is the key to ancient Egypt’s cultural power in the past and today—their ability to make patriarchy’s hallmarks of aggression and hoarding seem not just necessary evils, but also tactics deployed for the ultimate betterment of all." (322) "Egyptian patriarchal power is perfectly encapsulated in the second division of the Book of Gates. The sun god Atum— Re, having set in the west and entered the land of the dead inside his mother-lover Nut, needs to find the strength to rise again. He addresses his enemies in the underworld: My father Re is triumphant against you, I am triumphant against you! I am the son who emanated from his father. I am the father who emanated from his son. You are fettered, you are bound with firm ropes. I have ordered that you be fettered; your arms will not be opened! Re’s magic is against you, effective is his Ba spirit against you, powerful is my father against you, strong is his Ba spirit against you! Your evil belongs to you; your slaughtering is against you, your punishment is upon you, you are summoned to evil!" (322) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (359-362) NOTES (363-388) INDEX (389-398) ILLUSTRATIONS CREDITS (399) ABOUT THE AUTHOR (unpaged at end) AUTHOR NOTES, SUMMARY, AND BOOK DESCRIPTION AUTHOR NOTES = Kara Cooney is Professor of Egyptian Art and Architecture at UCLA and chair of its Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. Her academic work focuses on death preparations, social competition, and gender studies. She appeared as a lead expert in the popular Discovery Channel special "The Secrets of Egypt's Lost Queen" and produced and wrote Discovery's Out of Egypt. She is the author of When Women Ruled the World (2018) and The Woman Who Would be King (2014), Cooney lives in Los Angeles, CA. SUMMARY = This book is written in the tradition of historians like Stacy Schiff and Amanda Foreman who find modern lessons in ancient history. The provocative narrative explores the lives of five remarkable pharaohs who ruled Egypt with absolute power, shining a new light on the country's 3,000-year empire and its meaning today. BOOK DESCRIPTION = In a new era when democracies around the world are threatened or crumbling, best-selling author Kara Cooney turns to five ancient Egyptian pharaohs — Khufu, Senwosret III, Akenhaten, Ramses II, and Taharqa — to understand why the many so often give up power to the few, and what it can mean for our future. As the first centralized political power on earth, the pharaohs and their process of divine kingship can tell us a lot about the world's politics, past and present. Every animal-headed god, every monumental temple, every pyramid, every tomb, offers extraordinary insight into a culture that combined deeply held religious beliefs with uniquely human schemes to justify a system in which just one very rich person or royal family ruled over the great majority of very poor people. (Paraphrased slightly by webmaster from publisher's blurb) From Khufu, the man who built the Great Pyramid at Giza as testament to his authoritarian reign, and Taharqa, the last true pharaoh who worked to make Egypt great again, we discover a clear lens into understanding how power was earned, controlled, and manipulated in ancient times. By exploring the past through an archaeologist's eyes, Cooney uncovers the reason why societies have so willingly chosen a dictatorial autocracy over democracy, time and time again. (Paraphrased slightly by webmaster from publisher's blurb) EDITORIAL BOOK REVIEW BOOKLIST REVIEW = Kara Cooney (When Women Ruled the World, 2018) identifies herself as a "recovering Egyptologist." Here she explores the world of the pharaohs and draws out of their ancient politics and social structure some lessons for the modern world. Deftly describing how Egyptians built monuments that have endured for millennia, Cooney holds that these structures, magnificent as they seem, actually reflect the insecurity of the pharaohs who ordered them to be built, hoping to so impress and cow any rivals that their thrones and their dynasties might rest secure. The pharaohs' authority derived from their creation of a "mortuary industrial complex" that demanded skilled artisans and thus empowered elites to the eventual detriment of the monarch. Dispensing with the pyramid-constructing pharaohs, Cooney cites the Theban Senwosret III for his appointment of loyalist and relatives to cement his power, but whose dynasty quickly dissolved. Cooney's feminist critique of Egypt's heritage offers instructive perspective, and she does not hesitate to draw parallels to today's leaders' impulses toward authoritarianism and autocracy. Color photographs illustrate the text. Includes bibliographic notes." (From Booklist Review) AMAZON READER REVIEWS TOP POSITIVE REVIEW = From the United States. [1] Dave Gibson - Eye opening and inspiring = Brilliantly researched and even more brilliantly argued that the magnificence and majesty of the five "good kings" of ancient Egypt should be recognized for their value to civilization. Unfortunately, most of ancient history is now understood as evidence of brutal oppression and resource hoarding and self-dealing by a patriarchal system of society and governance that was fundamentally weak and that repeatedly failed. The last balances the otherwise depressing litany of repeated failures of the dozens of "pharaoh-kings" of Ancient Egypt with a fresh perspective and evidence of lasting changes and the adoption of better, often ancient, models of society and governance TOP NEGATIVE REVIEW = From the United States. [2] Sir Gawain - Egyptology as political agenda and allegory = If you like your Egyptology from a feminist missionary zealot who turns her exploration of Ancient Egypt into a political allegory for today's world --- and then moralizes about it, then this book is for you. That is what Kara Cooney does with this new book as she did with her prior book, When Women Ruled the World. She uses her Egyptology credentials to pontificate and project her own personal and political sensibilities and politics of today along with her social commentary. Was I converted? No! I returned the book. RECOMMENDED BY WEBMASTER: You can re-read this summary according to a reinforcement schedule, such as a few hours later and a few days later and then several times in the next week or two.This strategy can help you take advantage of the power of the spaced-repetition method of memorization. Such deep introspection can strengthen your natural willpower and change your adaptive self-identity to increase your self-esteem. REMEMBER ALWAYS: You are your adaptable memory! Click or Tap Star to: RETURN TO THE HUMANIST HUB OF SECULAR SCIENCE STARS ALPHABETICAL BRAIN® VOCABULARY produced by Infinite Interactive Ideas®