Egyptian Woman

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

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.