The Good Kings: Absolute Power in Ancient Egypt & the Modern World

Enjoy this virtual author talk with renowned Egyptologist and best-selling author Kara Cooney. This event was hosted by Mountain View Public Library on Thursday, July 21, 2022.

In a new era when democracies around the world are threatened or crumbling, Kara Cooney turns to five ancient Egyptian pharaohs--Khufu, Senwosret III, Akenhaten, Ramses II, and Taharqa--to understand why many so often give up power to the few, and what it can mean for our future. The pharaohs and their process of divine kingship can tell us a lot about the world's politics, past and present. In mining the past, we can better understand the reason why societies have so willingly chosen a dictator over democracy, time and time again.

Kara Cooney is Professor of Egyptian Art and Architecture and Chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at UCLA. Her research in ancient Egyptian coffin reuse focuses on the socioeconomic and political aspects of funerary and burial practices in ancient Egypt. Her latest books The Good Kings and When Women Ruled the World were published with National Geographic Press.