Dr. Kathleen Sheppard, newest book, Women in the Valley of the Kings: The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age, was recently reviewed in Nature as one of its five best science book picks.
Dr. Sheppard is a professor of history and political science at Missouri University of Science and Technology and the director of the Center for Science, Technology and Society.
Her book, published in July 2024, is a historical non-fiction work that covers some of the earliest European women who ventured to Egypt as travelers: Amelia Edwards, Jenny Lane and Marianne Brocklehurst. Their travelogues, diaries and maps chronicled their travels and give insights into their lives.
The book has also been reviewed by the New York Times, the BBC and the Wall Street Journal.
“The book focuses on the never-before-told story of women Egyptologists who paved the way for exploration in Egypt,” says Sheppard, a professor of history and political science at Missouri University of Science and Technology. “These women laid the foundation for modern Egyptology, but their hard work has been forgotten by the public.”
It also covers Maggie Benson, the first woman granted permission to excavate in Egypt, and her meeting with Nettie Gourlay. Sheppard says that together, the two battled issues of oppression and exclusion and, ultimately, are credited with excavating the Temple of Mut.
Sheppard says that as each woman scored a success in the desert, she set up the women who came later for their own successes. She hopes that Women in the Valley of the Kings can help change the narrative of only men experiencing adventure, discovery and intrigue in Egyptian exploration, and show how a group of women charted unknown territory and changed the field.
Interested in hearing Sheppard speak about the book? Her next public talk will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2, at Unity Temple on the Plaza, located at 707 W 47th St. in Kansas City. The presentation will be hosted by Rainy Day Books.
