The topic

In her new book The Good Kings, Kara Cooney turns to five ancient Egyptian kings—Khufu, Senwosret III, Akhenaten, Ramses II, and Taharqa—to understand why many so often give up power to the few.

The pharaohs and their divine kingship can reveal so much about the world's politics, past and present. Every animal-headed god, monumental temple, pyramid, and tomb offers insight into a culture that combined deeply held religious beliefs with uniquely human schemes to justify a system in which one ruled over many.

This talk will explore what that may mean for our own future, especially in light of an era when democracies around the world are threatened or crumbling.

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this event.

The speaker

Dr. Kara Cooney is a professor of Egyptology at UCLA specializing in social history, gender studies, and economies in the ancient world. She is also a best-selling author, museum exhibit curator, television producer, and podcaster.

Her current research in coffin reuse, primarily focusing on the Bronze Age collapse during Egypt’s 20th and 21st dynasties, provides an up-close look at the socioeconomic and political turmoil that affected even funerary practices. During the past decade, the project has taken her around the world to document nearly 300 coffins in various collections.