The history of Egyptology often focuses on male archaeologists seizing precious artifacts for their competing homelands. But that is only half of the story. Women in the Valley of the Kings highlights more than eleven women whose work in Egypt laid the groundwork for future exploration. Women in the Valley of the Kings shows how a group of courageous women charted unknown territory and changed the field of Egyptology forever. The book was reviewed in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal and was chosen by Goodreads readers as the sixth best non-fiction book of 2024
Dr. Kathleen Sheppard graduated from Truman with a degree in sociology and anthropology and is currently a professor of history at Missouri S&T, in Rolla, Missouri. Her main research interest is the work of women in Egyptology and telling these amazing stories to anyone who will listen. Discussion of the book will be held on the Alumni & Friends Facebook Group page and will conclude with a virtual conversation with the author in July. To learn more about this year’s Alumni & Friends Book Club, email bulldogforever@truman.edu