ANCIENT EGYPT SERIES NOVEL TRIP TO- BAHIRIYA OASIS Desert trip – Bahiriya Oasis! Heading into the Egyptian desert is wonderful. There, one loses any sense of time or worldly cares. Perhaps, like deep sea diving and flying, one is free to enjoy a new world. In 2011, however, there was a lot of telephoning ahead, […]
Barry Kemp (14 May 1940-15 May 2024) served something greater than himself, namely the study and conservation of King Akhenaten’s city at Amarna. Professor Kemp, CBE, FBE, was an eminent scholar at the University of Cambridge. His book Ancient Egypt: An Anatomy of Civilisation was the main text used in ancient history courses for decades. […]
ANCIENT EGYPT SERIES NOVEL Why Follow Alexander to Siwa? Why go to Egypt in search of Alexander? A small team is flying into Cairo. Most people are from England. I live in New Zealand, which is a long way from a revolution of any kind. Why go to Egypt in search of Alexander? After all, […]
The Lord said, ‘What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s bloods cries out to me from the ground. Genesis 4:10 (NIV) ANZAC Day is the Australasian equivalent of Remembrance Day. On 25 April, every year, citizens of Australia and New Zealand observe a public holiday. Many attend dawn services for the war veterans of their countries. Shops […]
ANCIENT EGYPT SERIES NOVEL We’re at the UCL Medical School in London. Historian Michael Wood is due to give a lecture, with a new film on Alexander-the-Great. His groundbreaking series In the Footsteps of Alexander-the-Great started a race to make a feature film in Hollywood. I have been adopted by some wonderful ladies, whom I […]
ANCIENT EGYPT SERIES NOVEL Alexander the Great appears in many art forms, including films. Most children and young people have seen at least one Alexander movie. Below, are a few examples. Perhaps you have seen one. Sikander (1941) Alexander is portrayed as an attractive man, in love with Roxanne. The film opens in Persia, with […]
ANCIENT EGYPT SERIES NOVEL Who Is a Wise Man? Who Is a Strong Man? Who Is a Rich Man? Chances are that if you learned about Alexander at school, you also learned about philosophy. That connection is hardly surprising. Alexander studied under Aristotle, one of the most influential philosophers in history. As Alexander’s empire expanded, […]
ANCIENT EGYPT SERIES NOVEL Alexander-Pharaoh of Egypt is currently being written. These blog posts for the Ancient Egypt series are about the author’s decades’-long journey to the book. Before publication, readers should know something about Alexander, the journey, some of which was perilous, and the new book with its characters. So It Begins … A […]
ANCIENT EGYPT SERIES NOVEL Happy New Year! At present I am writing a book entitled Alexander, Pharaoh of Egypt. Part of the Ancient Egypt series, it is currently being written and edited. As a subject, Alexander-the-Great has been on my mind since childhood. Why has it taken several decades to commit his story to print? […]
ANCIENT EGYPT 2023 Was Tutankhamen a businessman? The evidence would suggest he and his contemporaries used trading routes all over the known world. Egyptian glass has been discovered in Scandinavia and Germany. The main evidence lies in the famous Uluburun shipwreck off the coast of Turkey. Chemical analysis of glass throughout the Late Bronze Age […]
Cleopatra: Part 15 Cleopatra’s arrival at Tarsus is one of the most famous encounters in ancient history. In the novel, the Egyptian ruler’s arrival at Tarsus is not presented as a romantic meeting but as a calculated display of power. Rather than submitting to Mark Antony’s summons, Cleopatra reverses the power dynamic and turns the […]
Cleopatra: Part 14 Was Cleopatra in Love with Mark Antony? The popular image of Cleopatra and Mark Antony is one of history’s great love stories. The reality was probably far more practical. Their relationship appears to have been, above all else, an alliance of convenience that served both Egypt and Rome. That does not mean […]
Cleopatra: Part 13 Survival, Not Virtue Historian Adrian Goldsworthy observes that it is difficult to identify any truly ‘good’ figures in the times of the Roman Republic. This was not a struggle between heroes and villains. By modern standards, almost all the major players might be considered ruthless, ambitious and often murderous. Cleopatra and her […]
Cleopatra: Part 12 Cleopatra’s Closest Companions The novel explores Cleopatra through her relationships with the people closest to her: Charmian and Iras, Julius Caesar, and Mark Antony. Historically, Charmian and Iras are usually described as Cleopatra’s handmaidens. Yet Charmian appears to have been considerably more than a lady-in-waiting. Ancient sources suggest she occupied a position […]
Cleopatra: Part 11 Securing the Island Following his naval victory, Caesar turned his attention to Pharos Island, home to the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria. The island was crucial to controlling access to Alexandria’s harbours and was connected to the mainland by the Heptastadion, a causeway linking the city to the island. Recognising its strategic importance, […]
Cleopatra: Part 10 Pothinus’ Betrayal Revealed As the siege dragged on, Caesar uncovered a dangerous conspiracy within his own ranks. Pothinus, one of Ptolemy XIII’s chief advisers, had secretly established contact with Achillas and the Egyptian besiegers early in the conflict. Shortly after Achillas’ assassination, one of Caesar’s slaves intercepted communications linking Pothinus to the […]
Cleopatra: Part 9 Caesar Sets Alexandria Ablaze After General Achillas launched his assault on Alexandria’s Royal Quarter, fierce fighting erupted throughout the city. Severely outnumbered and with few reinforcements available, Julius Caesar resorted to desperate measures. To create a diversion, he ordered the Ptolemaic ships in the harbour burned and dispatched troops to secure the […]
Cleopatra: Part 8 Caesar’s Unexpected Role in Egypt One thing that would never have crossed Julius Caesar’s mind when he arrived in Egypt was that he would find himself acting as referee between a group of ambitious royal teenagers, all determined to claim the throne. When Ptolemy XIII discovered that his sister Cleopatra had gained […]
Cleopatra: Part 7 Roman politics was always changing. For Egypt’s Ptolemaic rulers, that volatility made life frustrating and often downright dangerous. Despite the propaganda spread by Roman writers after her death and Rome’s subsequent annexation of Egypt, Cleopatra remained a loyal ally of Rome. Her challenge was not whether to support Rome, but which Roman […]
Cleopatra: Part 6 Following the death of her father, Ptolemy XII Auletes, in 51 BC, Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator initially ruled alongside her younger brother and co-ruler, Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator. However, the arrangement quickly deteriorated, with Cleopatra fleeing for her life. Taking refuge in Syria, she began raising an army with the intention of […]
Cleopatra: Part 5 When Ptolemy XII was restored to the Egyptian throne in 55 BC, it was largely due to Roman intervention. Officially, the Roman Senate was reluctant to become involved. In practice, powerful individuals often mattered more than official institutions. Pompey, Caesar and Crassus, the men who dominated Roman politics through the informal alliance […]
Cleopatra: Part 4 The Historical Question One of the pleasures of writing about Cleopatra is that so much of her early life remains uncertain. Historians can tell us quite a lot about her father Ptolemy XII and his exile from Egypt. We know that he sought support from powerful Romans. We also know that he […]
Cleopatra: Part 3 When Ptolemy XII was driven from Alexandria in 58 BC, his eleven-year-old daughter Cleopatra suddenly disappears from the historical record. What happened to her? Most historians assume she remained in Egypt while her sister, Berenice IV, seized the throne. But there is another possibility. What if Cleopatra went into exile with her […]
Cleopatra: Part 2 Unlike many famous historical figures, we do not know the exact date of Cleopatra VII’s birth. Historians generally place it in either 70 or 69 BC, during a turbulent period in the history of Ptolemaic Egypt. She was born in Alexandria, the great city founded by Alexander the Great, and entered a […]
Cleopatra: Part 1 Born around 70/69 BC and dying in Alexandria on either 10 or 12 August 30 BC, Cleopatra VII Philopator belonged to the Ptolemaic dynasty, a royal house of Macedonian Greek origin that had ruled Egypt for nearly three centuries before her birth. Although remembered as Egypt’s most famous queen, her ancestry reveals […]
ANCIENT EGYPT SERIES In the Footsteps of Alexander: A Moment at Siwa Alexander at Siwa is one of the most powerful historical experiences I have ever had. Siwa is the only place on earth where we can say, without doubt, that Alexander the Great once walked. The stone steps leading to the Temple of the […]
ANCIENT EGYPT SERIES The Tomb of Alexander the Great? We find ourselves in Siwa, amidst the vast expanse of the Egyptian Western Desert. Rusty barbed wire trips us up. After dealing with it, we stand in the sunset at the site where Greek archaeologist Liana Souvaltzi once claimed to have discovered the tomb of Alexander […]
ANCIENT EGYPT SERIES Temple of Alexander the Great Discovering Alexander’s Temple The Egyptian desert holds many secrets, a sentiment often echoed by Zahi Hawass. (For more insights, check out our interview: https://sharonjanethague.com/interview-with-dr-zahi-hawass/) For me, the thrill of discovering Alexander’s temple at Qasr el-Miqisbah in the middle of nowhere is unparalleled. Inside, the young king, barely […]
Alexander, Pharaoh of Egypt is out now! Writing Alexander the Great Alexander, Pharaoh of Egypt is now available and can be obtained through local retailers, Kobo, Amazon and Nook. Readers often describe my book as an intimate psychological portrait of Alexander the Great. This amused me—until I recalled my attempt, twenty years ago, to inhabit his […]
Winner of the Literary Titan Award meant an interview. In it you will discover about the inspiration for the very British book! The Tutankhamen Friendship weaves a tale of friendship, perseverance, and discovery as archaeologists navigate the challenges and triumphs of unearthing one of history’s greatest archaeological treasures. What inspired you to write this story? Like […]
Held back for twenty years, it is now an award-winner and bestseller. Winner of several awards, the Literary Titan Award interview appears below. I trust that you enjoy the chat about two of the world’s greatest historical figures, and that it sparks your interest to know more! Below: A tank leading the way into Tell el-Amarna. […]
Recently, I gave an interview to American broadcaster of forty years, Howard Lovy. We chatted about the award-winning bestselling “Ancient Egypt” series, and the future for authors in the dawn of the AI era. I hope you like the interview and that it gives you some food for thought. My ALLi author guest this episode is Sharon […]
The Garden of the Gods Published in 1978 the third book in the trilogy continues the story of the Durrells on the Greek isle of Corfu. Gerald Durrell, one of the pioneers of conservation, still has a legacy that is very much alive. (Go to: https://www.durrell.org/wildlife/) The stories in this book are those which could […]
Birds Beasts and Relatives Books The Corfu Trilogy incorporates three autobiographical novels, namely My Family and Other Animals (1956), Birds, Beasts and Relatives (1969) and The Garden of the Gods (1978). Birds, Beasts and Relatives is the sequel to the bestseller, My Family and Other Animals. While it was never as famous as the first […]
My Family and Other Animals Introduction British naturalist Gerald Durrell (OBE) was born in 1925 in Jamshedpur, India. A bestselling writer, animal collector and pioneering conservationist, he would be the same age as David Attenborough now, had he lived. Unfortunately, he died in 1995 at the age of 70. Gerald Durrell was responsible for saving […]
Today is the 99th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb. Available at bookstores, Kobo, Nook, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Waterstones, and more. (*Digital downloads are recommended due to a world paper shortage caused by the Suez Canal incident earlier in the year.) http://rb.gy/aqzv9z
Drafts are in from the USA! Which one do you like? Please bear in mind that elements get “tweaked” and refined when finalised. Please add your comments below. Thank you in advance!
Writer, businesswoman and activist Jane Akshar was a high-profile enthusiast of Egypt. Like many she fell in love with ancient Egypt as a child. Clutching Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt’s book “Tutankhamen”, which she bought with book tokens for her tenth birthday, Jane was hooked for life. Her first visit to Egypt in 1979 was followed by a […]
The article is to be released as a novel this year. Sold out in print you can still visit https://pocketmags.com/au/nile-magazine/june-july-2016. Nile Magazine presented a new view of Pharaoh Hatshepsut, the woman who became one of Egypt’s foremost monarchs.
Click onto and join: https://www.facebook.com/Tutankhamenfanclub. A new page where you can share all your Tutankhamen news leading up to the centenary of the discovery – and beyond! Photo by Sharon Janet Hague, (copyright)
Eric Cline and ”After 1177” Professor Eric Cline of The George Washington University (GWU) in Washington DC is an archaeologist with 20 books to his credit. With more than 30 seasons of archaeological digs under his belt Professor Cline has appeared in documentaries for the National Geographic Channel, BBC, History Channel, ABC News, The Discovery […]
Bob Brier – The Luxor Obelisk and Its Voyage to Paris Dubbed the ”world’s most famous Egyptologist” Dr Brier made history when he mummified a human cadaver in the ancient Egyptian style. Veteran documentary filmmaker and twice Fulbright Scholar, he taught at the University of Long Island in New York. Head of both the Philosophy […]
ANCIENT EGYPT AUTHORS presents a filmed interview with Bob Brier on his latest book, ”The Luxor Obelisk and Its Voyage to Paris”. Jean-Baptiste Apollinaire Lebas’ account of the transportation of this obelisk from Egypt to France has never been translated from French into English until now. This first interview is broadcast ahead of the book’s release […]
STARS OF EGYPTOLOGY ”Genius” is an overused word, however, it is a truthful description of our latest guest. Jean-Pierre Houdin is the man who has deciphered some of the Great Pyramid’s secrets. Working ten hours a day for five years he developed a theory – probably the most detailed in history – of how the […]
STARS OF EGYPTOLOGY Stephen Cross is our Christmas star of 2020. A member of the Fleet Air Arm of the British Royal Navy, he is a trained geologist. Known for his academic articles, Stephen has made several significant appearances on television where he has revealed aspects of the Valley of the Kings for the first time […]