Lives of the ancient Egyptians

From the dawn of history to the death of Cleopatra, ancient Egypt was home to larger-than-life personalities.

Across one hundred lives, Toby Wilkinson explores the true character and diversity of human experience in the ancient world’s greatest civilization.

Some of those profiled are famous: pharaohs and queens such as Akhenaten, Nefertiti, Ramesses II and Tiye.

Others are lesser known but equally engaging: Imhotep, architect of the first pyramid; Perniankhu, the court dwarf; and the royal sculptor Bak.

Equally illuminating are the lives of commoners, so rarely given their own voice: ordinary men and women who include a doctor, a dentist, a housewife, a musician – and a serial criminal.