There's a review out this week on a couple of books on Cleopatra. Being a big history nerds, I think I'm going to need to read these two books. Schiff apparently calls Cleopatra a monster, which makes me a little wary, since that sounds like male fear of women's power talking there.
But the review had some good details. For example, Egypt was a egalitarian (or at least more egalitarian society.) I'd like to read a book on that, frankly, since socieites that allowed women significant power seem to be lacking and the books on them most certainly are.
Also, there's apparently a movie coming out featuring Angelina Jolie! I'm already excited.
Boudicea, Golda Meyer, Margaret Thatcher, Angela Merkel,Hillary Clinton, (nearly!!!!)
ReplyDeleteSome powerful world brokers there and some not averse to the odd war or two.
These ones are just off the top of my head.
I'm sure you can find some more.
Tony
PS Hate the way Hollywood sanitises, waters down, warps, changes completely sometimes, history. Mind you all history is an interpretation. Yesterday can only be interpreted. It has already become a memory.
I sometimes hate how history is depicted in movies too. (Particularly in the movie 300.)
ReplyDeleteWhat I wish is that the majority of viewers see the stories as being influenced by our modern outlook. For example, the movie Quills makes a lot of historical mistakes, but it's a movie more about censorship then telling the original story exactly right. It just uses an "exotic" time and place, much like science fiction does, to tell a story that audiences might otherwise dismiss because of the message.