Guy de la Bédoyère's new book is a history of a key period in ancient Egypt's astonishing history that tears away the gold and glamour to show how some of the first great historical personalities ruled Egypt ruthlessly for 250 years between 1550 BC and 1295 BC.

For more than two centuries Egypt was ruled by the most powerful, successful, and richest dynasty of kings in its long end epic history. They included the female king Hatshepsut, the warrior kings Thutmose III and Amenhotep II, the religious radical Akhenaten and his queen Nefertiti, and most famously of all for the wealth of his tomb the short-lived boy king Tutankhamun. They presided over a system built on war, oppression, and ruthlessness, pouring Egypt's wealth into grandiose monuments, temples, and extravagant tombs. But the power and riches of the Pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty came at enormous cost to Egypt's enemies and most of its people.


Pharaohs of the Sun is their extraordinary story, showing how the glamour and gold was tainted by selfishness, ostentation, and the systematic exploitation of Egypt's people and enemies.



'An impressive amalgamation of scholarly research with popular history' The Times


'De la Bédoyère has not just an archaeologist's eye for accuracy but also a broadcaster's nose for a colourful story' Radio Times