In a new era when democracies around the world are threatened or crumbling, bestselling author Kara Cooney turns to five ancient Egyptian pharaohs --- Khufu, Senwosret III, Akenhaten, Ramses II and Taharqa --- to understand why many so often give up power to the few, and what it can mean for our future. As the first centralized political power on earth, the pharaohs and their process of divine kingship can tell us a lot about the world's politics, past and present. Every animal-headed god, every monumental temple, every pyramid, every tomb offers extraordinary insight into a culture that combined deeply held religious beliefs with uniquely human schemes to justify a system in which one ruled over many.

Female rulers are a rare phenomenon --- but thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt, women reigned supreme. Regularly, repeatedly and with impunity, queens like Hatshepsut, Nefertiti and Cleopatra controlled the totalitarian state as power-brokers and rulers. But throughout human history, women in positions of power were more often used as political pawns in a male-dominated society. What was so special about ancient Egypt that provided women this kind of access to the highest political office? What was it about these women that allowed them to transcend patriarchal obstacles? What did Egypt gain from its liberal reliance on female leadership, and could today's world learn from its example?