The narrative centers on Thutmose III and Hatshepsut, significant figures in ancient Egypt, highlighting their military achievements and monumental contributions. Thutmose, likened to Napoleon, expanded Egypt's territories, while Hatshepsut, a rare female pharaoh, is noted for her trading expeditions and co-reign with Thutmose. The book delves into their joint legacy, the destruction of Hatshepsut's images by Thutmose, and their enduring influence on future rulers. Richly illustrated, it also recounts their rediscovery in the 19th century, restoring their historical significance.
Aidan Dodson Book order







- 2025
- 2024
Set against the backdrop of the First World War, this book explores the development of the Royal Navy's first modern heavy cruisers, which were crucial in shaping naval construction in the 1920s. It details the varied careers of these ships, including their transformation from cruisers to aircraft carriers and training ships, as well as their roles in both World Wars. The narrative intertwines technical advancements, international naval treaties, and the strategic importance of these vessels in maintaining trade routes and supporting military operations, complemented by extensive visual documentation.
- 2023
Set in the region of Nubia, now straddling modern Egypt and Sudan, the narrative explores the dramatic shift in power during the eighth century BC when the kings of Kush ruled over Egypt for nearly a century. This period of Kushite dominance was eventually challenged by Assyrian invasions, leading to their withdrawal. Despite this, the Kushite kingdom thrived for another millennium, leaving behind a rich legacy, including the iconic pyramid-tombs that reflect its historical connection to Egypt.
- 2023
The full story of the four capital ships taken over from foreign orders during the First World War. Insights into the Latin-American and Balkan naval races that preceded the First World War. The first overview of the naval export trade in Europe and the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century.
- 2021
The first book-length treatment of the topic in English.
- 2020
Afterglow of Empire
- 372 pages
- 14 hours of reading
During the half-millennium from the eleventh through the sixth centuries BC, the power and the glory of the imperial pharaohs of the New Kingdom crumbled in the face of internal crises and external pressures, ultimately reversed by invaders from Nubia and consolidated by natives of the Nile Delta following a series of Assyrian invasions. Much of this era remains obscure, with little consensus among Egyptologists. Against this background, Aidan Dodson reconsiders the evidence and proposes a number of new solutions to the problems of the period. He also considers the era's art, architecture, and archaeology, including the royal tombs of Tanis, one of which yielded the intact burials of no fewer than five pharaohs. Afterglow of Empire is extensively illustrated with images of this material, much of which is little known to non-specialists. By the author of the bestselling Amarna Sunset and Poisoned Legacy.
- 2020
This new book traces the histories of navies and ships of the defeated powers from the months leading up to the relevant armistices or surrenders through to the final execution of the appropriate post-war settlements.
- 2020
Egypt's sun queen magnificently revealed in a new book by renowned Egyptologist, Aidan Dodson Nefertiti's name and face are perhaps the best known of any royal woman of ancient Egypt, yet for many she is little more than an icon or archetype of ancient beauty. However, recent research has fleshed out our knowledge--or at least credible hypotheses--about her life and career, pointing to her being an important political figure in her own right, rather than simply the principal spouse of the so-called "heretic king," Akhenaten, and mother-in-law (if not mother) of Tutankhamun. In Nefertiti, Queen and Pharaoh of Egypt, Aidan Dodson explores what we actually know about Nefertiti, and what we can realistically extrapolate about her from the diverse and often incomplete data that survives regarding her life from the late fourteenth century BC. In doing so, he sketches a career that saw Nefertiti begin as a scion of a royally connected provincial military family and end as a fully-fledged female pharaoh, who played a crucial role in the first stages of the return to orthodoxy from her late husband's religious revolution. All indications are that her final fate was a tragic one, but although every effort was made to wipe out Nefertiti's memory after her death, modern archaeology has rescued the queen-pharaoh from obscurity and set her on the road to the status of a modern cultural icon.
- 2019
Sethy I, King of Egypt
- 200 pages
- 7 hours of reading
King Sethy I (also transcribed as Seti, Sethi and Sethos) ruled for around a decade in the early thirteenth century BC. His lifetime coincided with a crucial point in Egyptian history, following the ill-starred religious revolution of Akhenaten, and heralding the last phase of Egypt's imperial splendor. As the second scion of a wholly new royal family, his reign did much to set the agenda for the coming decades, both at home and abroad. Sethy was also a great builder, apparently with exquisite artistic taste, to judge from the unique quality of the decoration of his celebrated monuments at Abydos and Thebes. This richly illustrated book tells the story of Sethy's career and monuments, not only in ancient times, but in modern history, and the impact of his legacy on today's understanding and appreciation of ancient Egypt.