The powerful image that the kings of Egypt presented to their subjects was so awe-inspiring and captivating that people today are still impressed by the compelling stories and imposing statuary of the Pharaoh. But the reality of Egyptian kingship was often much more complex, as Pharaoh: King of Egypt seeks to reveal.
Pharaoh: King of Ancient Egypt introduces readers to three thousand years of Egypt’s ancient history by unveiling its famous rulers—the pharaohs—using some of the finest objects from the vast holdings of the British Museum.  Margaret Maitland looks at Egyptian kingship in terms of both ideology and practicality. 
"Pharaoh King of Egypt" explores the ideals and realities of kingship in ancient Egypt, from the earliest rulers who unified the peoples along the Nile to the Roman emperors who governed a conquered Egypt. This book investigates the three main roles of the pharaoh- as head of state, as chief priest and as commander of the army. Examples of larger-scale sculptures, jewellery, tiles and bronze figurines examine the well-crafted, official image of the pharaohs, while papyri, weapons and letters expose the more complicated world of ancient kingship and reveal the unique individuals who held the throne, including women, foreigners and usurpers.
The rulers of ancient Egypt were not always male, or even always Egyptian. At times, Egypt was divided by civil war, conquered by foreign powers, or ruled by competing kings. Many of the objects surviving from ancient Egypt represent the image a pharaoh wanted to project, but this publication also looks past the myth to explore the realities and immense challenges of ruling one of the greatest civilizations the world has seen.