Who Run The World

Women throughout history, that’s who
Patriarchy is not a natural state. There is no “place” for everybody. The earliest hunter-gatherer societies were egalitarian, so it’s no surprise that all of history is littered with stories of influential women, role models who bucked the conventions of their time. If the past teaches us anything, it’s that you can’t keep a strong woman down.

Statue head of Queen Tiyi at Neues Museum

Egypt was the most powerful nation on Earth in the 1300s BC, and Queen Tiye was the most powerful woman in Egypt. Intelligent, well-spoken and diplomatic, her influence spread far beyond Egypt’s borders and she was beloved by her people as much as her husband, who built shrines, temples and even a whole lake for her. So how did her own son cope with her when he ascended to the throne?

Dorothea von Rodde-Schlözer at Bode Museum

Professor August Ludwig Schlözer was so adamant that women were just as intelligent as men, that he and a rival professor agreed to raise their first born children using contrasting educational disciplines. As a result, his daughter Dorothea was brought up highly educated and, perhaps most importantly, believing she could do anything she put her mind to. So she did.

Memorial Head of a Queen Mother (Iyoba) at Bode Museum

We all need a little help from our mums from time to time, whether it’s looking after the grandchildren while you spend some quality time with your other half, or fighting your enemies, uniting your kingdom and negotiating regional treaties that will cement your regal authority for years to come. Queen Idia did as much for her newly crowned son, King Esigie. And he never forgot the debt he owed her.

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