Renowned Egyptologist and best-selling author Kara Cooney will examine the lives of six remarkable female pharaohs, from Hatshepsut to Cleopatra, in her lecture “When Women Ruled the World” at RAFFMA, Wednesday, Jan. 30, at noon. In this lecture Cooney will look at a time in ancient history when women ruled the world, focusing on the ancient Egyptian female rulers Merneith, Neferusobek, Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, Tawosret and Cleopatra. Often neglected in the history books, the lecture will explore why these women were considered exceptions to the rule and what was so special about ancient Egypt that provided women access to the highest political office. Cooney will discuss the undeniable power and influence of these women and what we can learn about how they ruled. This lecture is being held in conjunction with the release of Cooney’s book “When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt.” Copies of the book will be available for purchase for $25 with cash or check only. Cooney is a professor of Egyptology at UCLA. Her academic work focuses on death preparations, afterlife beliefs, and gender studies. She is currently investigating coffin reuse during the Bronze Age Collapse, allowing her to examine funerary objects in dozens of museums around the world, including the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Louvre in Paris, British Museum in London, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. She appeared as lead expert in the popular Discovery Channel special “The Secrets of Egypt’s Lost Queen,” and is the creator and host of Discovery’s “Out of Egypt.” Her book, “The Woman Who Would be Queen,” was published in 2014. In 2018 her book, “When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt,” was published by National Geographic Books. She lives in Los Angeles. About RAFFMAThe Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art is a nationally recognized museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The only accredited art museum in San Bernardino, RAFFMA has accumulated a permanent collection of nearly 1,200 objects focusing on Egyptian antiquities, ceramics and contemporary art. Located at Cal State San Bernardino, RAFFMA houses the largest permanent and public display of Egyptian art in Southern California. General admission to the museum is free. Suggested donation is $3. Parking at Cal State San Bernardino is $6 per vehicle and $3 on weekends. The museum is open Monday – Wednesday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday, noon - 8 p.m. and closed Friday and Sunday. For more information, call (909) 537-7373 or visit the RAFFMA website.