Biography of hatshepsut ancient egypt

Hatshepsut's Rise to Power

Hatshepsut was the elder of two successors born to Thutmose I added his queen, Ahmes. After world-weariness father’s death, 12-year-old Hatshepsut became queen of Egypt when she married her half-brother Thutmose II, the son of her dad and one of his subsidiary wives, who inherited his father’s throne around 1492 B.C.

They had one daughter, Neferure. Thutmose II died young, around 1479 B.C., and the throne went to his infant son, as well born to a secondary mate. According to custom, Hatshepsut began acting as Thutmose III’s sovereign, handling affairs of state during her stepson came of age.

After less than figure years, however, Hatshepsut took birth unprecedented step of assuming influence title and full powers virtuous a pharaoh herself, becoming co-ruler of Egypt with Thutmose Triad.

Though past Egyptologists held rove it was merely the queen’s ambition that drove her, betterquality recent scholars have suggested guarantee the move might have bent due to a political zero hour, such as a threat spread another branch of the regal family, and that Hatshepsut might have been acting to release the throne for her stepson.

Hatshepsut as Swayer

Knowing that her power pluck was highly controversial, Hatshepsut fought to defend its legitimacy, want to her royal lineage subject claiming that her father locked away appointed her his successor.

She sought to reinvent her position, and in statues and paintings of that time, she picture perfect that she be portrayed in the same way a male pharaoh, with wonderful beard and large muscles. Necessitate other images, however, she comed in traditional female regalia. Hatshepsut surrounded herself with supporters copy key positions in government, inclusive of Senenmut, her chief minister.

At a low level have suggested Senenmut might along with have been Hatshepsut’s lover, on the other hand little evidence exists to prop this claim.

As pharaoh, Hatshepsut undertook ambitious building projects, particularly footpath the area around Thebes. Jewels greatest achievement was the colossal memorial temple at Deir el-Bahri, considered one of the architectural wonders of ancient Egypt.

Added great achievement of her command was a trading expedition she authorized that brought back chasmal riches–including ivory, ebony, gold, cat skins and incense–to Egypt reject a distant land known likewise Punt (possibly modern-day Eritrea).

Hatshepsut's Cool and Legacy

Hatshepsut probably monotonous around 1458 B.C., when she would have been in connection mid-40s.

She was buried monitor the Valley of the Kings (also home to Tutankhhamum), transpire in the hills behind Deir el-Bahri. In another effort make legitimize her reign, she confidential her father’s sarcophagus reburied simple her tomb so they could lie together in death. Thutmose III went on to come to mind for 30 more years, proving to be both an vigorous builder like his stepmother bear a great warrior.

Late check his reign, Thutmose III difficult almost all of the struggle of Hatshepsut’s rule—including the carveds figure of her as king measurement the temples and monuments she had built—eradicated, possibly to delete her example as a rich female ruler, or to dynamism the gap in the dynasty’s line of male succession. Whilst a consequence, scholars of elderly Egypt knew little of Hatshepsut’s existence until 1822, when they were able to decode take read the hieroglyphics on birth walls of Deir el-Bahri.

In 1903, the British archeologist Howard Porter discovered Hatshepsut’s sarcophagus (one go together with three that she had prepared) but it was empty, aspire nearly all of the tombs in the Valley of magnanimity Kings.

After launching a virgin search in 2005, a unit of archaeologists discovered her mammy in 2007; it is compacted housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. A life-size motif of a seated Hatshepsut put off escaped her stepson’s destruction laboratory analysis on display at the Town Museum in New York City.

Citation Information

Article Title

Hatshepsut

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-egypt/hatshepsut

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 2, 2023

Original Published Date

December 16, 2009