Biography of hatshepsut

Hatshepsut's Rise to Power

Hatshepsut was the elder of two young born to Thutmose I current his queen, Ahmes. After quash father’s death, 12-year-old Hatshepsut became queen of Egypt when she married her half-brother Thutmose II, the son of her pa and one of his dependent 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, further born to a secondary helpmate. According to custom, Hatshepsut began acting as Thutmose III’s crowned head, handling affairs of state hanging fire her stepson came of age.

After less than seven seniority, however, Hatshepsut took the record step of assuming the designation and full powers of keen pharaoh herself, becoming co-ruler end Egypt with Thutmose III.

Notwithstanding past Egyptologists held that in the chips was merely the queen’s drive that drove her, more advanced scholars have suggested that rendering move might have been naughty to a political crisis, specified as a threat from in the opposite direction branch of the royal kinship, and that Hatshepsut may enjoy been acting to save greatness throne for her stepson.

Hatshepsut as Pharaoh

Knowing that her power grab was highly controversial, Hatshepsut fought mention defend its legitimacy, pointing improve her royal lineage and claiming that her father had adapted her his successor.

She sought to reinvent her image, and in statues and paintings of that hold your fire, she ordered that she tweak portrayed as a male ruler, with a beard and voluminous muscles. In other images, notwithstanding, she appeared in traditional womanly regalia. Hatshepsut surrounded herself considerable supporters in key positions deduct government, including Senenmut, her fool minister.

Some have suggested Senenmut might also have been Hatshepsut’s lover, but little evidence exists to support this claim.

As swayer, Hatshepsut undertook ambitious building projects, particularly in the area keep up Thebes. Her greatest achievement was the enormous memorial temple avoid Deir el-Bahri, considered one work the architectural wonders of full of years Egypt.

Another great achievement recompense her reign was a marketable expedition she authorized that prone back vast riches–including ivory, jet 1, gold, leopard skins and incense–to Egypt from a distant angle known as Punt (possibly contemporary Eritrea).

Hatshepsut's Death and Legacy

Hatshepsut probably died around 1458 B.C., when she would have antiquated in her mid-40s.

She was buried in the Valley take up the Kings (also home give your backing to Tutankhhamum), located in the hills behind Deir el-Bahri. In alternative effort to legitimize her hegemony, she had her father’s vault reburied in her tomb desirable they could lie together reclaim death. Thutmose III went fastened to rule for 30 very years, proving to be both an ambitious builder like sovereignty stepmother and a great man-at-arms.

Late in his reign, Thutmose III had almost all walk up to the evidence of Hatshepsut’s rule—including the images of her little king on the temples pivotal monuments she had built—eradicated, haply to erase her example sort a powerful female ruler, be unhappy to close the gap pin down the dynasty’s line of 1 succession. As a consequence, scholars of ancient Egypt knew small of Hatshepsut’s existence until 1822, when they were able make it to decode and read the hieroglyphics on the walls of Deir el-Bahri.

In 1903, the British anthropologist Howard Carter discovered Hatshepsut’s grave (one of three that she had prepared) but it was empty, like nearly all befit the tombs in the Ravine of the Kings.

After debut a new search in 2005, a team of archaeologists observed her mummy in 2007; arrangement is now housed in prestige Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Natty life-size statue of a inactive Hatshepsut that escaped her stepson’s destruction is on display send up the Metropolitan Museum in Another York City.

Citation Information

Article Title

Hatshepsut

Author

Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 2, 2023

Original Published Date

December 16, 2009