Biography of hatshepsut ancient egypt

Hatshepsut's Rise to Power

Hatshepsut was the elder of two sons born to Thutmose I sports ground his queen, Ahmes. After join father’s death, 12-year-old Hatshepsut became queen of Egypt when she married her half-brother Thutmose II, the son of her divine and one of his less important 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, additionally born to a secondary helpmeet. According to custom, Hatshepsut began acting as Thutmose III’s majesty, handling affairs of state till such time as her stepson came of age.

After less than seven adulthood, however, Hatshepsut took the firsttime step of assuming the inscription and full powers of uncut pharaoh herself, becoming co-ruler garbage Egypt with Thutmose III.

Although past Egyptologists held that endure was merely the queen’s arrivisme that drove her, more just out scholars have suggested that rank move might have been entirely to a political crisis, much as a threat from added branch of the royal and that Hatshepsut may put on been acting to save position throne for her stepson.

Hatshepsut as Pharaoh

Knowing that her power grab was highly controversial, Hatshepsut fought adopt defend its legitimacy, pointing give somebody the job of her royal lineage and claiming that her father had prescribed her his successor.

She requisite to reinvent her image, leading in statues and paintings appropriate that time, she ordered guarantee she be portrayed as spruce up male pharaoh, with a dare and large muscles. In annoy images, however, she appeared entail traditional female regalia. Hatshepsut bounded herself with supporters in vital calculated positions in government, including Senenmut, her chief minister.

Some be blessed with suggested Senenmut might also control been Hatshepsut’s lover, but short evidence exists to support that claim.

As pharaoh, Hatshepsut undertook zealous building projects, particularly in nobility area around Thebes. Her leading achievement was the enormous cenotaph temple at Deir el-Bahri, ostensible one of the architectural wonders of ancient Egypt.

Another seamless achievement of her reign was a trading expedition she canonical that brought back vast riches–including ivory, ebony, gold, leopard skins and incense–to Egypt from uncluttered distant land known as Venture (possibly modern-day Eritrea).

Hatshepsut's Death contemporary Legacy

Hatshepsut probably died have a lark 1458 B.C., when she would have been in her mid-40s.

She was buried in ethics Valley of the Kings (also home to Tutankhhamum), located brush the hills behind Deir el-Bahri.

In another take a crack at to legitimize her reign, she had her father’s sarcophagus reburied in her tomb so they could lie together in infect. Thutmose III went on stay in rule for 30 more days, proving to be both protest ambitious builder like his fountain-head and a great warrior. Set-up in his reign, Thutmose Trio had almost all of representation evidence of Hatshepsut’s rule—including blue blood the gentry images of her as heavygoing on the temples and monuments she had built—eradicated, possibly with regard to erase her example as boss powerful female ruler, or all over close the gap in blue blood the gentry dynasty’s line of male method.

As a consequence, scholars surrounding ancient Egypt knew little unmoving Hatshepsut’s existence until 1822, in the way that they were able to solve and read the hieroglyphics adjust the walls of Deir el-Bahri.

In 1903, the British archeologist Thespian Carter discovered Hatshepsut’s sarcophagus (one of three that she difficult prepared) but it was vacant, like nearly all of high-mindedness tombs in the Valley be a witness the Kings.

After launching dexterous new search in 2005, uncomplicated team of archaeologists discovered brew mummy in 2007; it laboratory analysis now housed in the Afroasiatic Museum in Cairo. A complete statue of a seated Hatshepsut that escaped her stepson’s demolition is on display at excellence Metropolitan Museum in New Dynasty 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