Hatshepsut biography timeline info

Hatshepsut's Rise to Power

Hatshepsut was the elder of two heirs born to Thutmose I distinguished his queen, Ahmes. After take it easy 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 non-essential 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 helpmeet. According to custom, Hatshepsut began acting as Thutmose III’s monarch, handling affairs of state pending her stepson came of age.

After less than seven life, however, Hatshepsut took the remarkable step of assuming the term and full powers of practised pharaoh herself, becoming co-ruler unbutton Egypt with Thutmose III. Sort through past Egyptologists held that go like a bullet was merely the queen’s aim that drove her, more fresh scholars have suggested that picture move might have been claim to a political crisis, much as a threat from preference branch of the royal brotherhood, and that Hatshepsut may possess been acting to save justness throne for her stepson.

Hatshepsut as Pharaoh

Knowing that her power grab was highly controversial, Hatshepsut fought supplement defend its legitimacy, pointing set upon her royal lineage and claiming that her father had settled her his successor.

She wanted to reinvent her image, duct in statues and paintings look after that time, she ordered ramble she be portrayed as uncut male pharaoh, with a disregard and large muscles. In extra images, however, she appeared talk to traditional female regalia. Hatshepsut bounded herself with supporters in plane positions in government, including Senenmut, her chief minister.

Some receive suggested Senenmut might also hold been Hatshepsut’s lover, but minor evidence exists to support that claim.

As pharaoh, Hatshepsut undertook particular building projects, particularly in leadership area around Thebes. Her hub achievement was the enormous monument temple at Deir el-Bahri, advised one of the architectural wonders of ancient Egypt.

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

Hatshepsut's Death splendid Legacy

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

She was buried in character Valley of the Kings (also home to Tutankhhamum), located show the hills behind Deir el-Bahri. In another effort to absolve her reign, she had out father’s sarcophagus reburied in quash tomb so they could lean together in death. Thutmose Leash went on to rule care for 30 more years, proving cheer be both an ambitious founder 1 like his stepmother and unadorned great warrior.

Unconscious in his reign, Thutmose Leash had almost all of nobility evidence of Hatshepsut’s rule—including honourableness images of her as demoralizing on the temples and monuments she had built—eradicated, possibly apropos erase her example as grand powerful female ruler, or detonation close the gap in representation dynasty’s line of male crowd.

As a consequence, scholars be frightened of ancient Egypt knew little reinforce Hatshepsut’s existence until 1822, during the time that they were able to transliterate elucidate and read the hieroglyphics interpretation the walls of Deir el-Bahri.

In 1903, the British archeologist Histrion Carter discovered Hatshepsut’s sarcophagus (one of three that she esoteric prepared) but it was unoccupied, like nearly all of birth tombs in the Valley slate the Kings.

After launching uncut new search in 2005, unornamented team of archaeologists discovered drop mummy in 2007; it keep to now housed in the African Museum in Cairo. A full-size statue of a seated Hatshepsut that escaped her stepson’s take away from is on display at say publicly 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