Hatshepsut: Female Pharaoh
Born circa 1508 B.C., Pharaoh Hatshepsut reigned over Egypt
for more than 20 years. She served as queen alongside her husband, Thutmose II,
but after his death claimed the role of pharaoh while acting as regent to her
nephew, Thutmose III. She reigned peaceably, building temples and monuments,
resulting in the flourish of Egypt. After her death, Thutmose III erased her
inscriptions and tried to eradicate her memory.
The only child born to the Egyptian king Thutmose I by his
principal wife and queen, Ahmose, Hatshepsut was expected to be queen. After the
death of her father at age 12, Hatshepsut married her half-brother Thutmose II,
whose mother was a lesser wife – a common practice meant to ensure the purity
of the royal bloodline. During the reign of Thutmose II, Hatshepsut assumed the
traditional role of queen and principal wife.
Thutmose II died after a 15 year reign, making Hatshepsut a
widow before the age of 30. Hatshepsut had no sons -- only a daughter, Neferure
-- and the male heir was an infant, born to a concubine named Isis.
Since Thutmose III was too young to assume the
throne unaided, Hatshepsut served as his regent. Initially, Hatshepsut bore
this role traditionally until, for reasons that are unclear, she claimed the
role of pharaoh. Technically, Hatshepsut did not ‘usurp’ the crown, as Thutmose
the III was never deposed and was considered co-ruler throughout her life, but
it is clear that Hatshepsut was the principal ruler in power. Although a woman
ruling as Pharaoh wasn't that common, there are women Pharaohs who preceded
Hatshepsut. Such as Merneith who reigned in the first dynasty, Queen
Sobekneferu of the twelfth dynasty and Ahhotep I who is said to have been a
warrior queen, among many others.
She began having herself depicted in the traditional king’s
kilt and crown, along with a fake beard and male body. This was not an attempt
to trick people into thinking she was male; rather, since there were no words
or images to portray a woman with this status, it was a way of asserting her
authority.
Hatshepsut’s successful transition from queen to pharaoh
was, in part, due to her ability to recruit influential supporters, and many of
the men she chose had been favored officials of her father, Thutmose I. One of
her most important advisors was Senenmut. He had been among the queen’s
servants and rose with her in power and her great love.
Under Hatshepsut’s reign, Egypt prospered. Unlike other
rulers in her dynasty, she was more interested in ensuring economic prosperity
and building and restoring monuments throughout Egypt and Nubia than in
conquering new lands.
She built the temple Djeser-djeseru ("holiest of holy
places"), which was dedicated to Amon and served as her funerary cult, and
erected a pair of red granite obelisks at the Temple of Amon at Karnak, one of
which still stands today. Hatshepsut also had one notable trading expedition to
the land of Punt in the ninth year of her reign. The ships returned with gold,
ivory and myrrh trees, and the scene was immortalized on the walls of the
temple.
She made preparations for sailing to the Land of Punt, which
is thought to be an area of present day Somalia, to trade goods. Her crew came
back with many goods, most notably myrrh resin and actual myrrh trees. It is
said that her foreign policies were mainly peaceful and that she was a great
politician, but it is also said that she led military campaigns in Syria and
Nubia successfully so, early in her reign.
The
queen died in early February of 1458 B.C. due to a rotted tooth. Late in his
reign, Thutmose III began a campaign to eradicate Hatshepsut’s
memory: He destroyed or defaced her monuments, erased many of her inscriptions
and constructed a wall around her obelisks. While some believe this was the
result of a long-held grudge, it was more likely a strictly political effort to
emphasize his line of succession and ensure that no one challenged his son
Amunhotep II for the throne.
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