Our Ancient Egypt

About the death and mummy of queen Hatshepsut

After Hatshepsut's death, Tuthmose III was so jealous of her that he ordered her monuments obscured and all mention of her erased from the walls of temples and other important buildings. Since the ancient Egyptians believed that a person's spirit lived on as long as his or her name was carved into a wall, Tuthmose's decision to erase his hated aunt's name was probably because he thought that he would destroy her spirit as well.

Her body location was lost. In June of 2007, Dr. Zahi Hawass, leader of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, announced that her mummy had been identified after a search of funerary sites linked to Hatshepsut. If this mummy is in fact the body of the great Pharoah, it would seem Hatshepsut died after an abscess in her gums ruptured after the removal of a tooth. However, Egyptologists continue to sort through the evidence.



Hatshepsut often dressed as a man at official ceremonies. She ruled with an iron fist. She built a grand temple to herself and tried to prevent Thutmose from acceding to power when he came of age. The dramatic events of Hatshepsut's life----along with the mystery surrounding certain key periods of her reign----make her an excellent subject for a historical fiction adventure story. With the right combination of mystery, mastery of adventure forms, and imagination, a talented writer could turn Hatsheput's life into a real thriller

She managed to rule for about twenty years, before disappearing from history... coinciding with Thuthmose III's becoming Pharaoh in his own right.

died her half brother,Thutmose II died, possibly in the year of 1479 BC, and Thutmose III became Pharaoh. With Thutmose III being a minor at this time, his aunt, Hatshepsut, stepped in as his regent. Thutmose III and Hatshepsut ruled together until 1473 BC, when she appointed herself pharaoh.

Hatshepsut worked hard to be seen as a legitimate pharaoh. She was so charismatic, and the memory of her popular parents added to her good reputation. She also had the support of a network of powerful officials whom she had either chosen herself or known since their service to her parents. In order to be accepted as the “true” pharaoh, she is legendary for taking on the costume of male pharaohs, including traditional kilt, headdress, and a fake beard in royal style. The people of Egypt seemed to accept her as their ruler. However, some officials remained close to Thutmose III and may have plotted against her.



Queen Hatshepsut’s Family

Hatshepsut queen was a daughter of Thuthmose I and his queen Ahmes. When her father Tuthmose I died , possibly in the year of 1479 BC, his son, Tuthmose II, became king. Tuthmose II was married to Hatshepsut. (Tuthmose I had two wives, Mountnofrit (the mother of Tuthmose II), archaeologists tell us, ruled only three or four years, dying of a skin disease. He had a son, who was Hatshepsut's nephew. This son, Tuthmose III, was very young when his father died.

Due to the young age of the Pharaoh, Hatshepsut became his regent. They ruled together for a number of years until she declared herself Pharaoh perhaps when Thuthmose III was reaching manhood.

Her child

Hatshepsut’s only child was Neferure, her daughter by Thutmose II. In her early life she was cared for by Senemut, who was her tutor, and other officials. During her mother’s reign, Princess Neferure was active in the Egyptian court and held many royal titles bestowing important religious duties. The time of Neferure’s death and her place of burial are not yet known, though research suggests it may have occurred between 11 and 16 AD. Sculptures suggest Neferure may have married Thutmose III.

Hatshepsut's Temple

Hatshepsut used a number of strategies to legitimate her role as Pharaoh. In Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahri, near Luxor in the Valley of Kings, the birth and coronation of the queen is described in paintings and other works of art. From this source, experts have been able to decipher that in order to make her leadership legitimate.
Hatshepsut claimed that the god Amon-Ra had visited her mother while she was pregnant with Hatshepsut, thus making her a divine child. Through her supposed divinity it would seem the queen also had some influence over the priesthood in Egypt. This was important since the priests' support further legitimated her role as Pharaoh.Queen Hatshepsut adopted several male attributes including a fake beard, male clothing, as well as having herself illustrated and treated like a man. It can be argued that this behavior was yet another instrument practiced by the queen in her pursuit for respect. However, this is truly a "chicken and the egg" problem because we do not know whether this behavior was the reason or the effect of holding a male position in society.



Queen Hatshepsut (Ma'at-ka-Ra) who lived between 1508 and 1458 BC . Although not the only female ruler of Egypt, Hatshepsut was one the few female pharaohs of Egypt. There were female pharaohs prior to her, as well as female pharaohs after her. However, Queen Hatshepsut was in many respects special. The question is, how was a woman able to establish such power during a time when societies were predominantly ruled by men? To answer this question we must take a closer look at the social climate for the "common" woman in ancient Egypt.

Hatshepsut's name lives on, as an example of the power that one woman can possess if she sets her mind to achieving it. In a time when women were thought of as second-class citizens, good only for delivering sons who would be kings, Hatshepsut was the ruler herself. Courageous, strong-willed, and dynamic, Hatshepsut has passed on her name to the list of famous women in history.