The mysteries of the woman-pharaoh Hatshepsut: how the queen of Egypt became king

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In the history of Egypt, there was only one ruler who possessed absolute power, one of the few women who ruled alone. Thus, she violated the centuries-old tradition of succession to the throne, since the male heir, Thutmose III, her stepson, was also alive. But Queen Hatshepsut became pharaoh contrary to all traditions, and the Egyptians hid this fact for a long time. As well as some circumstances of Hatshepsut's life, which had to be kept secret.

Hatshepsut was the daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose I, after whose death she married her half-brother, born of a commoner, Thutmose II. When archaeologists examined the mummy of Thutmose II, they came to the conclusion that he suffered from a rare form of skin disease, which, apparently, was the cause of his sudden death.

After the death of Thutmose II, his son received the right to inherit the throne from the side wife of Thutmose III, but he was too small, and Hatshepsut performed the duties of regent under him. However, this role did not suit the queen - she wanted to achieve full power. After her stepson came of age, she had to put down several uprisings. To strengthen her position, she used the same techniques as other Egyptian pharaohs: during her reign, many sculptures and bas-reliefs were built, glorifying the divine nature of royal power. At the same time, Hatshepsut was portrayed in the traditional male attire of rulers, with all the attributes of royal power. In all sculptural portraits, her face is adorned with a royal headdress and a false beard.

There have been several female rulers in the history of Egypt, but none of them has achieved such full power. In addition, Egypt flourished during her reign. Hatshepsut directed all her efforts to reviving the country after prolonged wars. Within 7 months, by her order, two 30-meter obelisks were carved from a single piece of granite in the temple complex of Amon-Ra in Karnak. One of them was inscribed with the following words: "My heart worries about what the people will say about the creations I have left in many years."

The symbol of her reign was the terraced temple of Millions of Years on the banks of the Nile in Thebes, so skillfully built into the surrounding landscape, as if it were in fact an extension of the rock. Her achievement is also called an expedition to the country of Punt (Somalia), after a 400-year hiatus. After 3 years, the ships returned to Egypt with gold, incense, skins of rare animals and ivory. She was ultimately recognized as the rightful queen of Egypt and remained so for almost 20 years.

Evidence of her reign did not appear until the 19th century. - the sovereign rule of women was a phenomenon in the history of Egypt, carefully hidden for centuries. In addition, her stepson Thutmose III destroyed all the monuments created during her reign - either in revenge or in order to eliminate the official evidence of the royal title of Hatshepsut, so that everyone believed that the throne passed directly from his father to him.

Her relationship with the main adviser, the architect of the temple in the Valley of the Kings, the mentor of the queen's daughter Senmut, also remained a secret. According to one version, he was not only a mentor, but also her real father. With the accession of Hatshepsut to the throne, Senmut became the owner of 93 titles and the closest confidant of the ruler. Some researchers believe that this connection was only the subject of speculation and gossip: "Hatshepsut understood too well the precariousness of her position to become physically connected with him," says Keller. If their connection became common knowledge, a military coup would be inevitable.

It is also extremely difficult to recreate a true portrait of a female pharaoh - usually the images of the ruler were rather conventional and symbolic. The location of the Hatshepsut mummy also remained a mystery for a long time: it was not in the discovered tomb. Only after some time was she found in one of the rooms near the tomb, lying right on the floor.

And the burial temple of Hatshepsut is still in the top 10 architectural artifacts of ancient Egypt, no less interesting than the famous pyramids