Hatshepsut

Outline Introduction Part I. Her reign a. Accession to the throne b. First female pharaoh c. Senmut Part II. Her building projects a. The obelisks b. The temple Conclusion References

Introduction Although not the only female ruler of Egypt, Hatshepsut (18th Dynasty) is one of the best known (next to Cleopatra) Fifth ruler ( B.C. ) of the 18th Dynasty, daughter of Thutmose I The women in Egypt carried the royal blood, not the males To become Pharaoh, the man had to marry a female of royal blood, often a sister, half sister or other near relative

Part I. Her reign

a. Accession to the throne Married her half-brother, Thutmose II, who had a son, Thutmose III, by a minor wife Thuthmose II died soon after becoming Pharaoh, leaving the widow Hatshepsut, a daughter Neferura and a son by another wife, Thuthmose III Hatshepsut regent due to the boy's young age. They ruled jointly until 1473 (declared herself pharaoh) Disappeared in 1458 B.C. when Thutmose III, wishing to reclaim the throne, led a revolt. Thutmose had her shrines and statues mutilated

b. First female pharaoh Hatshepsut administered affairs of the nation, with the full support of the high priest of Amun Campaign in Nubia. She sent Thuthmose III out with the army, on various campaigns One inscription even says that Hatshepsut herself led one of her Nubian campaigns She had to prove herself as a warrior Pharaoh to her people

c. Senmut When Neferura was still a child, Senmut was her tutor Senmut, one of the strongest supporters of Hatshepsut, one of her top advisers 40 titles, including chief architect Disappeared some time before the end of Hatshepsut's reign Perhaps, he was her lover

Part II. Her building projects

a. Obelisks Two obelisks, cut at Aswan and transported to Karnak The work of cutting the monoliths out of the quarry required seven months of labor Later ordered three more to be cut (one of which cracked before it was carved from the rock, remains at Aswan) These were to celebrate her 16th year as Pharaoh

Obelisks

b. Temple at Deir el Bahari At Karnak, she carried out many repairs to the temples, assuring herself the favors of the priests A queen's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, never completed After the Valley of the Kings tomb was abandoned, work at Deir el-Bahari in Thebes was started (mortuary temple) The most beautiful temple in Egypt, designed by Senmut

Deir el Bahari

Conclusion Hatshepsut has left a legacy of architectural and statuary elegance. Her temple built in the area of Thebes, at modern Deir el- Bahari, stands as a beautiful monument to her reign Great pharaoh, great ruler, builder and warrior (expedition to the land of Punt) But her name was erased because she was a female

References tm hepsut.htm