The sarcophagus found at the MFA, which belonged to Thutmose I offers a unique perspective on the reign of his daughter, Hatshepsut. Made for Hatshepsut herself, the sarcophagus was recarved and used for the mummy of Thutmose I. While it was never used for Hatshepsut, the sarcophagus, through the use of its decoration, style, and material, still offers insight into her status, reign, and views on the afterlife.
Hatshepsut uses the sarcophagus of Thutmose I to help legitimize her own reign as king. For Hatshepsut, this sarcophagus was a way to demonstrate her own status and that of her father. The quality and material of the sarcophagus are a testament to Hatshepsut’s economic power because she commissioned it. The sarcophagus is covered in
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Many funerary motifs are virtually unchanged through Egypt’s history including the rectangular, flat-lidded shape of this sarcophagus with a horizontal inscription near the lid which dates back to the Sixth Dynasty (Robins. 24). Many of the decorations on the sarcophagus have a similarly long history. One such image are the wadjet eyes carved into one of its sides. Seen on false doors and sarcophagi alike, this image was vital to Egyptian funerary practice because it allowed the ka to move between the locations of its body and the offerings left in the tomb (Lecture). The images of the gods seen on the sarcophagus are linked to the afterlife as well. The jackal-headed Anubis can be found on two sides of the sarcophagus, while one end features Isis, crowned by a throne, the other shows Nephthys, who is distinguished by a house and basket over her own head (Lecture). These gods were seen repeatedly in depictions of the afterlife, signifying their importance in achieving a happy eternity. Originally meant for Hatshepsut, these images were what she thought to be a necessary part in her achievement of a happy afterlife. In moving her father’s mummy to this sarcophagus, she reinforces her role as Thutmose I’s heir because she ensures that he received the best afterlife possible, the type that she had
Queen Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt during the 18th dynasty, was one of a small handful of female pharaohs. Despite her many achievements, her reign is most remembered for the fact that she was a woman. Her unique story has been a source for dispute among scholars, which has led to a number of conflicting views. The small amount of Hatshepsut’s life that has been documented does not allow us to see the more intimate details of her life. Historians have a broad range of opinions on her, but one thing is certain: her reign provided Egypt with a period of peace and prosperity after 100 years of foreign rule. There are a number of theories involving Hatshepsut’s personal and public life.
The work I chose to analyze was from a wall fragment from the tomb of Ameneemhet and wife Hemet called Mummy Case of Paankhenamun, found in the Art Institute of Chicago. The case of the Mummy Paankhenamun is one of the most exquisite pieces of art produced by the Egyptian people during the time before Christ. This coffin belonged to a man named Paankhenamun, which translates to “He Lives for Amun” (Hornblower & Spawforth 74). Paankhenamun was the doorkeeper of the temple of the god Amun, a position he inherited from his father.
Hatshepsut’s posture of sitting down on the throne gives off great reverence. Her pose gives the idea of royalty and respect as she is sitting rather calmly but also straight up. Hatshepsut’s hands are laid flat on the top of her knees. Her position is very static and still. There is no urgency in her posture, seemingly peaceful and serene. However,...
The name Hatshepsut means “Foremost of Noble Ladies” and as a way to justify becoming pharaoh, she claimed the she was the daughter of the God Amun.
A man dies. He winds his way down into the underworld to reach the banks of the river Acheron where he meets the ferryman Charon. He takes a coin from his mouth to pay the toll across. On the opposite bank he is greeted by a Maenad or perhaps Bacchus himself who offers him a kylix of wine. Drinking deep, the man is transformed and resurrected from death to a higher plane. Instead of living a miserable dream in the underworld he receives redemption from his god Dionysos, the Savior. In Roman imperial times there was a great resurgence of the "Mystery" cults of Greece fueled by the hope of a life after death. In funerary monuments there can be seen the tenets of the religion as well as how it views the afterlife. Within the Los Angeles County Art Museum stands such a vessel created to facilitate this journey to eternal bliss.
“The pharaoh of ancient Egypt is normally described as the typical example of a divine ruler” (J. Ray, Hatshepsut, Vol 44, Issue 5, 1994) The ancient Egyptian world has seen hundreds of pharaohs; some excelled and some didn’t. Many of the pharaohs were men, only few females succeeded in gaining such great power, yet some did... specifically Hatshepsut. Few pharaohs of the 18Th Dynasty have aroused as much controversy as Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut was the sixth pharaoh of the New Kingdom and set up co-regency with her nephew and stepson, Thutmose III. (J. Lawless, Hatshepsut, a Personal Study, 2010) Hatshepsut created many junctions in history through politics, building programmes and military. This makes her so recognised in modern day studies, though almost all evidence of her existence has been partially or completely destroyed. Due to this many theories have been created about the standard of her reign.
The grandeur with which Egyptians regarded their funerary customs does not come without explanation. They delighted in tying the occurrences of the natural world with supernatural dogma, and their burial practices exemplified this deluge of religion. A special deity was even attributed to cemeteries and embalmers: Anubis (Fiero, 46). Due to this deep sense of religion, a fixation with the afterlife developed within their culture. The Egyptian afterlife, however, is not synonymous of heave, but, rather, of The Field of Reeds, a continuation of one’s life in Egypt meant “to secure and perpetuate in the afterlife the ‘good life’ enjoyed on earth” (Mark 1; “Life in Ancient Egypt” 1). The pursuit of this sacred rest-place prompted the arousal of intricate Egyptian funeral rituals.
Through the means of commemorating and remembering those of prestige and importance, tombs and sarcophagi are produced of these individuals. This funerary manner and distinctive burial practice was initiated Etruscan culture and it developed through the means of cremation and inhumation in earns. The concept of placing the remains of individuals in elaborate, thought out spaces was a valuable attribute of these people. The Etruscan objective of creating the best possible outcome in the afterlife dictated the way in which individuals ornamented and became portrayed in their tombs. Presen...
Hatshepsut was bold because while she was her nephew, Tuthmosis III’s regent, she gathered power and influence to unexpectedly name herself pharaoh. In paragraph eleven, it states, “Gradually, over seven years, her power and influence grew. In the end, Hatshepsut was ruling Egypt in all but name.” In addition to this quote, in paragraph twelve, it states, “...Hatshepsut took a bold and unprecedented step: She had herself crowned pharaoh with the large, heavy, red-and-white double crown of the two Egypts…” These quotes explain that Hatshepsut knew that her nephew was too young to be effective and used this to her advantage. Hatshepsut was also bold because she did not want to break the tradition of a male. Instead of dressing as a woman, Hatshepsut appeared as a man in public and took the name of Maatkare. In paragraph fourteen, it states, “She was concerned with preserving and continuing traditional order as much as possible, so to the people of Egypt she made herself look like a man in her role as pharaoh.” This quote supports that Hatshepsut was aware that she broke the men as pharaoh tradition, but wanted people to take her seriously and continued to dress as a man so it did not seem like she was a woman. Despite her dressing as a man, Hatshepsut continued her feminine delights. In paragraph sixteen, it states, “Hatshepsut might have had to look and act like a man in public, but she never gave up feminine pleasures.”
Was she the archetypal wicked stepmother, an unnatural and scheming woman ?of the most virile character who would deliberately abuse a position of trust to steal the throne from a defenceless child? (Gardiner, 1961:184)? Or was she ?an experienced and well-meaning woman who ruled amicably alongside her stepson, steering her country through twenty peaceful, prosperous years who deserves to be commemorated among the great monarchs of Egypt? (Budge, 1902:I)? According to biographer and historian Joyce Tyldesley, Queen or as she would prefer to be remembered, King Hatchepsut became the female embodiment of a male role, whose reign was a carefully balanced period of internal peace, foreign exploration and monument building (Tyldesley, 1996:1). This study will show that it was Hatshepsut the Pharaoh?s devotion to the god Amen and her protection of the maat of 18th Dynasty Egypt that allowed her to forge her successful New Kingdom regime.
"Sarcophagus of the Spouses - Smarthistory." Smarthistory: a multimedia web-book about art and art history. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.
...nt through the women. The power to rule was passed from wife to husband. Kha-merer-nebty II is shown here presenting her husband, Mycerinus, as the pharaoh. Unlike the sculpture of Augustus, this sculpture also has a religious purpose. The Egyptians believed that in order for the “ka” (spirit) to live forever, the body had to be preserved which is why they mummified their bodies. As an extra precaution, sculptures like these were made to serve as a “replacement body” for the ka should something happen to their body.
The sites touched by Thutmose I and II were expanded in Upper Egypt. Hatshepsut built for Horus of Buhen, which was a temple of a temple common in the mid 18th dynasty. Hatshepsut lined the temple with drawings of her and Thutmose III. Although later, when Thutmose III rose to power, he replaced those drawings with those of just him and his father and grandfather. However, parts of the Buhen temples that were moved to the Khartoum Museum, contains scenes of Hatshepsut’s coronation and veneration of her father, Thutmose I. There are no records of any 18th dynasty kings building before Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut also inscribed a lengthy tale on Speos Artemidos, saying that she was the first person to start to restore temples in the area of Memphis since the Hyksos destroyed the area. She claimed to rebuild temples at Hermopolis and at Cusae. This work was claimed to be overlooked by one of her nomarch named, Djehuty. Djehuty was a general under king Thutmose III, and then a nomarch to Hatshepsut. Djehuty had the titles “king's scribe”, “overseer of troops” and “overseer of the northern countries”. Hatshepsut gave the most attention to Thebes. She had a huge focus on the Temple of Karnak, and worked on restoring and expanding on the once great temple. Djehuty had a large role in this project as well. Illustrated on the walls of this temple, was the Queen’s expedition to
Term Paper: Coffin of Tentkhonsu The Egyptians during this period took ample time and detail on the mummification process to ensure a successful transition from the netherworld to rebirth. The Coffin of Tentkhonsu, 1025-980 B.C., it’s a depiction of how the Egyptians valued and honored their elite members of society, as well as their gods. The Coffin of Tentkhonsu, itself dates back to the III intermediate period in Egyptian culture. The Egyptian believe was to join Osiris, whom was believed to have ascended to Netherworld and accomplished eternal life.
An essential characteristic for being a great leader, consistent within many, is confidence. A person may have ideas, but for them to be carried out takes confidence in themselves to bring those ideas to reality. Hatshepsut portrayed herself as a very confident woman by taking the initiative to do things that only Pharaoh’s would commonly do, such as performing certain religious rituals, making offerings directly to the gods, and commissioning various building projects. These actions made it evident that she saw herself as important and powerful, and others soon believed this as well; she was considered as God’s wife of Amen and became a priestess in temple rituals. Hatshepsut also depicted herself as a male—she dressed in a kilt, crown, and wore an artificial beard. This clearly shows that she had great ambition to be King, as she took on the daring task of creating a false persona just so that she could reach her goal. Despite the typical male dominating society, Hatshepsut displayed confidence in herself that she could become ...