Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple
Located on the western bank of the Nile, lies one of the most beautiful of the royal mortuary temples in Egypt. This temple has very intricate artwork and creative architecture for a structure built in that time. This amazing temple still stands today.
Queen Hatshepsut was born in Thebes, Egypt in 1508 BC. She was the first great female ruler in history. Some pharaohs were great warriors. Others were famous for the elaborate temples and monuments they built. Hatshepsut was famous for a different reason. She was the first successful female pharaoh to sit on Egypt’s throne. She began having herself depicted in the traditional king’s kilt and crown, along with a fake beard and male body. This was not meant to trick people into thinking she was male, but since there were no words or images to portray a woman with this royal status, it was a way of asserting her authority as a female ruler (ancientegyptonline.co.uk).
Queen Hatshepsut was the longest reigning female pharaoh of Egypt. She reigned for more than 20 years. She was the most successful pharaoh of her time. She served as queen with her husband, Thutmose II. After the death of Thutmose II, his son
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Thutmose III, was next in line to the throne, but was too young to reign on his own. Therefore, Queen Hatshepsut reigned as regent until he was old enough. She reigned peacefully, building temples and monuments. After her death, Thutmose III erased her inscriptions and tried to eradicate the memory of Queen Hatshepsut to claim her glory as his own (biography.com). It is not known how she died or was superseded. Many of her portraits were destroyed after her death, no doubt on orders from Thutmose III (bluffton.edu). Hatshepsut’s successful transition from queen to pharaoh was 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 Senmut. He had been among the Queen’s servants and rose with her in power, and some think that he was her lover as well. Unlike other rulers in her time, Hatshepsut was not interested on conquering new lands. She was more concerned about Egypt’s well-being as a country (biography.com). This temple was constructed by Senmut, who was the Queen’s advisor. The temple is located on the western bank of the Nile (which is Western Thebes, the capital of Egypt during the New Kingdom). This is one of the most beautiful of the royal mortuary temples. The terraces were different then, with gardens of frankincense trees and other rare plantings brought from Punt, a place that appears in painted reliefs decorating the walls of one of the colonnades (bluffton.edu). Construction of the temple of Hatshepsut took fifteen years, between the 7th and the 22nd years of her reign. The site chosen by Hatshepsut for her temple was the product of precise calculations: it was situated not only in a valley considered sacred for over 500 years to the principal feminine goddess connected with the funeral world, but also on the axis of the temple of Amun of Karnak. It stood at a distance of only a few hundred meters in a straight line from the tomb that the Queen had ordered excavated for herself in the Valley of the Kings on the other side of the mountain. On the first level of the temple, in the first courtyard, Hatshepsut planted a beautiful garden in which she planted trees from her trading expedition to Punt. Behind the courtyard, there was a colonnade with many reliefs. Most of these reliefs have been destroyed. None of the reliefs that remain have Queen Hatshepsut in them. The reliefs that were not destroyed, have Thutmosis III. On the second level of the temple, there is a ramp.
It starts from the first courtyard and goes to the second level with two lions beside it. Behind the terrace, there are rows of columns on each side of the ramp that goes to the third level.
On the right side of the ramp, there is a Birth colonnade. There are reliefs that tell the story of Hatshepsut’s birth. One of the reliefs has a god breathing into Hatshepsut’s mother’s mouth. That is how she is pictured to be conceived. Another relief shows her mother being led to the birthing room by the goddess of childbirth. In another relief, she is born while the goddess of historical records, records her birth. Most of these reliefs have been changed by her stepson, Thutmose III, to eradicate the memory of Queen Hatshepsut
(touregyptonline.net). The Punt colonnade is located to the left of the ramp that leads to the third level. This colonnade depicts Hatshepsut’s successful trip to Punt. The reliefs of this colonnade contain depictions of Hatshepsut leaving Egypt in two boats and arriving in Punt. In one relief, a group of men make a camp to protect traders. The Chief of Punt and his wife welcome the foreigners saying: "How have you arrived at this land unknown to the men of Egypt? Have you come down from the roads of the Heavens? Or have you navigated the sea of Ta-nuter? You must have followed the path of the sun. As for the King of Egypt, there is no road which is inaccessible to His Majesty; we live by the breath he grants to us." Another relief has the Chief of Punt and his wife greeting and being introduced to an officer of Egypt. The next depiction shows the Chief showing the Egyptians their village. The next relief depicts the Egyptians holding a feast for the people of Punt. The Egyptians return to Egypt with many precious gifts given to them by the people of Punt. There were many items such as: trees, silver, gold, fabrics, also animals as well as people. The Hathor Chapel is a chapel dedicated to the goddess Hathor. Hathor was one of the most powerful and feared female god. The Hathor Chapel is located at the southern end of the second level. There are many depictions of Hatshepsut dancing for Hathor and sitting between Hathor and Amun-Ra. This chapel was carved into the living rock which was a mountain the temple is built against. On the second level at the northern end, is the Anubis Chapel. The chapel is dedicated to the jackal-headed god Anubis. This chapel is very small. It has a roof supported by columns. All of the reliefs depicting Hatshepsut have been destroyed most likely by Thutmose III (ancientegyptonline.co.uk). Most of the remaining reliefs in the chapel are of the god, Anubis. Thutmose III is also shown worshipping the god Sokar (Royal Tombs of Egypt). On the third level, there is a doorway that leads back to a court with a chapel dedicated to the solar cult on the right and the royal cult on the left. In the Ancient Egyptian culture, they considered pharaohs to be gods. Cults are said to have worshiped the gods. There are many pictures of Hatshepsut’s royal family in this chapel. Behind the courtyard lies the sanctuary of Amun. It was cut into the mountain of the living rock. She built it pointing toward her tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Since he is the god of the sun, she thought that when the sun rose, it would shine on her tomb. (ancientegyptonline.co.uk). Psalm 97:9 says: “For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.” The gods that Queen Hatshepsut thought were so great are now only worn images and are limited to stories. Only the true God is great and lives forever. She built the temple for immortality, but only God is eternal. From the human aspect, this temple is an amazing accomplishment. It must have been a wonder walking through it all of those thousands of years ago. Queen Hatshepsut proved that a great ruler can be a woman. This temple is proof of her great power and wealth as the ruler of Egypt.
These two statues are famous to the Egyptian art era. They represent the woman’s position and the man’s position at that day and age. Traditionally, the rulers of Egypt were male. So, when Hatshepsut, Dynasty 18, ca. 1473-1458 B.C., assumed the titles and functions of king she was portrayed in royal male costumes. Such representations were more for a political statement, rather than a reflection of the way she actually looked. In this sculpture, she sits upon a throne and wears the royal kilt and the striped nemes (NEM-iss) headdress with the uraeus (cobra) and is bare chested like a man. However, she does not wear the royal beard, and the proportions of her body are delicate and feminine.
Hatshepsut, declared herself king during the reign of her stepson and nephew, Thutmose III. She adopted the full titulary of a pharaoh, and since this was traditionally a man’s role, she wore the nemes-headcloth, the shendyt-kilt and a fake beard as part of the ceremonial attire of the Egyptian king. This is portrayed in her life-size statue “White Hatshepsut” at the MET.
Hatshepsut’s reign especially leaves much to the scholar’s speculation and interpretation since little evidence is left. The reader must acknowledge how an author’s views may be construed by sexism and other concepts prevalent in their time. What these five authors imply about Hatshepsut’s personality and attitude concerning her political ascent, her usage of propaganda, and her achievements during that time all differ from each other, some more drastically than others. This certainly shows that when one reads of history, their research should span as far as possible in order to most accurately inform themselves of what truly happened; it is from there that they can formulate the best
Before Hatshepsut, there were other woman who attempted to rule over Egypt. Every time a woman came to power, there was some sort of problem that was left for them to solve. Unlike Hatshepsut, the other woman did not have any confidence to name themselves pharaoh and they did not grow up in the royal family like Hatshepsut did. In paragraph 13, it states, “A few women had tried to rule Egypt before, but never would search valid claim to the throne,” and, “These women had not ruled long or well and neither had had the audacity to proclaim herself pharaoh.” These quotes explain that Hatshepsut was recognized for taking power at a good time and not stepping
This Large Kneeling Statue of Hatshepsut (ca. 1473-1458 BCE), shows the pharaoh Hatshepsut kneeling and providing an offering either for balance or order. For a few reasons those first viewing this statue will assume that it’s just another depiction of a male pharaoh. Firstly, women as rulers were extremely uncommon in Egypt. Visually, the statue almost appears to be male. The body composition is rather bulky for a woman and is fitted with a facial beard. The clothing is that of a male ruler and the facial expression is serious and confident. The statue itself is giving no emotion, she looks serious as though she is not trying to give an expression, but could intel that she is a rightful ruler as any male pharaoh before her.
Carved in Red Granite and measuring at 8' 6'' tall, the statue begins at the base with a large block with a rounded facade. Hatshepsut rests on her knees atop the block, her posture is perfect with a completely vertical back. She is facing straight ahead, the typical headdress and beard of the pharaoh are shown prominently. Her arms are lowered, bringing her wrists to rest on the top-most part of her thighs. In each hand she holds an offering jar. The whole piece is carved out of the one block of stone in a subtractive manner—meaning the stone is chipped away at.
The fundamental features of the Warrior Pharaoh image during New Kingdom Egypt included; leading his soldiers into battle and returning in victory, attacking the enemy in his horse-drawn chariot which was adopted from the Hyksos, wearing war regalia , larger than life expectations and finally offering the spoils of war to the god Amun, the inspiration of his victory. Due to the absence of the their pharaohs on military campaigns, the Queens began to play a more prominent role within the New Kingdom Egypt’s society, however this was a short term consequence of the civil war as it was only necessary when the Pharaoh left to go to war or on a campaign. The rise in roles and prominences amongst the Queen’s slowly decreased towards the end of the war until Hatshepsut comes into power. After this the Queen’s involvement seems to disappear and we begin to no longer hear about
Hatshepsut was born in 1508 B.C., daughter of Thutmose I. Thutmose I was the third king of the 18th century, son of a military man. He did not take to the throne as son of a former king, but due to unknown circumstances he rose to the throne. His reign ended in 1493B.C.. Thutmose I was succeeded by his son Thutmose II. After the death of Hatshepsut’s father at age twelve,
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,...
Ancient Egypt is home to one of the greatest female pharaoh. Queen Hatshepsut. She was the first female pharaoh and did great things.
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 ...
Roehrig, Catharine H., Renée Dreyfus, and Cathleen A. Keller. Hatshepsut, from Queen to Pharaoh. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005. Print.
Hatshepsut was the first female pharaoh of Egypt. She reigned between 1473 and 1458 B.C. Her name means “foremost of noblewomen.” (O. Jarus, The First Female Pharaoh, 2013) Some sources state that queen Hatshepsut was the first great woman in recorded history; according to Jennifer Lawless she was the forerunner of such figures as Cleopatra, Catherine the Great and Elizabeth I. (J. Lawless, Personalities of the past. Pg. 33-34), yet other sources testify. Hatshepsut came to power at the death of her husband, Thutmose Il. She denied her nephew's claim to the throne and stated Amun-Ra had spoken and declared that she would be Pharoah. “She dressed like Pharoah, even wearing a fake beard to give traditional image of a King to her people who accepted her without issue.” (R. Stevenson, Hatshepsut; the Woman Who Was King, 2009) Despite...
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.
At the time, these obelisks were the tallest in the world, and one of them still stands today. The bottom of the obelisks showed images from Hatshepsut’s life, and these images were spared. However, there was a wall built around them to cover up the figures of her reign. The wall, according to archaeology, was not put in until 20 years after her death. Bibliography Roehrig, Catherine, editor.