Hatshepsut Essay

From Queen to Pharaoh

Throughout world history, there have been many rulers. In ancient Egypt, rulers are called Pharaohs. The Pharaohs ruled Egypt with great power. The Egyptians looked at Pharaohs as God kings. Though, there had been many male Pharaohs in the past, there once emerged a new type of Pharaoh, a woman. The first female Pharaoh, Hatshepsut. This paper will prove that Hatshepsut gained power as a female Pharaoh because she took advantage of the opportunity of being a Pharaoh, she convinced her people that she is a god, and is the daughter of a successful king.

In the beginning, Hatshepsut was able gain power because she took advantage of the opportunity of being a Pharaoh. History.com states, “According to custom, Hatshepsut began acting as Thutmose III’s regent, handling affairs of state until her stepson came of age.” Hatshepsut took advantage of the period of time when her stepson was not old enough to become a

pharaoh himself and served as a regent. Once Hatshepsut had the power, she accomplished things that successful Pharaohs would do, such as increasing trade and building monuments and temples. The article on ancient.ed states, “Hatshepsut, maintained the status quo by taking action such as trade expansion, ensured the economy prospered, and restored and built monuments and temples. She also performed the religious rituals only a pharaoh could perform and had her image depicted as a conventional Pharaoh in male garb thereby maintaining “Maat”.” By doing things that impacted the empire, it portrayed to her people that she is a strong ruler. When time came for her stepson Thutmose III to take over the throne, she did not want to give it up, therefore, she had to find a plan in order for her to keep her power. LiveScience.com wrote, “She took on a full throne name, and statues were created depicting her as a male king, right down to the beard.” Since a Pharaoh had to be a male, she projected herself to be more masculine. In carving on the walls, Hatshepsut wore the traditional beard and she is portrayed as a male. By taking advantages of opportunities, Hatshepsut was able to rule egypt for many years.
In addition to taking advantage of opportunities she also persuaded her people to think that she is God.

Hatshepsut invented a story saying the god Amun, talked to her about ruling the land. Lucy de Masson from ancient.ed writes, “Hatshepsut claimed that Amun had named her as ruler of Egypt: “Amun, the Lord of Thebes; he caused that I should reign over the Black and Red Land”. Not only does Hatshepsut make up stories, she also built temples where common people could worship her. The Deir el-Bahari is one of the most significant buildings built by the Egyptians. It was built to honor Hatshepsut, as a Pharaoh and God. Hatshepsut built numerous temples, livescience.com states, “As a ruler, Hatshepsut inaugurated building projects that far outstripped those of her predecessors,” Hatshepsut also built many other buildings in locations such as, Qasr Ibrim, Semna, Faras and Buhen. By having numerous amounts of temples, it shows the ability of the Pharaoh. Hatshepsut has surpass many of the male Pharaohs and all of these projects proves

it.
Hatshepsut is the daughter of a very successful king. History.com states, “Knowing that her power grab was highly controversial, Hatshepsut fought to defend its legitimacy, pointing to her royal lineage and claiming that her father had appointed her his successor.” Hatshepsut’s father Thutmose I is a very successful king that pushed Egypt borders further than ever before. Hatshepsut claimed that her father had made her his successor, so therefore she was able to justify to the throne. History.com states, “Hatshepsut was the elder of two daughters born to Thutmose I and his queen, Ahmes.” In Addition Hatshepsut was the only true royal that survived. It was not unusual to get married within the family in ancient Egypt. Hatshepsut was necessary for her step-brothers to become a pharaoh because Tuthmosis III is not fully royal, his mother is Tuthmosis II’s other wife. Hatshepsut had one other sisters but she did not live past childhood making Hatshepsut the only full blooded royal. From claiming that her father made her his successor and being the only royal that surpass her childhood, Hatshepsut gained great power.
Hatshepsut gained power as a female Pharaoh because she took advantage of the opportunity of being a Pharaoh, she convinced her people that she is a god, and is the daughter of a successful king. Hatshepsut plays a big role in creating history, from the monuments, and temples she built. The architectural skills the Egyptians had in the past is greatly admirable. The buildings lasted for thousands of years through the harsh desert weather and is still there as tourist attractions. From the structure left behind historians are able to find out more and more about history.