Rulers of ancient cities did not always have completely loyal subjects, and needed to find ways to consolidate and validate their authority. One of the ways to do that was through iconography and deliberate utilization of symbols that portray a specific message dependent on the ruler’s goal, whether that be to legitimize a female ruler as Hatshepsut did, to establish military prowess and authority through conquest as Narmer did, or to establish a connection with the gods and prosperity as Zimri-Lin did.
Queen Hatshepsut ruled from Thebes (Upper Egypt) during ca. 1479 - 1457 BC, starting out as regent to her youthful of her nephew Thutmose III, but later taking full control of the government and the royal regalia. It was uncommon in Ancient
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Egypt for a female to be independently ruling, so Hatshepsut had to be especially mindful of how she was going to gain legitimacy for her government. One of the methods she utilized, which was observed in statues and depictions of her found in her mortuary temple, was to have herself portrayed with masculine features. She would often be depicted with the usual ceremonial beard commonly present in representations of male pharaohs, and her feminine features were never highlighted, with her hair being covered by the also classic pharaonic headdress, and her breasts were depicted only slightly larger than any man’s. She did differentiate herself from male pharaohs in that she did not have paintings of war or hunting, but instead highlighted her peaceful achievements, such as the trade expedition to Punt. Queen Hatshepsut also had reliefs made in her mortuary temple that depict her birth from the god Amun, as she wanted to consolidate her authority even more: challenging her right to rule was to challenge the god Amun. King Narmer was the unifier of the two Egypts, Upper and Lower, and is supposed to have lived ca.
3050 BC. He ruled Upper Egypt and was able to conquer Lower Egypt during his reign. Differently from Hatshepsut, Narmer had to legitimize his rule because he was a foreign conqueror, and he probably wanted to make sure later generations of Lower Egyptians would not forget what happened to their forefathers and challenge Upper Egyptian rule. The ideas for Narmer’s iconography are represented in the Narmer Palette, a votive gift found at the Temple of Horus at Hierakonpolis. The front side of the Palette shows Narmer with his club about to smite down an enemy, wearing the characteristic white conical crown of Upper Egypt. Also shown in the picture are his sandal-bearer, which gives the notion that Narmer is a serious confrontation for which he had to take off his sandals, and Horus, the patron of the pharaoh, holding prisoner a papyrus man, representative of Lower Egypt. This side of the palette is a reminder that Narmer conquered Lower Egypt through gruesome war, and with the blessing of Horus subjugated Lower Egypt. The backside of the palette contains three discrete scenes. The top one shows Narmer, identifiable by his comparatively larger statute beside the servants depicted in the scene, wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt and inspecting the decapitated bodies of his enemies. The very bottom scene is the portrayal of a bull, a symbol for the pharaoh, trampling a naked …show more content…
adversary and breaking the walls of a city. Both of these are also depictions of the conquest and Narmer’s military supremacy over Lower Egypt. The middle scene makes a different argument for the unification of Lower and Upper Egypt. It portrays two servants subduing monsters which look like a mix between a lion and a snake. These monsters have been interpreted as representing chaos, which is always closely related to snakes due to Apep, a serpent-personified deity in Ancient Egypt, being the embodiment of Isfet, or chaos. With the interpretation that the monsters represent chaos, the image would mean that the unified Egypt has control over chaos and is in order, and if anyone tries to divide the kingdoms Egypt would be plunged back into chaos. Zimri-Lin ruled the region and the city of Mari ca.
1715 – 1700 BC, in the Early Dynastic period of Mesopotamia. During that period, governments were shifting from the ideology that the gods ruled and humans just held the resources in the trust of the gods, and towards the idea that the kings were the ultimate authorities that should be exalted as well. This trend is reflected in the culture of Mesopotamian peoples, with the rise of palace architecture and prevalence of ruler iconography in the walls of these palaces. The most important painting in Zimri-Lin’s palace is the wall painting called ‘Investiture of the king’. Zimri-Lin’s authority is established through this painting by the depiction of himself being handed the insignia of power by the goddess Ishtar, by the scenery of a plentiful garden with water, plants, and animals, and by depictions of two goddesses of fertility. Through these symbols, Zimri-Lin establishes that his authority comes from the gods, and he is blessed by the gods with agricultural plenty, and resources such as water. This is especially significant because of the importance of such resources in the arid region that is Mesopotamia, where securing sources of food and water are of the utmost importance. What is also important about this painting is the place where it is located: the west wall on the court that precedes the antechamber to the throne room. Any foreign dignitary or supplicant that was on his way towards an audience with the king would
see this painting right before going in. This was deliberately placed as a reminder of the king’s authority and his link to the prosperity of the region, commanding respect from any visitors to the king’s residence. Through the conscious use of certain specific symbols, different rulers in ancient cities were able to consolidate their authority and reinforce it against different challenges that could be presented against it, those challenges being the ruler’s sex, their status as a foreign conqueror, or just any general challenge or complaint that someone coming into their throne room could bring up.
Pharaoh Khufu reigned about 2,551 - 2,528 B.C.E. It was during the old kingdom which is also called the Age of the Pyramids. It was called the age of the pyramids because during this time Pharaoh Khufu had the Great Pyramids of Giza built. Pharaoh Hatshepsut reigned about 1,473 - 1,458 B.C.E. This was during the new kingdom. This period of time is also called the Golden Age. It was called this because the Egyptian arts and architecture flourished under her rule. Trade also flourished under her rule.
Looking at this Palette, it isn’t hard to see how the old Egyptian subjects were so entranced by their leaders and how that compares to our modern viewpoints. Where we view politicians and leaders as a wiry group, always keeping an eye on them lest today be the day they raise their daggers against us, the ancient Egyptians saw their leaders as infallible, godlike beings to be trusted, obeyed, and adored. Standing just over 2 feet tall and 1.4 feet wide, this Palette was carved out of a majestic shade of grey-green siltstone, almost shield-like in appearance. Both sides are exquisitely carved out, each one uniquely decorated but both sides containing a central serekh used to identify and in this case even confirm the subject as royalty. This serekh contains the symbols n’r and mr, which as you may have noticed, phonetically spell Narmer. These symbols are surrounded by two bovine heads, which could either represent the Goddess Hathor or Bat. The front s...
In “Hatshepsut: His Majesty, Herself”, by Catherine Andronik, she informs the reader about Hatshepsut and her role as an effective female pharaoh in ancient Egypt. One supporting detail proving her leadership was when she acted as a regent, an adult who can take control of the country. Another detail that supports the fact that Hatshepsut was an effective leader is in paragraph 11 where the text states, “ She appointed officials and advisors, dealt with the priests; appeared in public ceremonies first behind, then beside, and eventually in front of her nephew.” this quote explains that because Hatshepsut’s nephew, Tuthmosis III, was too young to be a powerful ruler, Hatshepsut, who was second in command, ended up doing everything for him. Hatshepsut
Information from the textbook and Hays’s article help illuminate the events depicted and their significance in culture and art of the New Kingdom, and how the style ties into the art of the time.
The Greeks named the city Hierakonpolis, or “City of the Falcon”, in reference to a local god. The falcon god was the predecessor of Horus, the god of order and symbol of Egypt’s kings. Nekhen’s rulers received both ideological and political power through their link with, or personification of, Horus. A statue of Horus placed upon a pole, guarded a large and colorful shrine in the middle of Nekhen where worshippers deposited their sacrificial offerings. The ideological power exuded by Nekhen made it an important spiritual destination. Political power was also expressed in the tombs of the elites and rulers. Tomb 100, located in a cemetery outside of Nekhen, is a royal tomb with painted walls that show how the occupant fought against chaos and upheld the ideals of Horus. Palettes found in Nekhen, similar to the Narmer palette, illustrated the military prowess of rulers and were likely tools of propaganda used to proclaim superior political power over rival
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,
Robins, Gay. "The Names of Hatshepsut as King." Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 85 (1999): 103-12. Jstore. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. .
It came around 3150 BCE. Ancient Egypt was recorded as a series of stable kingdoms. There were three stages throughout the course of ancient Egypt, the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom. The Old Kingdom lasted from 2686-2181 BCE. The Middle Kingdom lasted from 2134-1690 BCE. The New Kingdom lasted from 1549-1069 BCE. Queen Hatshepsut reigned for 20 years of the New Dynasty.
During the time of Ancient Egypt, having strong Pharaohs was essential to the maintenance and growth of the civilization, as the Pharaohs were believed to be living Gods. Although leadership of Ancient Egypt was often male dominated, there were admirable female Pharaohs who successfully gained power and left behind a positive legacy; one woman to achieve this was Hatshepsut, meaning ‘foremost of female nobles’. Her innovation and determination allowed her to maintain her position of Pharaoh for about twenty years (1479-1458 BCE). Hatshepsut was considered to be a very successful leader because of her confidence and ambition, magnificent building projects, and establishment of a strong trading network.
After her father’s death when she was 12, Hatshepsut became the queen of Egypt when she married her half-brother and he became the Pharaoh Thutmose II. He was the son of her father and one of his second wives. During the reign of Thutmose II, Hatshepsut assumed the traditional role of queen and principal wife. During their marriage, Hatshepsut and Thutmose II were not able to produce a male heir but had a daughter named Neferure. Because she was the first and main wife and queen of Thutmose II, when he died, she proclaimed herself the fifth Pharaoh while denying the old Kings son, her nephew.
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...
Throughout history, the idea of what a ruler is has evolved. In ancient societies the style of leadership evolved from royal leadership to politically appointed emperors. Inheritance of a throne and kingship subsided after Alexander the Great’s world domination. Instead, leaders came to power through political and military prowess, and if their leadership was unsatisfactory they would usually be overthrown. With the evolution of leadership throughout ancient times, came the evolution of art portraying the rulers of the era. The personality and authority portrayed in portraits, employ different means of expression. In the ancient Egyptian sculpture of King Menkaure and his Queen, a tetradrachm coin of ancient Greece depicting Alexander the Great, and the portrait sculpture of the emperor Philip the Arab from Rome, it is evident that portrayal of ancient rulers in art evolves in accordance with the political climate.
The Warka Vase is a uniquely large piece that was laboriously built, and carefully decorated. The images on the Warka Vase are significant and have iconographic meanings unique to the Uruk people and the cult of Inana. The images reference common practices in cuneiform and iconography of the time and place the Warka Vase was made and can be cross compared with other pieces from the time to understand the symbolism of this brilliant piece of art. To understand who is in the images, what they are doing and how they relate to one another may bring unique insight to the practices of the cult of Inana.
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.
He was the first king that was ultimately given credit for bringing together the two kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt for the first time in Egyptian history. We were able to gain knowledge of the combination of the two kingdoms through what is known as Narmer’s Palette. Narmer’s Palette has two sides with one side depicting the Pharaoh of the White Crown of Upper Egypt defeating the army of the Lower Egypt. The other side of Narmer’s Palette represents the unification of Egypt as a whole with King Narmer wearing the Double Crown also known as the “Pshent” which was a combination of the White and Red Crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt. He was known as the ruler of the Early Dynastic Period and his unification gave rise to the 1st Dynasty of Kings in