“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.
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...
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...y, 1993, studies in ancient Egypt, NLoA, pg. 150-151.
4. John Ray, 1994, History Today; Hatshepsut, vol. 44, issue 5.
5. Hatshepsut - The Woman Who Was King. 2014. Hatshepsut - The Woman Who Was King. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.discoveringegypt.com/Hatshepsut.html. [Accessed 26 February 2014].
6. Ancient History, Charles Sturt University, state of New South Wales, 2014. Online: http://www.hsc.csu.edu.au/copyright/index.htm
7. Jennifer Lawless, 2010, Hatshepsut, A Personal Study, Cengage Learning.
8. Men Of Studies, Bored of Studies, 2008, Hatshepsut’s Foreign Policies, Online, Available at: http://community.boredofstudies.org/339/egypt/185108/foriegn-policy-hatshepsut.html
9. Owen Jarus, Live Science Contributor, Hatshepsut: First Female Pharaoh | LiveScience. 2014. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.livescience.com/28510-hatshepsut-first-female-pharaoh.html.
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
The success of the king’s rule became based on the approval or rejection of the god Amun-Re. Thus, Amun was used as a platform for political propaganda, with pharaohs such as Hatshepsut and Thutmose III using the God to legitimise their claims to the throne, as evidenced for Thutmose III on the Temple of Tiraqa: ‘I have achieved this according to that which was ordained for me by my father, Amun-Re’. Concepts of the divine oracles and the divine birth of the king became a theme for pharaohs of the 19th dynasty, and afforded them heightened legitimacy. Hatshepsut’s divine birth scenes on her mortuary temple in Deir el Bahri depicts her claim to be the daughter of Amun, manipulating the public to believe in her divine birth. Additionally, Thutmose IV’s ‘dream stela” erected between the paws of the sphinx, which claimed that he had been granted the kingship because he had freed the monument according to instruction from gods. Some historians have dismissed these building projects, which consolidated the importance and authority of the state cult of Amun-Re as mere political propaganda. However, it is more the point that they reflect a significant change in the Egyptian political landscape, as it became dependent on and connected to the sustained pre-eminence of the cult of Amun-Re and the religious unity that eventuated. Therefore, the amun
Robins, Gay. "The Names of Hatshepsut as King." Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 85 (1999): 103-12. Jstore. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. .
Ancient Egypt is home to one of the greatest female pharaoh. Queen Hatshepsut. She was the first female pharaoh and did great things.
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.
Cleopatra, born in 69 B.C., was an Egyptian Queen and the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. She was from Greek descent and a member of the Ptolemies, who ruled Egypt for nearly 300 years. In just her early twenties, Cleopatra became Queen of Egypt following the death of her father and the defeat of her siblings. Popularly, she is remembered because of her physical beauty, love affairs, and the tragedy of her life. But more importantly she should be celebrated as a commanding female leader who used her intellect to exercise considerable power and influence in a male-dominated world.
Hatshepsut was one of ancient Egypt’s most outstanding rulers. Hatshepsut meaning ‘Foremost of Noble Women’ was the first female pharaoh of Kemet, she was the longest reigning female pharaoh reigning for more than 20 years. She built sensational temples and successfully defended Egypt’s borders very well. However, after her death in 1457 BC, her monuments were pulled down, her name and legacy were demolished from history. It would be over 3,000 years before her story was talked about again.
Hatshepsut is the most influential person in our modern day society. Many powerful people today still have her mindset of wealth and trade and have copied many of her strategies. Hatshepsut had a great mind, she had great ideas of how to grow her country, she ruled Egypt for twenty years in the eighteenth century. Under her rule Egypt prospered greatly thanks to her great leadership and her intelligent thinking.
Introduction: Cleopatra VII Philopator was one of the most influential queens of Egypt. She was born around 69 B.C. in Alexandria, Egypt and died 39 years later, around 30 B.C. Cleo was the third daughter of Ptolemy XII, also known as Auletes, "the Piper" (Nardo 12). In order to become a successful queen, she persevered and grew from her father's mistakes. Cleopatra "learned her political lessons by watching the humiliating efforts of her father to maintain himself on the throne of Egypt by buying the support of powerful romans" ("Cleopatra"). When her father died in 51 B.C., the ministers of her brother, Ptolemy XIII, were afraid that Cleopatra wanted to rule alone and hence, drove her from Egypt in 48 B.C. Cleopatra was determined to be the queen of Egypt and did everything in her power to get the throne.
Cleopatra is a name that was given to many Queens who ruled in Egypt. The most famous of these women was Cleopatra VII. She was the daughter of Ptolemy XII, King of Egypt. Cleopatra VII lived from 69-30 B.C. and reigned as queen of Egypt from 51-30 B.C. (Stanly). Cleopatra is said to be far from beautiful, her picture on ancient coins made her look like she had a long hooked nose and masculine features. She is also said to be very seductive with her enchanting musical voice and exuded charisma. She was also very intelligent and a great ruler. She spoke nine different languages. She was the only Eqyptian Queen who could actually speak Egyptian (History).
One common thread running through the remarkable stories of these three legendary women is the state of conflict and confusion their homelands were in prior to their ascent into leadership. Hatshepsut’s quest for power went against all the conventions and expectations of her time. Growing up in a royal family, Hatshepsut was the single heir to the throne, as the only child of Thutmose I. Due to her royal lineage; she was expected to rule as queen. The early death of her father left her to step up as queen at the age of 12. She then, “married her half brother Thutmose II” ("Hatshe...
Cleopatra VII, one of the most renowned female ruler in history to be last the last one of her family line of Pharaohs. The myths and stories that surrounded her life have made her the subject of books, movies, and plays. Cleopatra VII has been fascinated people throughout the years, but has been misunderstood by all of them.