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Maat-ka-re Hatshepsut (c.1504 BC–1458 BC) was the fifth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. She is regarded variously as the earliest known queen regnant in history, as the first known female to take the title Pharaoh, and the first great woman in history, though all of these claims are contested. Hatshepsut is generally regarded by modern Egyptologists as one of the most successful pharaohs; ruling longer than any female leader of Egypt, except Cleopatra. She was one of the most prolific builders in Ancient Egypt, commissioning hundreds of construction projects throughout Egypt. She also began rebuilding Egypt's trade networks which had been disrupted by the Hyksos occupation of Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period.
She is believed to have ruled from 1473 BC to 1458 BC. Josephus quotes Manetho as stating that she reigned 21 years and 9 months, while Africanus (who was also quoting Manetho) states her reign lasted 22 years. Her name is sometimes spelled Hapshepsut, Hatchepsut, or Hat-shep-set.
Her rule
Upon Thutmose II death, Hatshepsut— as Thutmose III's aunt and stepmother— was selected to be regent until the boy king came of age. At first it seemed that Hatshepsut was patterning herself after the powerful female regents of Egypt's then recent history, but as Thutmose III aproached his majority it became apparent that she had only one model in mind: Sobeknefru, the last monarch of the Twelfth dynasty, who ruled in her own right. However, Hatshepsut took one step further than Sobeknefru and had herself crowned Pharaoh around 1473 BC, taking the throne name Maatkare.
Hatshepsut surrounded herself by strong and loyal advisors, many of whom are still known today: Hapuseneb, the High Priest of Amun; Nehsi a Nubian general, and her closest advisor— the royal steward Senemut. Because of the close nature of Hatshepsut and Senemut's relationship some egyptologists have theorized that Hatshepsut and Senemut were lovers; citing that Hatshepsut allowed Senemut to place his name and an image of himself behind one of the main doors in Djeser-Djeseru (a rare and unusual sharing of credit), that Senemut had two tombs constructed near Hatshepsut't tomb (a standard privalidge for close advisors), and the presence of graffiti in an unfinished tomb, used as a rest house by the workers of Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, depicting a male and a hermaphrodite in pharaonic regalia engaging in an explicit sexual act. Although the belief that Hatshepsut and Senemut were lover is well known, it is highly contested among egyptologist; all that is agreed on is that they were close friends.
As Hatshepsut reestablish the trade networks disrupted during the Hyksos occupation of Egypt durign the Second Intermediate Period, the wealth of the 18th dynasty —that has become so famous since the discovery of the burial of Tutankhamun— began to be collected. Hatshepsut oversaw the preparations for and funded a mission, led by Nehsi, to the Land of Punt. The expedition set out in her name with five ships, each measuring seventy feet long, and with several sails; each ship accommodated 210 men, including sailors and thirty rowers. Many goods were bought in Punt, most notably myrrh, which is said to have been Hatshepsut's favorite fragrance. She had the expedition commemorated in relief at Deir el-Bahri, which is famous for its unflattering depiction of the Queen of Punt.
Although many Egyptologists have claimed that her foreign policy was mainly peaceful, there is evidence that she led successful military campaigns in Nubia, the Levant, and Syria early in her career.
Sources
- Joyce Tyldesley, Hatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh, Penguin Books, 1998, paperback, 270 pages, ISBN 0140244646
- Evelyn Wells, Hatshepsut, Double Day, 1969, hardback, 211 pages
- Caroline Seawright, Hatshepsut, Female Pharaoh of Egypt, touregypt.net, retrieved June 15, 2005
Fiction
- Moyra Caldecott, Hatshepsut: Daughter of Amun, Mushroom, eBook and paperback, 244 pages, ISBN 1843192632
- Pauline Gedge, Child of the Morning, Soho Press, 403 pages, ISBN 0939149850
