Hatshepsut | Teen Ink

Hatshepsut

July 3, 2011
By CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." --Douglas Adams

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." --Marcus Aurelius


Hatshepsut, a woman acknowledged to be the most successful female Pharaoh in Egyptian history, was born in 1508 BCE. Her father was the Pharaoh Thothmes I and her mother was his Chief Royal Wife Aahmose. She had a younger half-brother named Thothmes II, who as the only surviving male offspring of the Pharaoh, should have inherited the throne.

Historians speculate that Hatshepsut had a co-regency with her father during the last few years of his reign, meaning Thothmes was grooming his daughter for the title of Pharaoh, rather than his son. In Hatshepsut’s own tomb is an inscription where her father declared her his heir: “This daughter of mine Khnum-Amun Hatshepsut—may she live!—I have appointed as my successor upon my throne…she shall direct the people in every sphere of the palace; it is she indeed who will lead you. Obey her words, unite yourselves at her command.”

After her father’s death, Hatshepsut began to adopt many titles traditionally held by males and dropped titles that could only be held by women. Amun’s Oracle had pronounced it was the god’s will Hatshepsut become Pharaoh, therefore helping legitimize her claim to the throne. Hatshepsut began to appear in male clothes; she wore the shendyt kilt, the nemes headdress with its uraeus, khat head cloth and false beard. Despite this attempt to legitimize becoming the first female Pharaoh, Hatshepsut was forced to marry Thothmes II and he became Pharaoh instead. Tradition stated that the women in the royal family held the power that legitimized the Pharaohs and Hatshepsut was the only surviving female member of the royal family, so she and Thothmes had to marry.

Thothmes and Hatshepsut had two daughters, Neferura and Merytre-Hatshepsut. Thothmes’ only male heir was Thothmes III, his child by one of his lesser wives, Aset. Thothmes II died shortly after his son’s birth, leaving Hatshepsut the most powerful person in Egypt. She declared herself regent of Thothmes III and in all but name, became the Pharaoh because of Thothmes’ young age. Later, as Thothmes III reached manhood, Hatshepsut dropped all pretences and declared herself Pharaoh circa 1479 BCE.

Hatshepsut’s reign is usually assigned a length of twenty years. Historical records dispute the length of her reign, so there is no way of knowing exactly how long she actually ruled. While historians cannot agree on the length of her reign, they can generally agree on her achievements.

After becoming Pharaoh, Hatshepsut ordered many building projects, some new and some carrying on her father’s unfinished works. Her first independent building projects were two obelisks that were cut at Aswan and raised at Karnak. These were later vandalized during the reign of Thothmes III, who seemed to want to erase all records of his aunt. At Karnak, the religious capital of Egypt, she ordered many temples restored, thus ensuring the favour of the priesthood. She ordered a new tomb built for herself (her first tomb had been smaller, built for her before she was queen) while married to Thothmes II in the Valley of the Kings, but it was never completed. After this tomb was abandoned, she began work at Deir el-Bahri on her famous mortuary temple.

Her mortuary temple was built on an even older site, that of Mentuhotep I’s mortuary temple from the 11th Dynasty. This site has many inscriptions chronicling her reign, but these too were vandalized after her death. Some of the inscriptions refer to military activity, but Hatshepsut was known as a peaceful queen, so these were likely small skirmishes along the borders of Egypt.

On the walls of her tomb, there is also a depiction of her expedition to the land of Punt (probably modern day Somalia). Punt had many things Egyptians desired: myrrh, frankincense, wood, sweet-smelling resin, ivory, spices, gold, ebony and aromatic trees. When the expedition returned laden with tribute, Hatshepsut herself led a procession to the temple of Amun, where inscriptions stated that the god himself and the goddess Hathor guided the expedition. Sacrifices were made and tributes from Punt were transferred to the temple as thanks to Amun for the safe return of her ambassadors.

One of the reasons Hatshepsut’s reign was so successful was the fact that she elevated people to positions of power based on competence rather than birth. One of her most trusted officials was Senmut. Senmut was born a lowly peasant, but slowly rose to power under her rule. During this time, he acquired 40 titles, including the illustrious title of Chief Architect. Senmut was also the man who oversaw the education of Hatshepsut’s eldest daughter, Neferura, and many statues found in his tomb include him holding Neferura protectively. Some historians speculate he was Hatshepsut’s lover (thus explaining his quick rise to power and his role as protector of Neferura), but there is no evidence that can conclusively prove or disprove this theory. Senmut disappeared from all historical records between Year 16 and Year 19 of Hatshepsut’s reign. His mummy was never found and both tombs he built for himself are empty.

There is evidence that Hatshepsut wanted her daughter Neferura to begin a line of female Pharaohs because many titles bestowed on her eldest daughter were those Hatshepsut held herself as a young girl. But this plan was thwarted when Neferura died at a young age. Mertyre-Hatshepsut, her youngest daughter, expressed little interest in ruling as Pharaoh and would later marry her half-brother Thothmes III.

As soon as Thothmes III ascended the throne, Hatshepsut disappeared from all historical records. No one is sure if she was murdered, died or simply retired from politics to let her daughter and nephew rule in peace. But looking at how hard Hatshepsut fought to rule in the first place, the only way Thothmes III would rule was if she was dead. Whether or not she was killed or died of natural causes, we probably will never know.

Hatshepsut ranks not only among the best female Pharaohs, but among the best Pharaohs in Egypt’s long history. Egypt prospered under her rule and her numerous building projects are the reason she is so well remembered. Even though her nephew Thothmes III tried to erase her memory from all records, her mortuary temple and other tombs from the era tell her story. Hatshepsut, the woman Pharaoh, lives on.


The author's comments:
This is an essay I did for English.

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This article has 59 comments.


julian GOLD said...
on Jul. 19 2011 at 10:39 am
julian GOLD, Eugene, Oregon
17 articles 17 photos 223 comments

Favorite Quote:
The goal is not about living forever, the goal is about creating something that can.

Well, I learned something today! Good job, it was really well written; I'm sure you got an "A" on it. The only thing I would say to add would be an anecdote, just describe in detail a certain part in the history in story form, to make it more interesting. But that's only to improve on it, since its already really good.

on Jul. 18 2011 at 10:27 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." --Douglas Adams

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." --Marcus Aurelius

Cleopatra, pah!  Hatshepsut was a much better Pharaoh than her.  She didn't need a man to keep her in power! :)  Can you tell I don't like Cleopatra?

on Jul. 18 2011 at 10:22 pm
whitstar27 GOLD, Edison, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 38 comments

Favorite Quote:
when life gives you lemons, make grape juice. Then step back and let the world wonder how you did it
and
when life gives you lemon, throw them back at life

I like how you wrote about Hatshpsut. You hear so much about Cleopatra, but you rarely hear about her. I liked how you chose her, especially because she was a strong, female leader

on Jul. 18 2011 at 7:13 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." --Douglas Adams

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." --Marcus Aurelius

Thanks!  It's comments like this that keep me writing nonfiction as well as fiction. :)  I'm glad my article interested you.

on Jul. 18 2011 at 2:17 pm
littlelilith SILVER, Dallas, Texas
5 articles 1 photo 39 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Your perspective may very well be the determining factor in whether you pass the test."

This was written really well. I saw no spelling or punctuation errors, and it was interesting, as well! I might add that history hardly ever interests me. Anyway, keep writing! You very well may make me interested in history. :)

on Jul. 17 2011 at 9:20 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." --Douglas Adams

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." --Marcus Aurelius

No, I haven't been to Egypt.  But I do want to go there someday when the country has calmed down a bit.

Thanks for commenting!


on Jul. 17 2011 at 7:47 pm
Bushra Ghaniwala BRONZE, Oakbrook, Illinois
2 articles 0 photos 14 comments

History isn't my thing, and I usually refrain from read such pieces. This however was quite well-written and kept my interest. I think your pieces are increasing my interest in Egyptian history. 

Have you ever been there? Just wondering.. :p


on Jul. 17 2011 at 1:33 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." --Douglas Adams

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." --Marcus Aurelius

Thank you!  Hatshepsut isn't famous among most people (they usually remember Tutankhamun, the boy pharaoh), but she is famous among people interested in ancient Egypt.

on Jul. 17 2011 at 2:18 am
Autumn-Rain SILVER, West Lafayette, Indiana
9 articles 1 photo 74 comments
I really liked it... Very informative and intriguing. Hatshepsut is a pharoah that isn't that famous...and not many people know about. So it makes it all the more intresting to read

on Jul. 16 2011 at 6:13 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." --Douglas Adams

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." --Marcus Aurelius

Thank you!  I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

tealbird said...
on Jul. 16 2011 at 6:13 pm
Ok, I should just start by letting you know that I hate history. But once I started reading, I couldn't stop. It was really informative, but really intriguing. Really good job!

on Jul. 15 2011 at 7:27 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." --Douglas Adams

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." --Marcus Aurelius

Thank you!  :)

Shayna121 GOLD said...
on Jul. 15 2011 at 3:44 pm
Shayna121 GOLD, Port Charlotte, Florida
12 articles 0 photos 35 comments

Favorite Quote:
I am the master of my fate and the captain of my soul.

So I think that you could write for the History Channel or something like that because this was wonderful. I learned something new today. Really informative, nice editing, clearly well-researched... I can tell you put alot of work into this...

on Jul. 14 2011 at 8:02 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." --Douglas Adams

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." --Marcus Aurelius

Thanks for commenting!  I'm glad you learned something from my article. :)

on Jul. 14 2011 at 8:01 pm
Garnet77 PLATINUM, Sinagpore, Other
31 articles 6 photos 577 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Everything's a triangle." ~ My mother

"Write what you love, write what you care about, because sometimes, it's the easiest way to be heard."

This was very informative. I learned a few things today :) I liked the way you varied your sentence structure, and you made the inforation flow very well, thus resulting in it being easy to read. Amazing :)

on Jul. 14 2011 at 1:22 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." --Douglas Adams

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." --Marcus Aurelius

Thanks for commenting, ArgonElement!  I would return the favour, but I think I've commented on all your work.

on Jul. 14 2011 at 1:21 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." --Douglas Adams

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." --Marcus Aurelius

Yep, I got 100%.  Thanks for commenting!

And I'll definitely check out your new chapters when they're up. :)


on Jul. 14 2011 at 11:05 am
NinjaGirl BRONZE, Valley City, North Dakota
1 article 0 photos 202 comments

Favorite Quote:
The only thing holding us back in life is our desire to stay where we are and not venture further.
~Some random person on the Internet :P

I'm guessing you got an A+ on this? :P I don't usually get into ancient Egyptian stuff-- although I do find it interesting-- but you always pull me into your writing at the first paragraph. Wonderful job. :) PS-- it wuld be awesome if you could check out my page again in a few days, because the first two chapters continuing my prologue will be up! (They've already been posted but I need to fix the paragraphing to make them easier to read.)

on Jul. 14 2011 at 9:03 am
ArgonElement SILVER, The Woodlands, Texas
6 articles 0 photos 62 comments

Favorite Quote:
Question Authority.

Usually, I don't enjoy non-fic articles. But, I liked this one. It was informative and still flowed well. And Hatshepsut, is like my new idol.