Hatshepsut: The Strong Egyptian Female Pharaoh
A statue that belongs to one of the earliest civilizations of ancient history is a significant piece of evidence that connects the present to the past. One such evidence is the Seated Statue of Hatshepsut from the 18th dynasty of New Kingdom Egypt (1550 – 712 B.C.). The artifact is excavated from Upper Egypt (south of the Nile River), Thebes , an important location for trade and expansion. Egypt in the New Kingdom flourished rapidly and unexpectedly in many ways. Accordingly, this statue of Hatshepsut is a quintessential element of that era which represents Egypt’s approach towards a modern ideology – an era that exhibits Egypt’s openness towards a female Pharaoh ruler who redefined Egypt’s strength in trade.
Hatshepsut is the first female Pharaoh who reigns the New Kingdom jointly with Thuthmosis III, after Thuthmosis III becomes the rightful heir to the throne at a very young age post his father’s death. Consequently, Hatshepsut performs all the duties generally a king performs as she plays the role of a regent. However, Hatshepsut claims herself as the Female Horus (a Pharaoh with appropriate power) soon. The Seated Statue of Hatshepsut displays a similar ideology. Upon examining Hatshepsut’s statue, one can clearly identify that it represents a stereotypical Pharaoh, but still recognizable as a female. Additionally, her oval face, female anatomy such breasts, narrow waist, hips, and long legs indicate her delicacy as a
Although there wasn’t any law against women to become ruler. Many believe she was out place when she became ruler. After she died, there was an operation to destroy all images of Hatshepsut from history. However, due to the statues are made out of granite, destroying the statues is extremely difficult. In the artistic convention, there wasn’t a method for a female pharaoh. Hatshepsut accepted to conform to the traditional convention by changing herself to a man. By looking at the Kneeling Statue of Hatshepsut, it depicts her understanding and respect towards the role of a pharaoh in Ancient Egyptian
Throughout history, men typically dominated societies. Men have always appeared to have more respect and rights than women, depending on certain civilizations. In societies like Egypt, men were frequently pharaohs and today, are considered to be great rulers. Women were often expected to take the job of motherhood in Egyptian society. Although this was their anticipated responsibility, women, usually upper class and royal, were still permitted to get an education, to possess property, own businesses, have a job and be involved in military control. Women could also rule as pharaoh, which was an infrequent occurrence but did sometimes happen. Hatshepsut, for example, is one of the few women who became a pronounced leader in the ancient
A woman becoming Pharaoh had been almost unheard of in ancient Egypt until Hatshepsut was born. Hatshepsut was the second daughter of the pharaoh, Thothmes I. After her sister, Neferu-khebit, died, Hatshepsut was the next heir to the throne unless a male married her and became Pharaoh. After Thothmes passed away, Hatshepsut fearfully, yet confidently, claimed the throne and commenced one of the most successful She-Pharaoh reigns ever recorded. Pauline Gedge’s Child of the Morning explained the social, political, economic, and cultural aspects of ancient Egypt’s society during Hatshepsut’s reign as Queen and Pharaoh.
Hatshepsut was born around 15th century B.C., she is the daughter of Tuthmose the first and his wife, Aahmes. When king Tuthmose I died, queen Aahmes married her half-brother, King Tuthmose II. King Tuthmose II died after a short rule and the throne was supposed to be passed down to his son Tuthmose III but he was considered far too young to rule so Hatshepsut ruled in his stead as a regent. Information about Hatshepsut varied a bit, some articles speculated Hatshepsut was the 4th female pharaoh while others say she was the 6th. But without a doubt she was considered one of the greatest pharaohs of all time, even amongst the male counterparts. As a pharaoh, Hatshepsut did things like reestablishing trade routes that has been long lost due to past invaders. By doing this, Hatshepsut was able to turn the economy around and lead Egypt into a period of wealth and prosperous trade. Her allowing an expedition to the land of Punt also wielded excellent results. In total she sent 5 ships accommodating 210 sailors and 30 rowers most likely slaves. They bought back 31 live myrrh tree roots and were the first recorded attempt to plant foreign
Hatshepsut is not only known for being a rare woman ruler during this archaic time period, but also for the representation of her in art- blending imagery of a male king with presentations of herself as a woman. During the early years of her reign, Hatshepsut had herself portrayed in the traditional garb of a woman. However, in the seventh year of Thutmose III’s reign, the year that Hatshepsut took over, she began to be portrayed in male attire, still attempting to further her legitimacy as Egypt’s ruler. The surviving representation in art varies on this masculine and feminine
In one respect, Hatshepsut is viewed as the female pharaoh who had a particularly unsuccessful reign that was devoid of any real achievements. Historians writing in the 1970’s and 1980’s often made sexist and unfounded assumptions about Hatshepsut’s rule, including her apparent scheming to take the throne from the
The statue of Hatshepsut seated down is made with the material limestone. This limestone is lightly colored, which created a larger contrast with the other statues nearby. Her face was carved bringing out her eyes, eyebrows and other facial features. Her eyebrows also come slightly together towards the middle. Her lips forming a slight archaic smile. The dimensions are larger than an average female size. The statue is of great size, yet still in proportion. The body and head fit well with each other overall. However, it is greatly exaggerated in size.
Hatshepsut became a dominant leader during the New Kingdom when she attained legitimate power when she declared herself as Pharaoh. After her husband, Thutmose II died prematurely; he had left a son named Thutmose III that was born to a lesser wife to his successor of the New Kingdom. As Thutmose III was quite young when he ascended the throne, Hatshepsut had the duty to co-regent with the young pharaoh. Together, they reigned for three years. Soon, political crisis started to arise which made Hatshepsut to take on the role of pharaoh in order to save her kingdom. When she enthroned herself, she started to make statues of herself having a beard, muscles and holding a flock and flail. She depicted herself as a man through these statues. Hatshepsut
The Large Kneeling Statue of Hatshepsut is a magnificent piece of art located in the Egyptian section next to many other statues of the great pharaoh Hatshepsut. Out of all the statues of Hatshepsut, the Large Kneeling Statue of Hatshepsut was kept in the best shape and caught a lot of attention from the people in the room. Its great size is something truly remarkable, considering it was built in the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. More importantly, this statue is the first structure in art that depicts a woman leader. Not only is it a truly unique piece of work, but also it is a piece that is revolutionary for its time. The massive size of this statue leaves one wondering if women have always been just as powerful as men, if not more.
Amun and religion played a large role in Hatshepsut’s reign due to the use of a higher being to consolidate her reign. The limestone bust of Hatshepsut as Osiris, a portrait from her mortuary temple at Deir el Bahari depicts her as the male god Osiris, giving her a sense of power as she is depicted as a powerful god, god of
Let’s start with Pharaoh Hatshepsut. This amazing pharaoh was the first girl pharaoh. This pioneer ruled during the new kingdom, otherwise known as the Golden age. She ruled from about 1473 B.C.E to about 1458 B.C.E. This pharaoh encouraged trade in Egypt and in other civilizations. She made her government stronger by filling her government with royal advisers. She also wanted the same respect that people gave to rulers that are men. Some fun facts about her is that sometimes she wore a fake beard and she shared her rule with male
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.
Hatshepsut, also known as the first female pharaoh to obtain full power and one of the most successful rulers of ancient Egypt. Hatshepsut accomplished many things during her reign. She successfully re-established trade routes and construction projects. She also had a successful military career and claims she fought alongside soldiers in battle. Thus making Hatshepsut one of the most successful rulers in ancient Egyptian history.
When we think of the great pharaohs of Egypt, we often think of King Tut and Ramses II, and when we think of great female pharaohs, we think of Cleopatra. However, one of Egypt’s most prominent pharaohs is none of the above. Arguably one of the most underrated pharaohs in terms of their overall impact on Egypt is Hatshepsut. Born to King Thutmose I by the principal wife and queen, Hatshepsut married her half-brother Thutmose II at age 12. After the death of her husband, her stepson and next in line to the throne, Thutmose III, was too young to take the throne, so Hatshepsut took over the reign of Egypt. Hatshepsut was the first female pharaoh with full power over Egypt and was also the longest reigning female pharaoh. Hatshepsut is an important
Through the propaganda she used and hoodwinking of the general populace into believing that she was a man when she was quite obviously a woman, Hatshepsut was able to subvert the patriarchal order to become Pharaoh of Egypt in 1473 BC. By becoming the monarch, Hatshepsut forfeited her representation as a beautiful woman and instead “chose to be represented as a man in both statues and illustrations on temple walls” (Thomas, 2003, p. 9). In doing this she shifted the predominantly male-based system into one that accepted her as a female ruler. An ancient