{"id":7867,"date":"2021-11-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-22T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=7867"},"modified":"2022-01-07T14:04:38","modified_gmt":"2022-01-07T13:04:38","slug":"spotlight-on-hatshepsuts-journey-to-the-top","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/2021\/11\/23\/spotlight-on-hatshepsuts-journey-to-the-top\/","title":{"rendered":"Spotlight on: Hatshepsut\u2019s journey to the top"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SPOTLIGHT ON…<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
THE LIVES OF HISTORY\u2019S MOST FAMOUS FIGURES<\/span><\/h5>\n\n

Hatshepsut\u2019s journey to the top<\/h2>\n\n

Hatshepsut is one of only a handful of female pharaohs to have ruled ancient Egypt \u2013 but should her legacy be that of a strong, effective ruler, or of a scheming stepmother desperate for power?<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
A statue of Hatshepsut on display at the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo. Until the 19th century, surprisingly little was known about the skilled ruler\u2019s reign<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
\"\"
A relief image depicting Hatshepsut\u2019s half brother and
husband, Thutmose II. His death in 1479 BC paved the way
for Hatshepsut to rule first as regent, and then as co-ruler <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

H<\/span>atshepsut was born into one of the most famous dynasties to ever rule ancient Egypt: the 18th dynasty. Founded by Ahmose I around 1550 BC, this sprawling family tree would go on to include some of the most well-known pharaohs in history, including the \u2018boy king\u2019 Tutankhamun and \u2018heretic king\u2019 Akhenaten.<\/p>\n\n

Yet, despite being of royal descent \u2013 her father was King Thutmose I \u2013 Hatshepsut was never expected to rule Egypt. Before Hatshepsut was born, Thutmose I had sired a son with another wife, Mutnofret, who then acceded the throne as Thutmose II upon his father\u2019s death in around 1492 BC. To protect the dynasty from rival families, Hatshepsut was then married to her half-sibling, and subsequently gave birth to a daughter, Neferure. But in 1479 BC, Thutmose II died, too, leaving his young son from another marriage \u2013 Thutmose III \u2013 to inherit the throne. As was customary at the time, Hatshepsut became regent on behalf of her stepson, who was around three years old.<\/p>\n\n

Taking the reign<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

After serving as regent for a few years, Hatshepsut began demanding more political power, and was duly promoted to the position of co-ruler alongside Thutmose III. Despite her title, historians have argued that it was Hatshepsut who dominated political decisions, and that Thutmose III\u2019s involvement in matters of government was minimal. Similarly, experts are also divided as to Hatshepsut\u2019s motive for taking control of the throne: while some have argued that she was driven by a thirst for power, more recent scholarship suggests that she did so to protect the throne from a rival branch of the royal family.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cDespite her title as co-ruler, historians have argued that it was Hatshepsut who dominated political decisions\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Either way, the reforms she introduced would prove hugely important. Determined to demonstrate her authority as a legitimate pharaoh, Hatshepsut massively expanded Egypt\u2019s economy, launching a trading expedition to the Land of Punt \u2013a wealthy kingdom that is thought to have existed somewhere along the Red Sea coast. The mission, commemorated on the walls of the temple at Deir el-Bahri, saw Egyptian ships return home with masses of gold and ivory and numerous myrrh trees, making it a very fruitful venture indeed.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Similarly, Hatshepsut sought to secure her legacy by embarking on huge architectural projects, constructing new places of worship, and restoring the grand Temple of Karnak, which had originally begun life during the reign of King Senusret I in 1971 BC. At Karnak, she also added a chapel and two obelisks that both measured nearly 100 feet tall.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
An aerial view of Hatshepsut\u2019s mortuary temple, which forms part of the wider Deir el-Bahri complex near the city of Luxor<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

After many years in power, Hatshepsut died in around 1458 BC, although archaeologists are unsure of the precise date. She was then laid to rest in the Valley of the Kings, and in accordance with her wishes, her father\u2019s sarcophagus was interred with her in the same tomb: a sign of the high regard Hatshepsut held him in.<\/p>\n\n

Deciphering the truth<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

But Hatshepsut\u2019s story doesn\u2019t end there. Following her demise, Thutmose III became Egypt\u2019s sole pharaoh, embarking on a period of rule that was to last more than 30 years. Eager to carve out his own legacy, he set about erasing evidence of Hatshepsut\u2019s reign.<\/p>\n\n

Again, however, historians are divided as to the ruler\u2019s motives. Whereas it was originally thought that Thutmose was bitter about the power his stepmother had wielded, experts have suggested that his eagerness to expunge her from the record was because he faced usurpation by rival family members. By delegitimising her, he could strengthen his position on the throne and ensure his own heir\u2019s succession.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Detail from a defaced relief of Hatshepsut inside the Temple of Karnak. Following Hatshepsut\u2019s death, her surviving co-ruler \u2013 Thutmose III \u2013 sought to erase her legacy in order to consolidate his own reign<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

As a result of Thutmose\u2019s actions, there was very little evidence of Hatshepsut\u2019s rule until the 19th century, when archaeologists began translating the hieroglyphics adorning the walls of Deir el-Bahri. These ultimately revealed her position as a pharaoh, and her remarkable successes as a ruler. <\/p>\n\n

The exact whereabouts of Hatshepsut\u2019s mummy, however, would remain a mystery for several generations. Howard Carter, the British archaeologist who later discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, located the first of Hatshepsut\u2019s sarcophagi (one of three she prepared) in 1903, but it was found to be empty. A year later, two further sarcophagi were tracked down in the Valley of the Kings, but it wasn\u2019t until 2007 that a mummy was finally identified as being the remains of Hatshepsut. Although some experts have since cast doubt on this identification, one thing is undisputed: Hatshepsut\u2019s legacy as a trailblazing female ruler is now secure. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
The mummified remains of a woman thought to be Hatshepsut can be viewed at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo \u2013 although not all experts agree with the identification<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

PICTURE CREDITS: ALAMY X5, GETTY IMAGES X1<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Inside the Egyptian queen\u2019s unlikely rise to power, plus her legacy today<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":8348,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"24","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"24","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_24-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_24-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"Christmas-2021","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"Christmas-2021","purple_external_id":"Christmas-2021-24-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"Christmas-2021-24-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000090391||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000090391||","purple_android_product":"com.im.historyrevealed.102","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.historyrevealed.102","purple_ios_product":"com.im.historyrevealed.102","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.historyrevealed.102","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"a2288b80-d22c-492c-8b11-acb0804789ee","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2021-12-06T14:17:30Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"f9c7572e-8e8e-4576-89bf-9b646f5045ad","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-01-07T13:04:45Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A-cdXLo6ORXaJv5tkb1BFrQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[16],"tags":[55],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/BWWT1Y-sq-scaled.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"5","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/BWWT1Y-sq-scaled.jpg",2482,2560,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/BWWT1Y-sq-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/BWWT1Y-sq-291x300.jpg",291,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/BWWT1Y-sq-768x792.jpg",768,792,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/BWWT1Y-sq-993x1024.jpg",800,825,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/BWWT1Y-sq-1489x1536.jpg",1489,1536,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/BWWT1Y-sq-1985x2048.jpg",1985,2048,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Inside the Egyptian queen\u2019s unlikely rise to power, plus her legacy today","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7867"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7867"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7867\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8919,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7867\/revisions\/8919"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}