Ruler
Hatshepsut
Queen who ruled as king, Eighteenth Dynasty
c. 1473 – 1458 BCE
Approximate regnal dates after Shaw (2000).
Biography
Daughter of Thutmose I and wife of Thutmose II. She became regent for the young Thutmose III, then took the title of king and ruled with full royal titles. She built her temple at Deir el-Bahari and recorded on its walls an expedition to the land of Punt.
Key facts
Certainty: Probable
Late in Thutmose III’s reign, many years after Hatshepsut’s death, many of her statues were broken and her name was erased from many monuments.
Scholarly note: Because it came decades later, personal revenge is a weak explanation; scholars favour motives to do with succession and the image of kingship.
- Ian Shaw (ed.) (2000) “The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt” Oxford University Press
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York “Seated Statue of Hatshepsut, 29.3.2” metmuseum.org