Okay.
When I say “Egyptian Pharaoh” what image immediately comes to mind?
Probably a man wearing a blue and golden headdress, sitting on a throne surrounded by servants?
Well, picturing a man would be accurate 95% of the time since very few females became
pharaohs in all of Ancient Egypt’s 3,000-year history.
One of those women was Hatshepsut, and how she came to power as a great Leader of Egypt
is a rare story to say the least!
According to the records, there were 7 female pharaohs among the 170 that ruled Egypt over
time.
But it’s hard to trust these numbers since male rulers following women often destroyed
any mention of them to erase them from history.
So, why did the Egyptians believe pharaohs should be male only?
Well, pharaohs were not only heads of state but also considered representatives of the
deities Horus, Osiris, and Amun in the human world.
These deities were all male, and the Egyptians firmly believed that the pharaoh – as the
mediator between these two worlds - could only be men as well.
Even the mere idea of a female pharaoh was considered totally unnatural.
But in 1507 BCE, a girl was born, and she would be named "Foremost of Noble Women".
You might know her as Hatshepsut.
She was the daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose I and Queen Ahmose, his first and main wife.
When Thutmose I passed away, Hatshepsut was the most legitimate challenger to the throne.
…Buuut she couldn’t take it.
The pharaoh was supposed to be a man, period.
So, Hatshepsut’s half-brother Thutmose II officially became the new ruler of Egypt,
and the two got married.
I know, that immediately gets an “Ew” out of me too, but you have to remember that
keeping marriage within the family was a common practice in Ancient Egypt.
Plus, perhaps the smart young woman knew that she was now that much closer to the throne,
and it’d eventually be hers for the taking!
But until then, she’d rule from the side.
In fact, there are theories that it was mostly her hand leading the country through her husband.
And when he died a few years later, the same question arose again: who will be the new
head of state?
This is where the most interesting part of the story begins.
The bright and tactful Hatshepsut, who probably felt that she was born to rule being the daughter
and wife of two kings by now, was determined to get what was rightfully hers.
So, she drew up a careful and well-thought-out plan that would finally make the throne hers.
But there was the problem of her primary competition.
That was Thutmose III, the son of the deceased pharaoh and another wife of his.
The boy was just a toddler and obviously couldn’t rule the country by himself.
So, Hatshepsut took advantage of the situation and appointed herself his regent.
A regent was basically someone, usually a family member, who ruled in place of the pharaoh
when the latter was either too young, elderly, sickly, absent, or just unable to do it himself.
In other words, exactly for this type of situation.
That question was solved quickly, but, of course, the baby pharaoh would eventually
grow up and become a man who’d take his place on the throne.
Since Hatshepsut wanted to become the lawful ruler of the kingdom, she’d need to convince
the people (especially those that had the most say) that she should rule as pharaoh
in her own right.
Doing that wouldn’t be as easy as taking a throne from a baby!
But, coincidentally enough, she had legend on her side.
According to the myth, Hatshepsut was actually the daughter of Amun, that Egyptian deity
I mentioned earlier.
The priests confirmed it, and with her divine origins now revealed to everyone, Hatshepsut
officially became pharaoh.
When she became the legit ruler of Egypt, it wasn’t the end of the story – it was
just the beginning!
She was now the pharaoh, yes, but keeping her throne and winning everyone’s respect
was still a challenging task for her.
Most Egyptians had a specific image of a pharaoh in their minds.
It had been there for many years, it was strong, it was powerful, and it was a man.
Hatshepsut might’ve been strong and powerful, but she clearly wasn’t a guy – legend
has it that she was actually a very beautiful woman.
So, she knew how vulnerable her position was, but she’d take care of that issue too.
The new ruler used little tricks to better resemble what her people expected their pharaoh
to look like.
For example, at important public events, she wore men's clothes and a fake beard.
She was often portrayed with this beard in paintings and statues – seeing such a portrait
of their pharaoh made it easier for the Egyptians to accept.
Hatshepsut also tried to use her father’s authority to show that her rule was legitimate.
She claimed that he had appointed her his true successor, not her recently departed
brother.
But what probably legitimized her as a pharaoh more than the legend of her birth, the masculine
disguise, and all that jazz was probably her actions.
They really do speak louder than words and fake beards!
Hatshepsut ended up being one of Egypt’s most successful rulers (and the longest-reigning
female leader!).
Under her hand, Ancient Egypt rose and prospered.
The ruler focused more on developing her own country instead of expanding it by conquering
new lands.
Although, it’s worth mentioning that she did have some territorial victories abroad
too!
But as pharaoh, Hatshepsut was mostly concerned with domestic construction.
The number of building and monument restoration projects she launched was incredible.
At her command, a series of obelisks were erected at the temple complex of Karnak.
During her time, the obelisks were the tallest in the country.
In fact, one of the twin obelisks at the entrance to the temple still stands, so you can pay
it a visit if you ever find yourself right on the Nile in Luxor, Egypt!
Then there was also the “Palace of Ma’at” in the Karnak complex.
Its walls were covered with beautifully carved reliefs of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III.
The magnificent rectangular palace had a large central hall with a place for the traditional
Egyptian ceremonial boat.
But the most impressive construction of Hatshepsut’s rule was the temple at Deir el-Bahari.
Its original name translated as “the most sacred of sacred places.”
This temple is considered one of the architectural wonders of Ancient Egypt, and it’s also
where she was buried.
The temple walls depict the story of her legendary birth, so sounds like a place certainly worth
checking out!
As for Hatshepsut’s successes abroad, her key triumph was the voyage to The Land of
Punt.
This sea journey would’ve been a major undertaking at a time when boat travel was far from advanced
or even safe.
Punt is believed to have been located somewhere near modern-day Eritrea, Ethiopia, or Somalia,
further down the Red Sea.
There was no conquering or anything like that, just a new friendly exchange between nations.
You see, relations with Punt had been lost some 200 years before Hatshepsut’s rule.
It was important to reconnect with this state because Punt would become a major trade partner
for years to come, thus boosting Egypt’s wealth.
Hatshepsut succeeded at this task, and the two great nations’ relations were restored.
The Egyptians returned from the campaign with boats full of rare goods such as ebony, fresh
myrrh trees, gold, and other important and luxurious items.
No pharaoh had ever been so successful in Punt before and after Hatshepsut.
Her prosperous reign lasted a little more than 2 decades until her death some 22 years
after taking the throne.
Thutmose III, now no longer the toddler he’d been so many years prior, became the new ruler.
Historians believe he must’ve been really offended by his stepmom/aunt ruling in his
place since he tried his best to erase her image from history.
The name of the Queen was excluded from the list of pharaohs of Egypt, and her portraits
were destroyed.
But Hatshepsut was smart and she most likely expected something like this would happen.
So, during her years on the throne, she managed to sprinkle reliefs and artwork of herself
in lots of different places so that it’d be impossible to erase everything.
Thanks to this, famous Egyptologist and hieroglyph-decoder Jean-Francois Champollion was able to return
Hatshepsut’s name to history during his exhibitions back in the 19th century.
This was the life story of one of the most outstanding women not only Egypt but the entire
world has ever known.
I imagine Hatshepsut herself would be happy to know that thousands of years later, we
still remember her name and admire her as a strong, wise, and capable Pharaoh of Egypt!
Are there any famous women in history you admire or look up to?
Let me know down in the comments!
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