Hatshepsut: An Egyptian Mystery

Hatshepsut: An Egyptian Mystery From Egypt’s beginning a queen’s power was always traced back to the king, whether they were the king’s mother, primary wife, sister, daughter, etc. A true queen of Egypt consisted of either a king’s mother or primary wife, while a king’s daughter may be a potential queen she did not hold the same amount of power as the others (Robins 23). Hatshepsut was born during the eighteenth dynasty to Thutmose I and Ahmose and was raised within a royal family and could witness the inner workings of the royal court from a young age. As she grew older she was married to her half-brother Thutmose II. Although they never had any male children of their own, Thutmose II had a son with a secondary wife; this son would live

But after about seven years she had been crowned king and taken full power as a co-ruler with Thutmose III, with Hatshepsut playing the role as the more dominant king. The most prominent aspect leading to her success consisted of her handpicked and loyal officials, most of whom controlled key exponents of her government (Tyldesley pars. 2-3). Fearing that the people would revolt against her rule, Hatshepsut spoke out and stated that her rise to power had been prophesized some eighty years before. She also told her people that she was a demi-goddess and that she was conceived when the god Amon had impregnated her mother. This knowledge solidified her claim to power within her kingdom and allowed her to continue her reign further than any woman had before (Mark pars. 10-11). She continued the work of her father but her building plans could not be compared to her father’s. She did, however build the some of the largest obelisks of the time, with her name engraved on them, as well as many other statues and temples, many of which still stand today. Her name was later removed after her reign ended as well as one of the obelisks being destroyed (Bediz par. 8). Her greatest building achievement is probably her mortuary temple in Deir el-Bahri. (Millmore par.