Hatshepsut Research Paper

1601 Words7 Pages
Although the status of women in ancient Egypt was higher than in any other ancient civilization, the notion that a woman could be king was objectionable to the Egyptians, they abided by the tradition that only men could become pharaohs, never any females. Yet, a woman did become king and not just an ordinary king. She became the first great woman in recorded history; the forerunner of such figures as Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, and Catherine the Great. Her name was Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut’s reign is usually assigned a length of between 15-20 years. Historical records dispute the length of her reign, so there is no way of knowing exactly how long she actually ruled for. While historians cannot agree on the length of her reign, they can generally…show more content…
Legally, there was no prohibition on a woman ruling Egypt. Although the ideal pharaoh was male, handsome, athletic, brave, religious and wise, it was recognised that occasionally a woman might need to act to preserve the dynastic line. Knowing that her power grab was extremely disputable, Hatshepsut fought to defend its legitimacy, inform to her royal lineage and claiming that her father had appointed her his successor. She sought-after to reinvent her image, and in statues and carvings today, we are able to go and view a life sized statue of Hatshepsut in Upper Egypt; Thebes, Deir el-Bahri and Asasif, Senenmut Quarry . She ordered that she be defined as a male Pharaoh of Egypt, with a beard and huge muscles. Adding to Hatshepsut’s success, Egypt prospered under her rule, with many beautiful and elaborate buildings constructed throughout her reign. She ordered a number of adventurous trading missions such as Punt that travelled long distances away from Egypt and returned with many exotic foreign goods. She was thought to have been reinforcing her own authority and right to the throne by showing herself to others by performing king-like duties such as making offerings directly to the gods and commissioning various important building works, things that were usually ordered and paid for by the

More about Hatshepsut Research Paper

Open Document