Hatshepsut

female pharaoh

She had herself crowned pharaoh: highly unusual for a woman.

💡 Did you know? Hatshepsut was one of very few women to rule Egypt as pharaoh: not merely as queen.

15th century BC

She belonged to the 18th Dynasty of Egypt's New Kingdom.

💡 Did you know? Her reign in the 15th century BC is regarded as one of the wealthiest and most peaceful eras of ancient Egypt.

as regent for Thutmose III

At first Hatshepsut merely governed for her under-age stepson Thutmose III; then she had herself crowned pharaoh.

💡 Did you know? Rather than hand power back, she had herself crowned pharaoh.

with a royal beard / as a male pharaoh

To legitimise her rule, Hatshepsut was often depicted with the false royal beard and in male pharaonic dress.

💡 Did you know? The false beard was a traditional symbol of pharaonic dignity.

mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari

It is regarded as a masterpiece of ancient Egyptian architecture.

💡 Did you know? Her mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari, with its sweeping terraces, is considered one of the finest structures of ancient Egypt.

land of Punt

From there, incense, gold and exotic goods came to Egypt.

💡 Did you know? Her trading expedition to distant „Punt“ brought back gold, incense and living myrrh trees: immortalised on temple walls.

peace and prosperity

For over two decades Hatshepsut ruled in peace, letting trade, building and prosperity flourish.

💡 Did you know? She promoted trade and vigorous building rather than campaigns of conquest.

destruction of her images

So she fell almost into oblivion for millennia: until modern archaeologists rediscovered her.

💡 Did you know? After her death Thutmose III had her images and name erased from many monuments: she nearly vanished from history.

Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut (reigned c. 1479 to 1458 BC) was one of the few female pharaohs and ruled Egypt during a golden age.

💡 Did you know? Only in 2007 was her mummy securely identified: over 3,000 years after the attempt to erase her memory.

1508 BC

Born: c. 1508 BC