The Pharaoh That Never Was
In Ancient Egypt, it was common for kings to boast about their achievements, whether they were great works of construction or victories in battle. However, one Pharaoh fell into such obscurity that no one even knew such a ruler existed for centuries. Even today, many details about Hatshepsut remain a mystery, all because later kings did their best to destroy the Pharaoh’s legacy—even if she was one of the all-time greats.
1. She Was Already Royalty
No matter how long it would take, and despite the many obstacles she had to overcome, Hatshepsut seemed destined for the role of Queen. Even from birth, the royal blood in her veins gave her a leg up to rule in some capacity. Rather than live as one of the many illegitimate children whom Pharaohs usually sired, Hatshepsut was born a princess around 1500 BCE, the daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose I and his Great Royal Wife Ahmose.
However, she would soon rank much higher.
2. She Got A New Position
By the time Thutmose I perished around 1493 BCE, several of his eldest sons had also lost their lives, nearly putting his dynasty in jeopardy. However, Thutmose II, his son by his secondary wife, still survived and became next in line. Ascending the throne, Thutmose II took Hatshepsut as his Great Royal Wife—despite them being half-siblings.
Of course, the time came for this to change as well.
3. He Took The Throne
It seems history was intent on repeating itself with the reign of Thutmose II, as when he passed around 1479 BCE, he and Hatshepsut had only one child—a daughter. Therefore, like his father before him, he was succeeded by Thutmose III, his only son by his secondary wife Iset.
Unfortunately, there was one more glaring issue.
4. He Was A Baby
The problem with the accession of Thutmose III wasn’t exactly the same as when his father took the throne, primarily because this time, he was only about two years old. As the previous Great Royal Wife and the new Pharaoh’s step-mother, Hatshepsut took on the role of Thutmose III’s regent, as he was too young to rule.
Even so, the laws of the time were against her.
5. She Couldn’t Rule
During this early period, the rule of both Thutmose III and Hatshepsut was in a strange state of limbo. Not only was he too young to be king, but in Ancient Egypt, a Pharaoh needed a queen to maintain a balance between male and female in his reign. Alternatively, Hatshepsut couldn’t take the throne, as being Pharaoh was a traditionally masculine role.
Still, she wasn’t going to let this stop her.
6. She Took Control
After seven years of Thutmose III’s reign, he was still too young to serve fully as Pharaoh, so Hatshepsut took the leap and chose to defy tradition. While she never denounced Thutmose’s right to rule, she still took the throne as one of Egypt’s few female Pharaohs, operating with the same authority as her step-son.
Even so, she did have to make some concessions.
7. She Dressed The Part
Although Hatshepsut had presented herself in traditional women’s clothing until this point, she fully committed herself to her new role, taking on the familiar appearance of a Pharaoh. This included all the customary regalia of an Egyptian king, such as a false beard and a Khat head cloth.
Suddenly, the rest of society had to catch up.
8. They Told A Story
Hatshepsut’s transition to ruling as Pharaoh was difficult, but was made easier by her ability to claim a “pure” bloodline. Additionally, there were many efforts to solidify her right to rule, and thankfully, not only by her. To make her reign seem like the gods had ordained it, Egypt’s priests claimed that Hatshepsut’s father was not Thutmose I, but the god Amun disguised as the king.
This wasn’t the end of the story, though.
9. She Was Divine
According to the new legend of Hatshepsut’s birth, her conception had come from a union between her mother Ahmose and the god Amun, but this wasn’t the only divine intervention. Heket, goddess of fertility, and Khnum, the god in charge of creating bodies for humans, personally helped Ahmose give birth to Hatshepsut.
Of course, these weren’t the only signs of her right to be Pharaoh.
10. She Was Validated
As the proposed child of Amun, Hatshepsut was quickly recognized as Pharaoh despite her gender, but even more evidence would come for those who needed further convincing. Corroborating her claim, the Oracle of Amun announced that the god himself had stated Hatshepsut was meant to be Egypt’s ruler.
Even with all this justification, one thing is still unclear.
11. She Never Explained Herself
Many details of Hatshepsut’s rise to power have vanished into time or were outright erased, so it’s unclear exactly why and how Hatshepsut took the throne in the first place. One plausible factor in how she convinced others to recognize her rule was the fact that many government officials were already loyal, and continued to serve her.
One of them stood out among the rest.
12. He Was Her Right-Hand Man
Of all her most loyal servants and officials, none were more precious to Hatshepsut than Senenmut, her daughter’s tutor and the man who oversaw all the Egyptian royal works. Time and time again, he proved his loyalty, and some have even theorized that the two were in love—but that’s purely speculation.
There are some theories as to her motivations as well.
13. She Felt Threatened
As for why Hatshepsut took the title of Pharaoh for herself while still recognizing Thutmose’s kingship, historians have considered several possibilities. There’s a good chance that, with Thutmose being so young, she realized others would try to take the throne from him. So, making herself Pharaoh alongside him was the best way to secure their reign together.
On the other hand, some believe other powers were at play.
14. They Helped Her
While it’s true that Hatshepsut had many Egyptian nobles who were loyal to her, some historians have asserted that it was they who were using her the whole time. According to Egyptologist Kara Cooney, because of Hatshepsut’s proven capability, these nobles essentially installed her as Pharaoh to serve their own agendas.
No matter the case, now that she was Pharaoh, Hatshepsut got to work.
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15. She Upgraded
As was customary with Egyptian royals, Hatshepsut had already begun building a tomb for her eventual passing, but that was back when she was just the Great Royal Wife. Now that she was reigning as Pharaoh, she became entitled to a much more magnificent burial place, so she scrapped the original design and constructed a new tomb.
However, this was far from the extent of her construction projects.
16. She Was Busy
Of Hatshepsut’s greatest achievements, at least the ones that didn’t disappear over the centuries, her efforts towards construction in her kingdom clearly stand out. This allowed her to continue challenging the typically male-centric perception of a Pharaoh, such as by using the temples she constructed for rituals traditionally performed by kings.
At the same time, her work wasn’t only about creating new things.
17. She Fixed The Damage
When Hatshepsut wasn’t improving or advancing her kingdom, she was busy mopping up the mess of previous rulers. A few dynasties before, Egypt was under the control of the Hyksos kings, who destroyed many pieces of the kingdom’s architecture. Thankfully, she prioritized restoring such infrastructure, like the Precinct of Mut temple.
Fortunately, some of her work has stuck around.
18. It’s Still Standing
While many of her achievements would vanish from history, one feat attached to the Precinct of Mut became a wonder unto itself during her lifetime. At the temple’s entrance, she built two massive stone obelisks that reached higher than any other in the world at that time. While one fell apart since then, the other remains the second-tallest ancient obelisk around.
Not to mention, these constructions weren’t only seen by the Egyptians.
19. They Were Impressed
As one of Hatshepsut’s temples that stuck around, the Temple of Pakhet was such a marvel that even invaders didn’t destroy it. Built into the rock cliffs at Beni Hasan, the temple stretched underground into an enormous cavern, and when the Greeks later occupied Egypt, they were awestruck by the temple, adopting it as the Speos Artemidos.
Of course, she also finished a more personal project.
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20. She Built Her Tomb
Out of all her many feats of architecture, one is frequently Hatshepsut’s most associated project, but she wasn’t able to use it—at least while alive. Creating a final resting place fit for her legacy, she constructed a mortuary temple within the Deir el-Bahari complex, and many historians consider it her masterpiece.
Still, she did have help in these endeavors.
21. He May Have Designed It
While Hatshepsut undoubtedly had a say in the design of her own mortuary temple, especially after taking the throne, she wasn’t the actual architect behind it. In fact, it’s unknown who truly designed the building, but many believe it to be her most loyal servant—and possible lover—Senenmut.
Aside from her architectural achievements, she also had a reputation for foreign relations.
22. She Was Diplomatic
Early in Hatshepsut’s reign, she initiated a military campaign against Nubia, but few records exist of it except to say it was successful and brief. What is clear is that, following this campaign, she led a much more peaceful path forward, which focused on how Egypt could form beneficial relationships with other nations, rather than trying to conquer them.
With this skill, she repaired another damage from the previous rulers.
23. They Were Connected Again
Another victim of the destruction wrought by the previous Hyksos rulers was Egypt’s trade network with its allies, but that would soon change. In keeping with her goal of a more peaceful kingdom, Hatshepsut re-established these networks, using trading as the crux of her foreign diplomacy.
She also forged new relationships.
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24. She Took A Journey
As the next step in her trade-focused endeavors, Hatshepsut wanted to expand Egypt's networks beyond its existing limits, which led her to the mysterious Land of Punt in East Africa. A few previous Pharaohs had journeyed to Punt before, but Hatshepsut led the most celebrated expedition there, bringing back luxuries like ebony, frankincense, and myrrh trees.
Eventually, though, she had to accept that she wasn’t the sole ruler.
25. He Grew Up
All while Hatshepsut was running her kingdom and making waves in Egyptian history, her step-son Thutmose III was still growing into his role as co-ruler. In what likely seemed like no time at all, though, he was old enough to hold his own as a leader. However, Hatshepsut was still Pharaoh too, so to ease him in, she gave him control of Egypt’s armies first.
Still, she was sure to keep hold of her place in history.
26. She Was Proud
It’s clear that if Pharaohs all had one aspect in common, it was bragging about their accomplishments with as much embellishment as possible. This kind of boasting was essential to a ruler’s legacy, and Hatshepsut was no different. Ironically, although little is known about her now, many say she was the most prolific at pumping her own tires.
This led to quite the grand event.
27. She Celebrated Early
One way the Pharaohs honored themselves was through a ritualistic ceremony called the Heb Sed, which acknowledged a king’s ongoing reign by taking place on his 30-year mark. In Hatshepsut’s case, this was another tradition she happily defied, hosting her Heb Sed much earlier during the 15th year of her rule.
At the same time, it might not have been only for her.
28. She May Have Done It For Him
Hatshepsut wouldn’t be the only Pharaoh in history to hold her Heb Sed early, but it’s still unclear what exactly drove her to do so. According to some historians, the festival had a double meaning of honoring her late father, as his bloodline was largely what made her reign possible, and it had been 30 years since his passing.
Despite the reason why, it was a good thing she celebrated when she could.
29. She Wasn’t Mentioned
Proving to be a capable military leader and worthy of his title as Pharaoh, Thutmose III grew into adulthood and took his place on the throne by 1459 BCE. At the same time, this year held the last mention of Hatshepsut as a ruler, leaving her noticeably absent from records two years later, when Thutmose initiated his first significant foreign campaign.
As such, it isn’t difficult to guess when Hatshepsut’s story came to a close.
30. Her Reign Ended
As long as Hatshepsut was alive, she maintained her title as Pharaoh alongside Thutmose, so it’s easy to determine a close estimate of when she eventually perished. Considering records show Thutmose III beginning his time as the sole ruler of Egypt in January 1458 BCE, Hatshepsut likely somehow met her demise shortly before then.
There’s a good chance her passing led to a special reunion.
31. They Were Together Again
Not only was Hatshepsut able to complete construction on her mortuary temple before her end, but she made some major adjustments to it to honor a previous Pharaoh. Reuniting with her father, Thutmose I, Hatshepsut had extended her tomb to include his remains. While not confirmed, she was likely interred with him—until his remains were later relocated again.
Now that she had passed, her legacy was in the hands of those who took over.
32. They Wanted Her Gone
Throughout her rule, Hatshepsut’s accomplishments spoke for themselves and turned her into one of the most successful Pharaohs in history, but some weren’t happy about it. Towards the end of Thutmose III’s reign, and as the throne passed to his son, Amenhotep II, there was a major push to eliminate most mentions of Hatshepsut from historical records.
However, this wasn’t the extent of their actions.
33. They Replaced Her
For the next kings, it wasn’t enough to almost completely erase any memory of Hatshepsut from Egyptian history—they had to steal her accomplishments too. Naturally, since she did so much for her kingdom, they couldn’t just sweep her legacy under the rug, so many of her achievements were then attributed to either Thutmose III or Amenhotep II.
To this end, they were ruthless.
34. They Went To Great Lengths
While the kings did all they could to strike Hatshepsut from history for the foreseeable future, they went further to ensure no one would ever recognize her as one of the Pharaohs. This included destroying her statues, building walls to cover up reliefs which depicted her, and even smoothing out the surface of her stone cartouche.
Despite all of this, one question remains.
35. Their Motive Is Unclear
It seems that the efforts to destroy Hatshepsut’s legacy were successful for a long time, especially since it’s still not known why exactly they took such drastic measures to do so. One possibility is that it was a way to save money and resources when it came to the burial of Thutmose III, essentially “painting over” Hatshepsut’s imagery to use as his own.
Of course, it could have all come down to basic human emotion.
36. They Thought He Was Bitter
With so little information regarding the motives behind Hatshepsut’s erasure, historians spent years making their best guesses. Until they discovered more, the most widely accepted reason was that Thutmose deeply resented her for taking the mantle of Pharaoh alongside him.
On the other hand, it may not have even been his choice.
37. His Son Was Responsible
More recent findings about Hatshepsut’s legacy suggested that the sole culprit of her erasure was Thutmose’s son, Amenhotep. Not only did he have the authority as co-regent toward the end of his father’s reign, but committing such an act would have given him a better chance of ascending to the throne—which he did.
Furthermore, this wasn’t his first rodeo.
38. He Had A History
Between him and Thutmose, Amenhotep certainly fits the profile of someone who would erase the memory of Hatshepsut. Aside from taking credit for many of her accomplishments, he made other similar changes during his reign. For example, he got rid of many official roles held by royal women and refused to have the names of his wives recorded.
With this in mind, it may have been less personal for him.
39. They Wanted It All-Male
Many theories about Hatshepsut’s erasure point to a disdain that either Thutmose or Amenhotep had for her, but it may have been less of a personal attack. According to several other scholars, such as Joyce Tyldesley, they likely wanted to eliminate the very idea of a woman Pharaoh, making it appear that the throne passed from Thutmose II to Thutmose III without interruption.
Fortunately, they didn’t get rid of all the evidence.
40. They Discovered Her
Whatever the reason was for doing so, the attempts to wipe Hatshepsut’s name from the list of Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs were successful—for a while. It took until 1822, when historians finally inspected a series of hieroglyphs on the temple walls at Deir el-Bahari, and were actually able to decode them.
Naturally, she didn’t exactly look like a queen.
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41. She Was Depicted As A Man
Although Egyptologists had discovered evidence of Hatshepsut, including images of her, she didn’t match their vision of an Egyptian queen. Just as in life, rather than adorned in the more typically feminine regal attire, the carvings portrayed her wearing the false beard and ram’s horns of a king, and with a more masculine physique.
Understandably, scholars didn’t quite grasp it initially.
42. They Were Confused
According to the philologist who initially decoded the hieroglyphics from Hatshepsut’s tomb, it took them some time before they were able to put two and two together. Initially, they were utterly confounded, since they had uncovered the existence of a Pharaoh whose portrayal matched that of a man, but to whom all mentions used feminine verbs and nouns.
It wasn’t long before they found even more evidence.
43. She Was Gone
Although there was some initial confusion, historians were soon able to deduce who Hatshepsut was, even with minimal information. However, there weren’t many physical traces of her found until 1903, when Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered her tomb, only to find that the sarcophagus inside was empty.
Fortunately, there was a break in the case eventually.
44. They Found It
Finally, over a hundred years later in 2005, a group of archaeologists embarked on a new search for Hatshepsut’s remains, and two years later, they found her—probably. While Dr Zahi Hawass did discover a mummy that he strongly believed was Hatshepsut, transferring it to Cairo's Egyptian Museum, the truth was never confirmed.
Even today, this remains a mystery.
45. They Wouldn’t Test It
Previously, archaeologists had recovered small parts of Hatshepsut’s remains, which is what Dr Hawass based his findings on. One existing artifact was her molar, which eerily matched the space in the mummy’s mouth where a tooth was missing. However, both Dr Hawass and the museum refused to run any DNA tests, as it would involve destroying the molar.
If the mummy is her, it would provide some much-needed details of her life.
46. They Knew How She Perished
Along with most details, the circumstances of Hatshepsut’s demise remained unknown for a long time, but her alleged mummy and other artifacts may hold the answer. Despite the fact that Egyptologists refused to test the molar, they did do tests on the mummy, which revealed bone cancer. And then, the intrigue deepened. A discovery was made in the possessions of the 2005 mummy, and what it revealed was as eerie as it was shocking.
Among the objects was a bottle of lotion, which was tested and found to contain benzopyrene, a carcinogenic agent. Thus, they came to believe that the lotion had been what had caused Hatshepsut to develop bone cancer. Suddenly, so many pieces fit together. Members of the pharaoh's family were believed to carry inflammatory skin diseases, which could have potentially been passed down genetically. It's entirely likely that Hatshepsut used the lotion to combat itchy, irritated skin—only to spell her own doom. And whether or not they truly are her remains, they’re being treated as such.
47. She Is Still Around
Despite any skepticism, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo asserts that the mummy does belong to Hatshepsut and is now a part of their collection. Additionally, a surviving statue of her is on exhibit at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum, showing that even her long-forgotten story couldn’t stay a mystery for long.
Even without much information, historical context does help with other questions.
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48. She Did It For Her Legacy
It’s easy to look at Hatshepsut’s portrayal as a traditional king and view it as an attempt to disguise herself as a man, but this wasn’t the case. Following the principles of Egyptian art, any depictions of her were meant to show the truth. Since she wanted her legacy to be no different from previous male Pharaohs, she had artists characterize her that way.
It’s also important to note that she wasn’t alone in history.
49. She Was One Of A Few
Hatshepsut made waves as Egypt’s ruler, but she wasn’t actually the first female Pharaoh in history. Still, in over 3,000 years, she was the first to wield the full authority of a king, and only the third woman to take on the role in general. As for after her time, Egypt wouldn’t see another woman ruler with such power until Cleopatra, over a dozen centuries later.
Thankfully, although not fully restored, her legacy still exists.
50. She Was Defiant
While the world may never know the full story of Hatshepsut, enough parts of it have surfaced to paint a tiny picture of the kind of person she was. Even before she assumed the title of Pharaoh, she had no problem fighting against the patriarchal society around her. According to the laws of that time, only the mother of a Pharaoh could serve as regent, a rule which she flouted as she had been regent for her step-son, Thutmose III.
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