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Great Royal Wife<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Hatshepsut was the daughter of the Pharaoh Thutmose I, who reigned for thirteen years. Her grandfather, Amenhotep I, reigned for twenty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amenhotep<\/a> revolutionized the design of mortuary complexes by creating a tomb that was separate from his mortuary temple. This was a practice that Hatshepsut continued during her time as Pharaoh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thutmose II and Hatshepsut were the two surviving children of Thutmose I. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hatshepsut<\/a> was the daughter of his Great Royal Wife, Queen Ahmose. Ahmose was a member of the royal family in her own right, most likely the aunt or sister of her husband Thutmose I.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thutmose II was the son of a minor wife named Mutnofret. While Egyptians were generally monogamous, the Pharaoh<\/a> commonly had lesser wives and\/or concubines.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n To strengthen their claim to the throne, their father arranged for Thutmose II and Hatshepsut to marry in their mid-teens. Hatshepsut became the Great Royal Wife, an important and active role in Egyptian culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She also became God’s Wife of Amun. This meant that she was the highest-ranking priestess of the king of the gods.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thutmose II died when he was thirty years old. His body was interred in the Deir el-Bahari Cache near the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hatshepsut<\/a> was the first woman to take up the title of Pharaoh.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the time of Thutmose II\u2019s death, his heir Thutmose III was only two years old. Thutmose III was the son of a lesser wife or concubine. His aunt and stepmother Hatshepsut became regent. A few years later, Hatshepsut dropped the pretense and became a fully-fledged Pharoah.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n She claimed that her father had intended for her to rule. An inscription carved into the walls of the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut reads: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then his majesty said to them: “This daughter of mine, Khnumetamun Hatshepsut – may she live – I have appointed as my successor upon my throne… She shall direct the people in every sphere of the palace; it is she indeed who shall lead you. Obey her words, unite yourselves at her command.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n The royal nobles, the dignitaries, and the leaders of the people heard this proclamation of the promotion of his daughter, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Maatkare\u2014may she live eternally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She reigned as Pharaoh<\/a> for over twenty years, up until her death around the age of fifty. She worked with Thutmose III during this time, and he served as a military commander once he came of age.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hatshepsut had one child with Thutmose II, a daughter named Neferure. She was highly educated. Eventually, she was entrusted with important political and religious roles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When Hatshepsut took on the traditionally masculine role of Pharaoh, her daughter assumed the responsibilities typically associated with the Great Royal Wife.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Neferure\u2019s titles included Lady of Upper and Lower Egypt, Mistress of the Lands, and God’s Wife of Amun. Some scholars believe that she married her brother Thutmose III and bore his eldest son. Others think that she died towards the end of Hatshepsut\u2019s reign.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n During her reign, Hatshepsut<\/a> oversaw an era of prosperity and growth. She established new trade routes and commissioned hundreds of construction projects. These projects included several new temples, monuments at the Temple of Karnak, and the restoration of a temple dedicated to an ancient goddess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The greatest of all of her building projects was the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This enormous temple is located near Luxor. Construction began in the seventh year of Hatshepsut\u2019s reign and was completed near the end of her life, the plans having undergone several revisions over the years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The temple was built primarily of limestone, augmented in places with red granite and violet sandstone. Massive ramps led from one terrace to another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These areas were lined with statues and adorned with flowers in the early days, when the temple was in use. Over one hundred sphinxes<\/a> lined the path to the temple.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mortuary cult complex has two offering halls: one dedicated to Thutmose II, and one for Hatshepsut. Hers is the largest chamber in the whole temple. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The purpose of these chambers was to provide a place for people to make ritual sacrifices and other offerings to the deified Pharaohs after they died, thereby nurturing their souls in the next life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hatshepsut\u2019s tomb was separate from the temple, but it was built into the same cliffs. It sat beneath a massive peak that acted as a sort of natural pyramid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There were shrines dedicated to the goddess Hathor and the gods Anubis<\/a> and Amun. Hatshepsut was depicted everywhere, feeding Hathor in some places and appearing as Hathor reborn in others.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nPharaoh Hatshepsut<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Hatshepsut’s Reign<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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