Hatshepsut
...time Thutmose III was only an infant, so Hatshepsut thought, for Egypt’s sake, she would take on the responsibilities of king until her son was old enough for the task. At first Hatshepsut took the title of advisor or co-regent but eventually Hatshepsut decided that since she was already performing all of the king’s duties, that she would crown herself King of Egypt. Hatshepsut was the fifth king of the eighteenth dynasty and she ruled from 1502- 1482 B.C. Since Hatshepsut was king, she wanted to be seen as a masculine or strong king, not a feminine or weak ruler. To strengthen this image Hatshepsut began to be depicted like a male in all aspects of art (statues, paintings, and writings). She was drawn posed and dressed like a man many times in battle or on her throne. Also many relief’s show the false beard worn upon her chin. This beard was a recognizable symbol of the king and was always seen as an icon for strength and leadership. Hatshepsut also began to lead her troops into battle like many male rulers before her. These acts fortified her masculinity with the army and lead to trust between her and her men. Hatshepsut continued this transformation further by appointing herself the throne name of Maatkare. In Egypt, kings and queens seemed to perform certain divergent duties for the gods, therefore realizing there was no queen and not wanting to be sinful to the gods, Hatshepsut decided to crown her daughter, Nefurure, as queen. She thought her daughter would fulfill these duties and please the gods. Hatshepsut reigned for seventeen years, and during this time Egypt prospered. She accomplished many positive feats for Egypt, including the stabilization of the government. Hatshepsut also rebalanced the economy by expanding their trade routes. One of these routes, discovered in 1470 B.C., lead to the mythical land of Punt (modern day Somalia). Because of this expedition, Egypt began to receive new spices and exotic goods. Hatshepsut, with the help of her lover/ advisor Senmut, also introduced a more creative type of architecture. She was devoted to building temples to the gods. Her most well known temple is her funerary temple in Deir El-Bahri located in ancient times on the Western (dead) side of the city Thebes. In this temple are many relief’s depicting Hatshepsut’s accomplishments during her reign. She also commissioned the building of two giant obelisks at the Temple of Karnak. Shown on these obelisks are the first records of Hatshepsut’s ascension to the throne and her change (physically) from queen to king. Also during her reign, Thutmose III began to age and Hatshepsut started to divide her responsibilities with her half son. This relationship between mother and son soon began to become quite competitive. During Hatshepsut’s reign, Thutmose III was given kingly tasks to prepare him for what lay ahead in his life. Thutmose III and Hatshepsut never had a very close relationship like that of her and Neferure, and for that Thutmose III was most likely jealous. Not much is known about the relationship between the two pharaohs except that Hatshepsut probably tried to treat Thutmose III as an equal in the ways of being a king (when he came of age). The twe...