Hatshepsut Research Paper

Hatshepsut was the second female Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. She ruled nearly 3,500 years ago from 1505 BCE for twenty two years. She was the wife of Thutmose II who was the Pharaoh before her, and the stepmother of Thutmose III who succeeded her. When Thutmose II died Thutmose III was too young to rule, so Hatshepsut was made temporary ruler, however she was able to transform herself into a Pharaoh. Hatshepsut was a successful pharaoh because she used religion and art to legitimize her rule and promoted economic prosperity.

The seated statue of Hatshepsut is dated around ca. 1473-1458 B.C. around the 18th dynasty in Deir el-Bahri, Upper Egypt. This statue is made entirely out of indurated limestone and has a height of 195 cm, width of 49 cm, and diameter of 114 cm. Many statues like this were found in her mortuary temple that has been ransacked and destroyed by bandits and pharaohs. I consider this statue to be in very bad condition because of its age and the history behind it. From first glance I noticed the statue has significant damage in many places. There are noticeable chips in the headdress, nose, and left eyebrow. The left hand placed upon left knee has completely fallen off while half of her right arm is missing. The

In one respect, Hatshepsut is viewed as the female pharaoh who had a particularly unsuccessful reign that was devoid of any real achievements. Historians writing in the 1970’s and 1980’s often made sexist and unfounded assumptions about Hatshepsut’s rule, including her apparent scheming to take the throne from the

Throughout the times women have proven to themselves as well as people around them that they can take on roles just as important as men. This paper will begin by detailing the work experience and cultural barriers of Hatshepsut, the queen that reigned in Egypt during 1479- 1458 B.C. Followed by the impact she had on gender roles and issues. Next the cultural challenges and obstacles faced by women in Saudi Arabia will be addressed. These women have had many years of restrictive traditions placed upon them and now they have the chance to get a higher-level education and become professionals in their society. Lastly, the paper will discuss the impact the women who worked in factories during World War II had on gender roles. As well as what their culture thought was meant to be all they accomplished during their lifetime.

When comparing the Seated Statue of Hatshepsut to other statues of Hatshepsut created overtime, one would notice a dramatic difference. Despite the fact that she is shown wearing the ceremonial attire of an egyptian king, (Museum Label Text, Seated Statue of Hatshepsut) there is still a very strong sense of the figure being female. To further point out the female traits of Hatshepsut in this statue, one would notice the rounded protruding chest that appears to be the chest of a female. On the other hand, in later statues of Hatshepsut, one would notice that the chest is much different. Her chest went from being round to being more square and flat, similar to those of a man. Another significant difference is the size change between the statutes. In the seated statue of Hatshepsut, she is very petite with small shoulders, thin arms, waist and legs. Hatshepsut is later depicted as having very wide, broad shoulders and a muscular

Starting with Bastet, this free-standing statue hails from Late –Ptolemaic Period (664–30 B.C) from Egypt. Medium used was bronze, precious metal and black bronze inlays. The dimensions are H. 5 cm (4 1/8 in.); W. 3.2 cm (1 1/4 in.); D. 3.9 cm (1 9/16 in.). This statuette was donated to the Museum by George and Florence Blumenthal in 1934 and is on view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 134.

While there are several notable Egyptian temples, monuments, and tombs; this paper will focus on the analysis and evaluation of the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri, C. 1458 BC. First and foremost, it is important to identify the historical figure who influenced this construction of this temple. Queen Hatshepsut ascended to the throne of Egypt after her son’s passing and was the first and only female pharaoh in about 1473 BC; nearly a thousand years after the construction of the Pyramids at Giza. The

Amun and religion played a large role in Hatshepsut’s reign due to the use of a higher being to consolidate her reign. The limestone bust of Hatshepsut as Osiris, a portrait from her mortuary temple at Deir el Bahari depicts her as the male god Osiris, giving her a sense of power as she is depicted as a powerful god, god of

Examining the Ancient Egyptian civilization reveals much about the nature of its art. The art was mainly religious in content and purpose and, as the “religious dogma” remained unchanged for nearly 3000 years, so did the art (Piper, 1991: 24). Because Isis and Horus are divine beings, they had to be portrayed “with limited human expression” according to “strict formal conventions, in keeping with their divinity” (Mason, 2007:13). The sculpture is fairly flat on the back side of the throne, for the sake of functionality. It was not “intended to be seen in the round”, but was most probably placed against the wall of a tomb (Ancient Egypt – Myth & History, 2002: 439). In fact, this sculpture was not made

Hatshepsut became a dominant leader during the New Kingdom when she attained legitimate power when she declared herself as Pharaoh. After her husband, Thutmose II died prematurely; he had left a son named Thutmose III that was born to a lesser wife to his successor of the New Kingdom. As Thutmose III was quite young when he ascended the throne, Hatshepsut had the duty to co-regent with the young pharaoh. Together, they reigned for three years. Soon, political crisis started to arise which made Hatshepsut to take on the role of pharaoh in order to save her kingdom. When she enthroned herself, she started to make statues of herself having a beard, muscles and holding a flock and flail. She depicted herself as a man through these statues. Hatshepsut

Today I visited the ancient temple of Dayr Al Bhari on a felucca ( An Egyptian Boat) ! It was a stunning monument as it was built by Egypt’s first female queen, Hatshepsut !She built it to symbolize her reign as pharaoh and encouraged the practice of trade, arts and architecture flourished during her rule and she made sure that she got the same respect as men rulers so sometimes she wore the fake beard that pharaohs had or she wore men's clothing to show that she was just as powerful and composed as a man ruler. Her most famous expedition was when she went to Punt, an African kingdom and traded her goods in Egypt for the ones in Africa, these stories and pictures are all carved onto the walls of Dayr Al Bhari

Hathor Who is placed beside Amun-Re with a frieze of cobras under them, (Roberts, 1995-p.45). The cobra forms the king’s name, mAat-kA-ra; which drives you to the idea that Hatshepsut is the spiritual daughter of Hathor Who and Amun-Re who received the quintessential powers of live-giving from Hathor and the rejuvenation of Amun-Re, (Roberts,1995-p.45; Troy,1986-p.46). She also displayed the royal entities who tried to take advantage of her being a female king in the inscriptions as imagery using ideological overlay, (Troy, 1986-p.142).

Senenmut, an excellent architect within Ancient Egypt who came from a large educated family, was appointed by Hatshepsut to oversee any royal works, as well as overseeing slaves, fields, and gardens. It is said by some Egyptologists that he initiated a very personal relationship with her—he was even a tutor for Hatshepsut’s daughter. This suggests that Hatshepsut befriended Senenmut for her own advantage, in order for her building plans to be carried out as she pleased. Not only did she effectively choose a skilled architect, but she kept high standards for the location for her memorial tomb. This was at a natural bay near the Theban Mountains, facing the entrance to the Amen-Re Temple at Karnak. This location was especially chosen because it was the existing tomb of her father, and had great importance as it was previously a cult center for Hathor (goddess of ruling kings). A new entrance was created with a staircase leading to a new burial hall carved out of rock. Although her choice called for those extensive alterations of the existing tomb, Hatshepsut wanted to be remembered as a highly regarded leader and appointed Senemut to carry out with those building plans. Hatshepsut’s choice resulted in one of the most beautiful temples in Egypt, known as Djeser Djeseru, meaning holiest of the holy. This specific project displayed Hatshepsut’s creativity

The Large Kneeling Statue of Hatshepsut is a magnificent piece of art located in the Egyptian section next to many other statues of the great pharaoh Hatshepsut. Out of all the statues of Hatshepsut, the Large Kneeling Statue of Hatshepsut was kept in the best shape and caught a lot of attention from the people in the room. Its great size is something truly remarkable, considering it was built in the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. More importantly, this statue is the first structure in art that depicts a woman leader. Not only is it a truly unique piece of work, but also it is a piece that is revolutionary for its time. The massive size of this statue leaves one wondering if women have always been just as powerful as men, if not more.

The statue of Hatshepsut seated down is made with the material limestone. This limestone is lightly colored, which created a larger contrast with the other statues nearby. Her face was carved bringing out her eyes, eyebrows and other facial features. Her eyebrows also come slightly together towards the middle. Her lips forming a slight archaic smile. The dimensions are larger than an average female size. The statue is of great size, yet still in proportion. The body and head fit well with each other overall. However, it is greatly exaggerated in size.