Hatshepsut was the first ever recorded female pharaoh. She led her people to prosper and be content for twenty-two years only to be forgotten, and have every record of her erased. In 1827 her tomb was discovered, and historians have slowly been finding new information on her early life and rule, and figuring out why she was erased from history (Arnold, 291).
In her early years, Hatshepsut used to sit in on her father's meetings with government officials. He apparently liked to keep her there, because she paid attention to what was going on around her, and learned from what she saw (Bridges, 4). When it came time for her father to think about a successor, he had little choice other than Hatshepsut, as his two sons died before they could take over the kingdom (Bridges, 6). Thutmose I decided to marry his daughter to his half son, Thutmose II, so he …show more content…
Her sarcophagus was made of stone, and she was the first ruler of the New Kingdom to have one (Roehrig, 188). When she died, she had statues and plaques in her honor, like most pharaohs, but a little while after she died people started to destroy them. Statues of her were smashed beyond recognition, written records were scratched out or splintered to bits (Arnold, 270). No one knows exactly why everything was destroyed. Most likely, Egyptians did not want anyone to know that they had a female pharaoh. Some historians wonder if Thutmose III was upset that Hatshepsut took away his birthright and destroyed records of her to get back at her. Whatever the reason, their work was in vain, because even after all these years, records were still found of her reign, and some mentions of her may have been found in the Bible. Though no one is certain that it was her, the references to a female Pharaoh and Queen of Sheba make historians think that it was
In her early years, Hatshepsut used to sit in on her father's meetings with government officials. He apparently liked to keep her there, because she paid attention to what was going on around her, and learned from what she saw (Bridges, 4). When it came time for her father to think about a successor, he had little choice other than Hatshepsut, as his two sons died before they could take over the kingdom (Bridges, 6). Thutmose I decided to marry his daughter to his half son, Thutmose II, so he …show more content…
Her sarcophagus was made of stone, and she was the first ruler of the New Kingdom to have one (Roehrig, 188). When she died, she had statues and plaques in her honor, like most pharaohs, but a little while after she died people started to destroy them. Statues of her were smashed beyond recognition, written records were scratched out or splintered to bits (Arnold, 270). No one knows exactly why everything was destroyed. Most likely, Egyptians did not want anyone to know that they had a female pharaoh. Some historians wonder if Thutmose III was upset that Hatshepsut took away his birthright and destroyed records of her to get back at her. Whatever the reason, their work was in vain, because even after all these years, records were still found of her reign, and some mentions of her may have been found in the Bible. Though no one is certain that it was her, the references to a female Pharaoh and Queen of Sheba make historians think that it was