Hatshepsut Research Paper

A) In what ways did Hatshepsut portray herself as a male pharaoh?

While the concept of a female ruler as a Queen Regent or Co- regent was not foreign to New Kingdom practices there was no provision for a female pharaoh in Egyptian tradition. Hatshepsut’s portrayal as male was unprecedented. ‘After Hatshepsut regency for about seven years the political situation apparently changed and a bomb shell exploded’ . Hatshepsut dressed herself in the clothes of a man, put on the false beard that pharaohs traditionally wore and proclaimed her self ‘king of Egypt’. Hatshepsut portrayed her self as male not only in her physical appearance. But also in her Royal title, inscriptions and in monuments.

At first during her image transformation, she was depicted with feminine facial features and a slender waist. Later she was fitted with accessories of king including a nemes headdress and symbols of Egypt’s enemies inscribed beneath feet much like the seated limestone statue from Deir el Bahri. After her image included full kingly regalia. This included the image ‘wearing shendyet kilt, Nemes headdress, false beard, formal standing pose, kneeling before the gods, making
Her biggest accomplishment in this part of her contribution to Egypt being her mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri, as translated as inscription by the official Thutiy, “…temple of myriads of years; its great doors fashioned of black copper, the inlaid figures of electrum… the house of Amun…its floor wrought with gold and silver” . When Hatshepsut came onto the throne, her building program was more prolific then previous rulers, as Nigel and Helen Strudwick quote “Hatshepsut wanted to stamp her position as king and show her great loyalty to Amun (the great god of Thebes)” which was seen by her building many religious buildings like the red chapel, as well as the Barque Sanctuary at Luxor and restoring the Speos Artemidos