The Story of Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut, who lived between 1508 and 1458 BC, ruled Egypt for about two decades. Among the first female monarchs to reign anywhere in the world, she is regarded as one of the most successful pharaohs in Egypt’s long history. Hatshepsut’s prosperous reign helped shape her country into a stronger power and prepare it for future expansion into a great empire. Thanks to plenty of accounts by contemporaries and historians of the ancient world, her story remains well-known today.

Hatshepsut’s Family:

Hatshepsut was the daughter of King Thutmose I and Queen Ahmose. A military leader who served the previous pharaoh, Thutmose I was known for his wartime accomplishments. Of his wife, Ahmose, less is known; whether she was the sister or daughter of the previous pharaoh is not clear. Hatshepsut was close to her parents and held important posts in their court.

 On her father’s death, his young son Thutmose II became pharaoh. Because royal lineage was traced through women, Thutmose II married his half-sister, Hatshepsut. Thutmose II died young, leaving the infant Thutmose III, his son by another wife, his heir. This set the stage for Hatshepsut to become regent and later declare herself pharaoh. Hatshepsut had other half-brothers, and at least one sister – but history does not record many details of their lives.

Her Lovers:

The intimate details of Hatshepsut’s life are sometimes hard to pin down. It is not known, for example, how she persuaded Egypt’s elites to accept her as pharaoh. But one man, Senenmut, may have played a large role – and he is widely believed to have been her lover. Senenmut was of common descent, but he was also one of many officials Hatshepsut selected herself while paving the way to become pharaoh.

 He is referred to in records as the “Steward of the God’s Wife” – meaning Hatshepsut – and other lofty titles. Senenmut was the architect for many of Hatshepsut’s building projects. Hatshepsut also shared a relationship with Thutmose II, but his death makes the specifics mysterious.

Her Children:

Hatshepsut’s only child was Neferure, her daughter by Thutmose II. Neferure was born during Thutmose II’s reign. In her early life she was cared for by Senemut, who was her tutor, and other officials. During her mother’s reign, Princess Neferure was active in the Egyptian court and held many royal titles bestowing important religious duties.

 The time of Neferure’s death and her place of burial are not yet known, though research suggests it may have occurred between 11 and 16 AD. Sculptures suggest Neferure may have married Thutmose III.



Introduction:

In Ancient Egypt, basically people are characterized by definite social classes dictated by an Egyptian's profession. These social classes are arranged like a pyramid. The very bottom of the "Social Pyramid" includes soldiers, farmers, and tomb builders. These populations represent the greatest percent of the Egyptian. This Social Pyramid worked just like the real pyramid; the base supports the rest of the structure so as the workers supported the professionals above them. Next above the workers were skilled craftsmen. They are the responsible artists that used primitive tools to make everything include carts and coffins. Up above them were the scribes; they are people who knew how to read and write. These skills gave advantages to them to have many types of job. They wrote letters for townspeople, recorded harvests and also kept accounts for the Egyptian army. Priests, doctors, and engineers sat above them as they were more scholarly scribes with higher positions. Priests would stay in the temple and never left that holy place at least three months out of every year to perform their religious duties. They also worked as judges and teachers other than became a priest.

Ancient Egypt had its own hierarchy for the medical profession. The chief medical officer of Egypt sat at the very top of the hierarchy. Beneath him were the superintendents and inspectors of physicians, followed by the physicians. Egyptian doctors were very experienced and advanced in their knowledge regarding herbal remedies and surgical techniques. The medicine was not limited for remedies and surgical only, there were also magic, charms, and spells. Mathematical and architectural knowledge are conquered by engineers. They were the person who responsible for the planning and building of the monuments, temples, and pyramids of Egypt.

In ancient Egypt, architects were not the actual builders; they were responsible to take in charge of the branch of government. The scribes, who did the calculations, drew up the plans, surveyed the sites, and supervised the work day. Above these three highest positions were the high priests and noblemen. They became the assistants, generals, and administrators to the pharaoh, who together formed the government; the pharaoh's closest advisor was the vizier. The pharaoh which was considered as a god on earth conquered the top of the social pyramid. The Egyptians were very lucky that even food crisis occurred nearby parts of the world; the Nile valley always yielded more than enough sources to feed the country.