Imagine ruling the most powerful empire in the world and then being erased from it completely. No monuments, no legacy, not even a name. This is the story of Pharaoh Hatshepsut, Egypt's forgotten queen who rose higher than any woman before her and who nearly disappeared forever until now.

I mean, you gotta respect the hustle. A woman becoming pharaoh in ancient Egypt? That's like glitching the entire patriarchal matrix.

Keep going. This video is for information and entertainment purposes only. Errors may occur. I'm just a nerd who enjoys discussing interesting topics. Now dim the lights, settle in, and let's journey together into the whispers in the dark.

Yeah, I think I want to cut that. Chapter one, rise to power.

Born into the powerful 18th dynasty of ancient Egypt, Hatshepsut was the elder daughter of Thutmose I, a formidable king, and his queen Amos. Though her father may not have been of pure royal blood on his mother's side, Queen Amos held the highest rank, ensuring Hatshepsut's own strong claim to royalty. This lineage would prove crucial for her full brothers tragically died, leaving a void in the direct male line of succession. At Shepsut's path to power though began conventionally enough. Around the age of 12, she married her half brother, Thutmose II, whose mother was a secondary wife named Mutnifret.

This union made her Queen of Egypt and great royal wife. But Thutmose II's reign was short and possibly plagued by ill health. When he died, he left behind a young son, Thutmose III, born to a secondary wife named Isis, or Isis. I've heard it pronounced both ways. Half-brother, young kid.

Sounds like a recipe for a daytime soap opera. As the pyramid turns.

According to custom, Hatshepsut stepped into the role of regent for her nephew-slash-stepson, who was then between 6 and 10 years old. This was standard practice, a legitimate way for a queen to wield significant state power on behalf of a child king. But Hatshepsut was no ordinary regent.

For approximately seven years, she managed the affairs of state, building a network of loyal officials and gaining invaluable political experience. For seven years, she ruled behind the curtain as regent. But soon, she would step into the spotlight and rewrite what it meant to be king.

Chapter two, the female pharaoh.

She assumed the full titles and powers of a pharaoh, becoming co-ruler with Thutmose III. Her authority in this role was arguably greater than any female ruler before her. This was not a passive inheritance. It was a deliberate and calculated move. To legitimize this extraordinary coronation, Hatshepsut employed a series of brilliant strategies. She propagated a narrative of her miraculous birth, claiming the god Amun, himself disguised as her father, Thutmose I, had fathered her. Now this divine origin story was carved prominently on the walls of her magnificent mortuary temple at Dera el-Bahari.

She also emphasized her royal ancestry and asserted that her father had publicly appointed her as his successor. Visually, Hatshepsut also embraced the traditional male regalia of a pharaoh, including a kilt, crown, and even a false beard in formal portraits.

This wasn't an attempt to physically appear as a man, but a shrewd conformity to Egyptian artistic conventions, which depicted things not as they were, but as they should be. By presenting herself as a traditional male pharaoh, she ensured she would be perceived as such. Leveraging art and religion to solidify her role in a deeply patriarchal society. Crucially, she had the unwavering support of a handpicked group of loyal officials who controlled key government positions.

And just when her critics thought that she would fade into the background, she began building monuments. So bold, they'd reshape the skyline of ancient Egypt forever.

Chapter three, Golden Rain.

Hatshepsut's reign, lasting approximately 20 to 22 years, was a period of remarkable peace and prosperity for Egypt, focusing on trade rather than extensive military conquests.

She reigned longer than any other woman of an Egyptian dynasty. Her most famous economic achievement was a grand expedition to the distant land of Punt in her ninth year as Pharaoh. This ambitious mission brought back a treasure trove of exotic goods. Live myrrh trees, frankincense, which she reportedly used as a coal eyeliner, I think is super cool, gold, ivory, and leopard skins. This expedition was so significant that it was immortalized in detailed reliefs at her mortuary temple, even depicting the realistic image of Queen Ati of Punt.

While generally peaceful, some historical accounts suggest she also led military campaigns against Nubia and Canaan. Personally, I think that's awesome. Hatshepsut was also an incredibly prolific builder, though, commissioning hundreds of construction projects and statues across Egypt. This was a vital royal duty, demonstrating a Pharaoh's piety and ability to maintain order and prosperity. She made significant additions to the massive Karnak temple complex. She erected two obelisks, they're twin obelisks, which at the time were the tallest in the world. Her masterpiece though was her mortuary temple, Dera el-Bahari, known as Jezeru or Holy of Holies. This stunning colonnaded structure predated the Greek pantheon by a millennium.

Hey, quick pause. If you're loving this deep dive, which I guess is not really too much of a deep dive, but hit that like button and subscribe. It helps a ton and let's just keep on covering stories like this one. And if you're into ancient mysteries, wait till y'all hear about the queen who may have faked her own death and then just disappear without a trace. All right.

Back to Hatshepsut because what happens next is what they tried to bury.

Central to Hatshepsut's success was her close advisor Senamut. This extraordinary figure rose from humble origins to accumulate nearly 100 titles, including Great Treasurer of the Queen and tutor to Hatshepsut's only child, her daughter Neferure. Senamut was likely the chief royal architect overseeing major projects like her mortuary temple and the Karnak obelisks. His unparalleled success and influence led to centuries of speculation about a romantic relationship between them. However, it's important to note that there is no clear indication and really not much evidence to support this. His role as tutor was a highly respected and intimate position, often creating a familial bond.

With her reign at its zenith, Hatshepsut stood as an unshakable pharaoh, but power as always came at a cost. And long before her legacy was celebrated, it would be buried, defaced, and almost forgotten. Not by an enemy, but by someone she once trusted.

Chapter four, the erasure.

Hatshepsut's reign concluded around 1458 BCE. The exact cause of her death remains unknown, but they do believe she passed away in middle age. Theories range from murder to cancer. They've even had speculation that her stepson, Thutmose III, was a potential perpetrator.

Adding to the mystery, her mummy was missing from its sarcophagus when her tomb was excavated in the 1920s.

For many decades, scholars believed Hatshepsut was the victim of Domnatio Memoriae, a campaign following her death by Thutmose III to erase her from historical memory.

Evidence seemed to support this. Her temples were reportedly broken into, her statues were destroyed, her name was erased from cartouches, and she was even omitted from the official King list. The prevailing theory was that Thutmose III resented his long wait for the throne. However, new scholarship has begun to challenge this vindictive explanation offering a more nuanced view.

Studies, particularly by Jun Yi Wang of University of Toronto, drawing on previously unpublished archival materials, revealed that many of Hatshepsut's statues, including their faces, remained surprisingly intact. The damage often followed predictable patterns at weak structural points, like the neck or knees, consistent with known ancient Egyptian ritual called deactivation.

This ritual aimed to symbolically neutralize the statue's spiritual power after its function ended, not to desecrate it out of malice. It was even common for male rulers to do this. Further research indicates that much of the damage occurred in later periods with some of those fragments actually being reused as building materials, even into the Greek Roman era. Revised motivations for Thutmose III's actions now suggest dynastic, religious, and practical considerations rather than personal resentment. The primary aim was likely to affirm Thutmose III's lineage and prevent future women from attempting to assume the role of pharaoh.

It also allowed him to present his reign as a continuous 50 year plus rule. Classic move. Yeah.

Happens all the time. Centuries passed, the name Hatshepsut vanished from memory. History has a strange way of revealing what's hidden. And in 1903, a single discovery would bring her story roaring back to life.

Chapter five, rediscovery.

Despite these concerted attempts at erasure, Hatshepsut's reign remains a period of significant prosperity and stability for Egypt. She left behind a profound legacy of architectural and economic achievements. Remarkably, she was totally erased from Egyptian history until 1903, when British archaeologist Howard Carter made the pivotal discovery of her tomb.

Leading to the rediscovery of her story after more than 3500 years. And then it is believed that in 2007 her mummy was identified, further solidifying her place in history.

Hatshepsut's story continues to captivate and inspire, challenging our modern perceptions of gender roles and ancient power structures. She is increasingly recognized not merely as a female anomaly, but as a powerful and successful pharaoh in her own right. Her narrative serves as a powerful case study for understanding how gender, power, and historical narratives intersect across different eras.

I know, right? Hatshepsut's reign reminds us that history is often far more complex and captivating than we imagine. A testament to the enduring power of ambition, innovation, and a woman who dared to be different.

And so we close the chapter on Hatshepsut, the woman who truly dared to wear the beard of a king or a pharaoh. Her story is a powerful reminder that even in the most rigid of societies, ambition, ingenuity, and sheer bravery can carve out an indelible legacy. She was unique for her time.

A trailblazer who led an empire to unprecedented prosperity, even as forces later tried to erase her from history. But as we've seen, the whispers of her greatness could not be silenced.

And that is gonna do it for us. For those of y'all eager to dive even deeper into Hatshepsut's incredible life, we have some awesome documentary recommendations down below for you. A few of them including Secrets of Egypt's Lost Queen, which is, I believe, the one where they discovered they had her mummy.

And they were able to determine that it was potentially her. All of these will be cited, and with the cited sources that informed our research today are gonna be linked down below. And we always encourage you to explore, know, look through all the resources yourself, continue your own investigation, and come to your own conclusions, because they are unique. And she was a remarkable pharaoh. And then we just encourage you to please share your comments below.

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