Hatshepsut is of the most well-known rulers in ancient Egyptian history. For many, she is known simply because she was a woman who happened to rule during the Eighteenth Dynasty, which is arguably one of the most prominent dynasties due to massive wealth expansion and successful military campaigns.
What many do not know is that Queen Hatshepsut had monuments to bear her image with a twist. Instead of statues showing her feminine figure, she had the craftsmen alter her image to be more traditionally masculine. This was particularly important as she was the first to have given such an order, but her purpose was to show that she could lead as well as a man could, even if she was a woman. She was innovative, cunning, and powerful. Hatshepsut developed trade routes and successfully built foreign trade partnerships with the surrounding nations, greatly expanding Egypt’s wealth as well as agricultural and economic diversity.
To read more about Queen Hatshepsut, check out my soon to be published book with Pen and Sword, African Women of the Ancient World: Queens, Consorts and Warriors!
Photo below: Seated Statue of Hatshepsut. Wikicommons Public Domain. Housed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. ca. 1479–1458 B.C.
Remember the Ladies 