the woman who became pharaoh
What History Knows
Hatshepsut wasn't supposed to become pharaoh.
She was born into Egypt's royal family at a time when kings were expected to be men. When her husband, Thutmose II, died, she was expected to serve only as regent until her young stepson, Thutmose III, was old enough to rule. Instead, she did something almost unthinkable.
She declared herself Pharaoh of Egypt. Not queen. Not regent. Pharaoh.
Hatshepsut wasn't the first remarkable woman to shape the ancient world. More than a thousand years earlier, Enheduanna became history's first known named author while serving as a powerful priestess in Mesopotamia. To strengthen her authority, she adopted the full royal titles of a king, wore the ceremonial false beard, and was often portrayed in the traditional clothing of a male pharaoh. Across the ancient world, women occasionally held positions of extraordinary influence. Among the most mysterious were the Sibyls, whose prophetic words were sought by kings and emperors alike. It wasn't because she believed she was a man. It was because the office itself had always belonged to one. Then she proved she deserved it.
For more than twenty years, Egypt flourished under her rule.
She expanded trade into distant lands, brought unimaginable wealth back to Egypt, commissioned breathtaking monuments, and built one of the most spectacular temples in the ancient world at Deir el-Bahri. Rather than leading endless military campaigns, she focused on prosperity, architecture, and stability. By almost every measure, Hatshepsut became one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs...
...despite being a woman. Then, after her death, something remarkable happened.
Someone tried to erase her from history.
Her statues were smashed. Sadly, Hatshepsut wasn't the only extraordinary woman whose legacy was nearly erased. Centuries later, the philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria would suffer a different—but equally tragic—attempt to silence one of history's greatest minds. Her images were destroyed. Her name was painstakingly carved from monuments, as if someone wanted future generations to believe she had never ruled at all. For centuries...
What History Debates
Why was Hatshepsut erased?
Many historians point to her stepson, Thutmose III. After eventually becoming sole ruler, he may have wanted to restore the traditional line of male kings or strengthen his own legitimacy. But there's a problem with that theory.
The campaign to erase Hatshepsut didn't begin immediately after her death. It appears to have started decades later, making historians wonder whether Thutmose III was truly responsible—or whether someone else had reasons of their own.
Scholars also debate whether her images were destroyed because she was a woman who broke tradition, because of political rivalries, or because later rulers simply wanted to rewrite history. It doesn't tell us why.
What History May Never Know
What was Hatshepsut really like? Did she lie awake at night wondering whether history would accept a woman as pharaoh? Did she ever doubt herself before placing the royal crown upon her head?
When the first monument bearing her name was completed, did she feel triumph... or fear? And when she looked at her young stepson, did she see a future ally, a rival, or simply a child she was trying to protect until he could rule?
History remembers her temples, her statues, and the fragments left behind after someone tried to destroy them. But it cannot tell us what she dreamed, what she feared, or whether she ever imagined that thousands of years later, the world would still be trying to piece together her story. Perhaps that's what fascinates me most. One of Egypt's greatest pharaohs wasn't lost because time forgot her. History has a habit of hiding remarkable people and remarkable places. Perhaps that's one reason legends like Shambhala continue to fascinate us today.
She was lost because someone wanted her forgotten.
If Hatshepsut's story fascinated you, you may also enjoy:
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Enheduanna — The world's first known named author and one of history's earliest influential women.
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The Sibyls — Ancient prophetesses whose influence reached kings and empires.
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Hypatia of Alexandria — A brilliant philosopher whose legacy nearly vanished from history.
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Shambhala — The legendary hidden kingdom said to preserve wisdom beyond the reach of time.