The Contribution of Women in the New Egypt Kingdom History Essay (Essay Sample)

The Contribution of Women in the New Egypt Kingdom
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The Contribution of Women in the New Egypt Kingdom
The fact that women played a crucial role in ancient Egypt is not in question. Perhaps this is due to the relative gender equality that existed in Egypt as compared to other ancient civilizations. Unlike in other civilizations like Greece, in Egypt, women enjoyed extensive rights. Women were able to inherit property, manage and even sell it. This property included livestock, portable goods, slaves and servants and even money. It is for this reason that the fact that women played leadership roles in different periods doesn't come as a surprise. However, it has long been assumed that women's ascent to power came as a matter of last resort or by chance. According to previous historical researchers, women, only ruled in the final days of dynasties to desperately effort to continue the male regime.1 However, a keen examination of various women that ruled the New Egypt Kingdom like Hatshepsut, Ahhotep, and Nefertiti, among others disapprove this assumption. This paper shows that other than having been raised as royalties, these women were outright competent, diplomatic and intelligent politicians who managed to steer Egypt through effective leadership.
Hatshepsut
Birth and Family Relations
Hatshepsut’s birth is based in a rather complicated family lineage. She was born in 1500BC in Thebes by royal parents, the Pharaoh Thutmose I and his royal wife Ahmose (who was also a daughter of a previous pharaoh). Being female, she could not take direct claim to the father's throne after his passing. The throne had to be passed to her stepbrother Thutmose II who his father sired with a lesser wife by the name Mutnofret. Hatshepsut and Thutmose II were later to be married, and she would play the role of queen until the husband died later on. By the time Thutmose II died, the two had a daughter, but he had sired a male child through a lesser wife by the name Thutmose III. At this time Thutmose III was the claimant of the throne though Hatshepsut became regent until the rightful king became of age. However, later on, Hatshepsut decided to become a full-fledged Pharaoh delegating Thutmose III had to be side-lined to a subordinate role for 22 years.[Kate Green. (2016). Hatshepsut and Thutmose III – Cooperative Co-rulers or Ruthless Rivals. Academia.]