Art History Research: Egypt's History, Hatshepsut (Essay Sample)

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Art history
Introduction
Egypt is one of the countries, in the world, that not only created precedence in the preservation of history but also endured to maintain the historical aspects of the nation. Ranging from the Egyptian pyramids to the mummies, Egypt is truly a historical county. Ancient Egypt was ruled by kings, the pharaohs, which was a male dominated position. Firstborns of the royal family became kings immediately after the death of, their predecessors, who were their father, uncle or even brother. Overall, it is evident that the position of the pharaoh was purely patriarchal and no woman was intended to rule the nation, especially in the presence of a viable male successor (Mehler 33).
Over the years, history unearthed the existence and possible reign of a female pharaoh, Queen Hatshepsut. However, the extent to which forces go to conceal the presence of the Queen, raise questions not only about her position as King but also her reign as one of the two female pharaohs in the history of ancient Egypt. The reasons as to why her royal tenure is undocumented, and her statues and images scraped off, is still a mystery. However, it is very evident that there is an individual that worked to erase her existence as ruler of Egypt, for good. In a bid to understand the rule and death of Hatshepsut, this research aims at unearthing the people and reasons behind the cancellation of the Queen’s name from the history books of ancient history. The investigation will reveal the actions or personality of Hatshepsut that made her a target for historical erase.
Overview
Hatshepsut was an Egyptian Queen who was born in the royal family as a princess to a father was the then Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, Thutmose I. She had a half-brother, Thutmose II, who was the most likely person to succeed the kinship after the death of Thutmose I. To secure his succession, Thutmose II married Hatshepsut, his half-sister, and legitimate heir to the throne. After the death of Thutmose I, Hatshepsut’s husband ascended to the throne (Galford 20-25). His rule was not all glorious since his ill health made it difficult for him to fully practice his power as King. After her husband’s death at the age of 15, Hatshepsut became regnant to the throne. When she turned 22years, Hatshepsut shocked everyone when she decided to elevate herself to the throne, despite there being a legitimate male successor. She dresses and walked like a man, maybe to assert her position as king. She decided to rule as a man and even had a false beard. After her death, every document and piece of history regarding her time as Queen was erased, to eliminate any memories of her. It is the move to delete Hatshepsut from history that creates our research question, why was Hatshepsut removed from ancient Egypt history?
Discussion
Many archeologists and historians have tried to answer the question, without success. Despite Hatshepsut’s extraordinary rule, that lasted almost twenty years, little is known about the woman who disguised herself as a male pharaoh. Her prowess in design and architecture are some of the few markers that identify her as an exemplary leader. Despite the uncertainty that surrounds her leadership, one thing is sure; Hatshepsut must have done something very tragic and uncustomary to earn her deletion from all historical content in Egypt.
The first possibility is the nature of her ascent into power (Cooney 275). Historians believe that the fact that Hatshepsut forced herself into the position of Pharaoh, notwithstanding, the presence of a male successor was bad enough to grant her the undocumented and uncelebrated leadership. According to ancient Egypt, the king’s position was for the male members of the royal family. Therefore, by ascending to the throne, Hatshepsut went against the traditional laws and regulations that governed the kingship. Her unanticipated kingship could explain why the female King had to work even harder to legitimize her position as the ruler of Egypt. Not only did she dress as a man, but also buried her father’s statue in a building she erected. By ascending to a male dominated seat, Hatshepsut created hatred and animosity between her and her brother. In other words, Hatshepsut stole the rightful inheritance of her sibling. Not only did she ascend to power unlawfully but also robbed another of their chance to become king.
Her actions were viewed as a negative depiction of a woman, never to replicate in other women. People saw her as a person who not only tainted the stature and role of women in the society but also gave the female gender the wrong motivation to overthrow or even relegate their duties as homemakers. Therefore, by erasing her from history, women would shun from emulating her steps. It is important to note that over many centuries, strong political women came off as untraditional and conniving. As a matter of fact, women that showed interest in male-dominated fields, were sidelined. In the same way, the people of ancient Egypt could have viewed Hatshepsut in the same light. Despite her strong leadership skills, her gender betrayed her. Instead of coming out as a role model to women, she was seen as a person who could mislead women to want leadership positions and roles of the men.
Also, there are claims that Hatshepsut had sexual involvements with a male commoner, who was also her architect. According to the Egyptian culture, none of the royals were allowe...