Fun Fact Friday ---> Freaking Fearless Females
Since March is National Women’s History Month, I’ve decided
to create a series of posts dedicated to women in history whose power and
influence rivaled any man at the time. Therefore, until further notice, FFF isn’t
going to stand for Fun Fact Friday. For the foreseeable future, you’ll see
posts featuring
FREAKING FEARLESS FEMALES
The first two FFF post go way back to Ancient Egypt. Did you know that in Egyptian society, women
had the same legal rights as men? They
could own land and property, enter into contracts on their own, and even
divorce their husbands without needing a reason. For the next two posts, we’re going
to learn about two women who seized control and became two of Egypt’s most
powerful HBICs (head bitches in charge, for those of you not up to speed on
today’s lingo).
Part One
Hatshepsut: The Queen Who Became King
Born around 1507 B.C.E., Hatshepsut was the daughter of King
Thutmose I. At 12 years old, she married
her half-brother, Thutmose II (the pharaohs liked to keep it all in the family,
and polygamy was common among the kings. It made for more opportunities to have
male heirs to form their dynasties.) Upon her husband’s death she became regent,
ruling for her then infant stepson, Thutmose III, until he came of age. Within
seven years however, she completely assumed the role of pharaoh, co-ruling with
her stepson. She fiercely defended her right to rule, saying her father had
named her as his successor.
During her rule, she became known for her ambitious
architectural projects in and around Thebes, including her temple at Deir
al-Bahri. She also organized trade efforts that brought vast wealth to
Egypt. In order to be taken seriously as
ruler, she wore a fake beard and ordered all artistic renditions of her to be
depicted with the beard and male muscles. In order to further legitimize her
reign, she had her father’s sarcophagus exhumed and be reburied in her tomb
with her so they could rest together in the afterlife.
Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art |
What were Hatshepsut’s motives for seizing control of Egypt?
Some historians say it was simply her
ambition. Others say it was out of loyalty to her stepson. When Thutmose III was very young, members of
the royal family were plotting to steal the throne, so she was simply holding
it for him. Whatever her reasons,
Thutmose III became resentful of her rule. When she died, he erased any evidence of her
rule, including some of the monuments she had built. He had any artwork that depicted her as king
defaced or completely destroyed. It is because of this that Egyptologists knew
very little about Hatshepsut until 1822 when they were finally able to decode
the hieroglyphics on the walls at Deir el-Bahri.
Defaced statue of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri |
Her empty sarcophagus was found in 1903 by Howard Carter
(the guy made famous for finding King Tut’s tomb). In 2005 a team of
archaeologists set out to find her mummy, and two years later, they succeeded. The
remains of Queen/King/Pharaoh/all-around badass Hatshepsut now rest in the
Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Be sure to come back in two weeks for part two of the
Freaking Fearless Females of Ancient Egypt.
We’ll be talking about the beautiful, mysterious and powerful Nefertiti!
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