299: The Greatest Female Pharaoh
A comprehensive examination of Hatshepsut, arguably Egypt's greatest female pharaoh who ruled around 1500 BC during Egypt's recovery from foreign occupation. The episode traces her rise from regent to self-proclaimed king and her 20-year reign marked by architectural achievements and successful governance.
Summary
This episode explores the reign of Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt around 1500 BC during a period of Egyptian resurgence. The hosts begin by establishing the historical context: Egypt had suffered humiliation under foreign rule by the Hyksos people from Palestine who controlled northern Egypt, while the Kushites threatened from the south. Egyptian power was reduced to Thebes (modern Luxor). However, a succession of warrior pharaohs, beginning with Ahmose, successfully expelled the foreigners and re-established Egyptian dominance. Hatshepsut was the daughter of Thutmose I, a formidable military leader nicknamed 'the Panther' who expanded Egyptian territory both north into Canaan and south into Kush. She accompanied her father on military campaigns as a young girl, witnessing Egyptian military might firsthand. When her husband/half-brother Thutmose II died, leaving only a young son by a lesser wife, Hatshepsut initially served as regent. However, she gradually accumulated power, eventually declaring herself king - an almost unprecedented move for a woman in Egyptian society. To legitimize her rule, she claimed divine parentage from the god Amun-Ra and adopted all the traditional symbols of kingship, including the false beard. Her 20-year reign was marked by successful military campaigns, extensive building projects including her stunning mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari, and trading expeditions to the mysterious land of Punt. She worked closely with her architect and advisor Senenmut, leading to speculation about their relationship. After her natural death, she was succeeded by Thutmose III, who became one of Egypt's greatest military pharaohs. Later attempts were made to erase her memory from official records, though these efforts were incomplete, allowing modern historians to rediscover her remarkable story.
Key Insights
- The hosts argue that Hatshepsut was more successful than Cleopatra, noting that while Cleopatra ended in failure and suicide, Hatshepsut ruled successfully for 20 years during Egypt's golden age
- Tom Holland claims that Egypt's recovery from Hyksos occupation parallels Byzantium's situation in the 7th century, with foreign powers controlling traditional territories and uncertain prospects for recovery
- The speakers explain that Egyptians had no word for 'queen' as all women were defined by their relationship to the king, making Hatshepsut's assumption of kingship linguistically and culturally revolutionary
- Holland argues that two generations of women serving as regents before Hatshepsut established precedent for female governance, making her eventual claim to kingship more politically feasible
- The hosts suggest that Hatshepsut's legitimization strategy involved writing her deceased husband out of the royal succession story to claim direct inheritance from her father Thutmose I
- Tom Holland contends that Hatshepsut created a divine birth narrative claiming the god Amun as her true father, similar to later claims by Alexander the Great about Zeus
- The speakers argue that the term 'Pharaoh' meaning 'great house' may have originated during Hatshepsut's reign as courtiers struggled with how to address a female king
- Holland suggests that later attempts to erase Hatshepsut from records targeted not her personally but the precedent of women ruling as kings, likely due to succession concerns involving other powerful women
Topics
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