She served as queen alongside her husband, Thutmose II, but after his death, she claimed the role of pharaoh while acting as regent to her step-son, Thutmose III. She reigned peaceably, building temples and monuments, resulting in the flourishing of Egypt.

Hatshepsut was the chief wife of Thutmose II, Thutmose III’s father. She is generally regarded by Egyptologists as one of the most successful pharaohs, reigning longer than any other woman of an indigenous Egyptian dynasty.

Interesting Facts about Hatshepsut

• The name Hatshepsut means “Foremost of Noble Ladies”.
• Her father Thutmose I was a general, but became Pharaoh because the previous Pharaoh did not have a son.
• Archeologists think that Thutmose III had many of the statues and references to Hatshepsut destroyed.

Why is Hatshepsut so famous? Hatshepsut was a female king of Egypt (reigned in her own right c. 1473–58 BCE) who attained unprecedented power for a woman, adopting the full titles and regalia of a pharaoh.

Female pharaohs did not have a different title from male counterparts, but were simply called pharaohs.

Hatshepsut

Cleopatra VII Philapator, Twosret, Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, Sobekneferu and MerNeith were among the few women of antiquity to reign during Egypt’s long history.

• MerNeith. Source: Wikipedia.
• Sobekneferu. Source: Berlin Egyptian Museum (Lost in WWII)
• Neferneferuaten Nefertiti.
• Hatshepsut.
• Twosret.
• Cleopatra VII Philopator.

As ancient Egyptian rulers, pharaohs were both the heads of state and the religious leaders of their people. The word “pharaoh” means “Great House,” a reference to the palace where the pharaoh resides. While early Egyptian rulers were called “kings,” over time, the name “pharaoh” stuck.

Here are 10 of the most famous.

• Djoser (reign 2686 BC – 2649 BC)
• Khufu (reign 2589 ‒ 2566 BC)
• Hatshepsut (reign 1478–1458 BC)
• Thutmose III (reign 1458–1425 BC)
• Amenhotep III (reign 1388–1351 BC)
• Akhenaten (reign 1351–1334 BC)
• Tutankhamun (reign 1332–1323 BC)
• Ramses II (reign 1279–1213 BC)

Akhenaten Amenhotep IV

Haman

King Ramses II

The pharaohs were both political and religious leaders. It was their duty to maintain peace in the kingdom at any cost, even if they had to fight at the borders for its protection. Some pharaohs were competent and some were evil, but those who have made it into the history books were usually a little unconventional.

Laborers ate two meals a day: a morning meal of bread, beer and often onions, and a more hearty dinner with boiled vegetables, meat and more bread and beer. Nobles ate well, with vegetables, meat and grains at every meal, plus wine and dairy products like butter and cheese. Priests and royalty ate even better.

pharaoh, (from Egyptian per ʿaa, “great house”), originally, the royal palace in ancient Egypt. The word came to be used metonymically for the Egyptian king under the New Kingdom (starting in the 18th dynasty, 1539–1292 bce), and by the 22nd dynasty (c.

the pharaoh was considered a god on earth, the intermediary between the gods & the people. As supreme ruler of the people, the pharaoh was considered a god on earth, the intermediary between the gods and the people.

Ennead – The nine gods worshipped at Heliopolis who formed the tribunal in the Osiris Myth: Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, and Set. These nine gods decide whether Set or Horus should rule in the story The Contendings of Horus and Set. They were known as The Great Ennead.

As ‘Lord of the Two Lands’ the pharaoh was the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt. He owned all of the land, made laws, collected taxes, and defended Egypt against foreigners. As ‘High Priest of Every Temple’, the pharaoh represented the gods on Earth. He performed rituals and built temples to honour the gods.

Originally, Amun-Ra was known as Ra who was recognized as the “Sun God.” He not only created himself, but he was the creator of the entire universe. He was known to have so much power, that some historians believe that the ancient Egyptians had a monotheistic belief.

Originally, he was depicted as a goose and given the epithet the “Great Cackler” (like Geb). It was also thought that he could regenerate himself by becoming a snake and shedding his skin. However, he was most frequently depicted as a Ram, a symbol of fertility.

As the chief deity of the Egyptian Empire, Amun-Ra also came to be worshipped outside Egypt, according to the testimony of ancient Greek historiographers in Libya and Nubia….

Amun-Ra was the chief of the Egyptian gods. In the early days of the Egyptian civilization, he was worshipped as two separate gods. Amun was the god who created the universe. Ra was the god of the sun and light, who traveled across the sky every day in a burning boat.

en it became unbearable, Ra ordered the other gods to stand back while he whispered his secret name to Isis. ‘Now the power ofthe secretname has passed from my heart to your heart,’ said Ra wearily. ‘In time you can give it to your son, but wam him never to betray the secret!’

In the days before Ra had left the land, before he had begun to grow old, his great wisdom told him that if the goddess Nut bore children, one of them would end his reign among men. So Ra laid a curse upon Nut – that she should not be able to bear any child upon any day in the year.

Amun, god of the air, was one of the eight primordial Egyptian deities. Amun’s role evolved over the centuries; during the Middle Kingdom he became the King of the deities and in the New Kingdom he became a nationally worshipped god. He eventually merged with Ra, the ancient sun god, to become Amun-Ra.

The Unlucky Mummy is an Ancient Egyptian artifact in the collection of the British Museum in London….Unlucky Mummy.

Shu, in Egyptian religion, god of the air and supporter of the sky, created by Atum by his own power, without the aid of a woman. Shu and his sister and companion, Tefnut (goddess of moisture), were the first couple of the group of nine gods called the Ennead of Heliopolis.

Amun (also Amon, Ammon, Amen, Amun-Ra) is the ancient Egyptian god of the sun and air. He is one of the most important gods of ancient Egypt who rose to prominence at Thebes at the beginning of the period of the New Kingdom (c. 1570-1069 BCE). His cult was the most powerful and popular in Egypt for centuries.