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Pharaoh Hatshepsut: Promoter of Egyptian Trade Hatshepsut was the daughter of the king Thutmose I. After his death, his son, Thutmose II, became king. Hatshepsut, the king’s new half-sister, became queen. But Thutmose II only lived about seven more years. In ancient Egypt, the oldest male in line for the throne usually became the next ruler. Thutmose III, Hatshepsut’s nephew, was next in line. But he was about 10 years old, too young to govern Egypt. Hatshepsut took over the government in his place. The Egyptian people probably expected her to rule only until young Thutmose III was old enough to take over his royal duties. But Hatshepsut had other ideas. This bold queen seized power for herself and became the new ruler. Never before had Egypt been ruled by a woman. Sometimes she wore men’s clothing; she even wore the fake beard that was worn by male pharaohs! She ruled Egypt for about 20 years, and she turned out to be a skillful leader. Like earlier Egyptian rulers, Hatshepsut wanted to make sure she would be remembered for all time. She ordered a great temple to be built along the banks of the Nile. She also had two enormous granite pillars called obelisks placed at the temple of the sun god. She restored old temples that had been destroyed during foreign invasions. Egypt enjoyed a time of renewed peace and prosperity under Hatshepsut. As a ruler, Hatshepsut concerned herself with improving life at home rather than expanding Egypt’s borders and building a great empire. One example is a trade expedition she sent to Punt, a kingdom near present-day Somalia at the southern end of the Red Sea. Five ships sailed to Punt bearing gifts and trade goods. The expedition returned to Egypt with many items, including gold, ivory, leopard skins, ostrich feathers, incense, rare woods, and monkeys. Hatshepsut was considered one of the greatest rulers, male or female of her time. Born during Egypt’s 18th dynasty, she was able to rise from princess to queen to pharaoh. Her rise to the throne, though against ideals of the time, might have inspired others, such as Cleopatra. During this time she was able to expand trade, watch the Egyptian economy grow and improve, and build and restore temples of Egypt. Hatshepsut did this by claiming right of male, being in the image of the Sphinx. She strapped a golden beard to her chin and often dressed in male clothing. As noted by Wells (1969), Hatshepsut, sometime before 1500 BCE, was supposedly born a beautiful child to the pharaoh Thutmosis I and his queen, Amose. Although, Hatshepsut, as a girl, was not heir to the pharaoh, she held much authority as a young child. This is primarily due to the rule of her father and the high expectations, which had been set for her since birth. Being the daughter of a powerful pharaoh, Hatshepsut was given no choice of what her adulthood would consist of. Hatshepsut had a sister, Princess Neterukheb, and two brothers, Wadjmose and Amennose; who both died young. Hatshepsut also had a half brother who later became her husband, Thutmosis II. As a child, the royal scribe taught Hatshepsut how to read and write hieroglyphics. As documented by Sadat (1987) Hatshepsut questioned her need for education since she thought she would never become pharaoh. Hatshepsut was raised believing that all good came from the god Amon and that the trinity of power consisted of the king, queen, and Amon. Wells (1969) states that Hatshepsut was taught the importance of the Nile River as a source of goods and food to the people of Egypt and her family Hatshepsut acquired many titles during her rise to power. From Queen Tetisheri she received the title, "God's wife of Amon." This title was then passed to Hatshepsut’s daughter, Neferure. As noted in Save-Soderbergh (1961) Hatshepsut was often dressed as a boy, who led her to be titled the "Crown Prince of Egypt." Her greatest accomplishment and title came in 1473 BCE when she crowned herself, not only queen, but also the king of Upper and Lower Egypt. Before he died, her father Thutmosis I, named his son, Thutmosis III, of a minor wife, heir to the throne. Since Thutmosis III was still a young child, Hatshepsut believed he could not run both Upper and Lower Egypt alone, and soon crowned herself co-pharaoh. At the time Thutmosis III did not seem to mind his joint reign with Hatshepsut. It was not until he grew into adulthood that Thutmosis III decided he wanted full rights to the throne. As the fifth ruler of the 18th dynasty, Hatshepsut accomplished many things in her kingdom. Although many queens had ruled before her, never had a female ruler taken on the title of king, as stated by Breasted (1909). It is believed that Hatshepsut posed as a man while out on expeditions or while visible to her kingdom. Nonetheless, Hatshepsut began a line of strong female Egyptian rulers going as far forward as Cleopatra. Montet (1964) stated the possibility that Hatshepsut staged the beginning struggles for women’s rights and set the stage for many to follow her. Another accomplishment of Hatshepsut was the birth of her child, Princess Neferure. Being queen, pharaoh, and mother took much patience, talent, and devotion. Also, the fact that Hatshepsut was faced with raising a daughter in Egypt, forced her once again with the same problems of her childhood. Still, Hatshepsut was a strong woman and accomplished much. Having the title of God’s wife of Amon, Hatshepsut was able to influence and receive the support of the priests of the temple. Hatshepsut also built a magnificent temple in Thebes, Deir el Bahri, showing she believed she was of diving birth. Hatshepsut sent many ships on voyages to bring back other country’s goods. After an expedition to Punt, a crew brought back exotic goods like ivory, myrrh, wood, monkeys, and gold. Hatshepsut was able to open and increase trade expansion, keep a country at peace for the length of her rule, and begin to perfect domestic advancement. Cottrell (1960) believed Hatshepsut was loved by many due to the thousands that worked for and supported her every day of her rule. However it is not understood what happened to the powerful Hatshepsut. Some think she was either poisoned by Thutmosis III or left the country. Pharaoh Ramses II: Military Leader and Master Builder The pharaoh Ramses II ruled from about 1290 to 1224 BCE. Called Ramses the Great, he is one of the most famous pharaohs. He reigned for more than 60 years, longer than almost any other pharaoh. He is best known for his military leadership and for building numerous monuments. Ramses did everything in a big way. He had over 100 wives and more than 100 children! He wasn’t shy about glorifying himself, either. He had hundreds of statues of himself erected all around Egypt. Some of them were over 60 feet high. Ramses was a fearless soldier from a young age. He fought alongside his father in various battles. He was made a captain in the Egyptian army at the age of 10. Ramses tried to defend an Egyptian empire that extended north, and famously fought against the Hittites in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). However, Ramses was also a peacemaker. He and the Hittites signed the world’s first peace treaty. This peace lasted until the Hittite Empire collapsed around 1190 BCE. One of Ramses’s most impressive projects was a temple. It was carved into the side of a cliff on a bank of the Nile River. A smaller temple honored his favorite wife, Nefertari. Four giant seated statues of Ramses framed the entrance to the main temple. The figures were sculpted right out of the rock face of the cliff. They are among the finest examples of Egyptian art. Ramses built more temples and monuments than any other pharaoh in history. When he died, he was buried in a tomb that he had constructed for himself. He is one of the best-preserved mummies ever found. King Ramses the Second took the throne of Egypt in his early twenties (around 1279 BC) and ruled for 66 years until his death (1213 BC). He was the third ruler of the 19th Dynasty and ruled for an amazing 67 years, the second longest reign of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs. He is known as Ramses the Great for his contributions to Egypt, including his war campaigns to the Mediterranean and into Nubia, as well as his construction projects, such as cities, temples and tombs. Perhaps the best-known achievements of Ramses the Great are his architectural endeavors, most notable the Ramesseum and the temples of Abu Simbel. Ramses II's interest in architecture resulted in the erection of more monuments than any of the other ancient Egyptian pharaohs. A significant number of architectural tributes attributed to Ramses 2 still dominate the landscape of Egypt today. Ramses II: Military Impact The reign of Ramses 2 was marked by numerous military battles and he became one of the famous Egyptian pharaohs known for his military strength. Much of his reign was occupied with taking back territories that were lost to Egypt during the rule of other ancient Egyptian pharaohs (most notably Akhenaten) was preoccupied with establishing a monotheistic religion. Ramses II's army was 100,000 men strong, enormous for that period in time. Ramses 2's most famous battle is the Battle of Kadesh, which took place at the city of Kadesh (situated in present day Syria). Fought in 1274 BC against the Hittites, it was the largest chariot battle ever. Ramesses made a tactical error in that fight by dividing his forces, causing one of his divisions to be swept away. Eventually none of the parties gained victory and Ramesses had to retreat because of logistic difficulties. The military genius of Ramses II helped to secure Egypt's borders from foreign invaders and pirates along the Mediterranean and in Libya. He managed to fend off invasions from the Hittites and Nubians. In addition, his campaigns restored land to Egypt that had been previously lost to these empires. By forming peace treaties with these empires after warring with them, Ramses II helped to solidify Egypt's borders on all sides, allowing for increased internal stability. Many of these campaigns were completed in the first twenty years of Ramses II's reign. Ramses II's Religious Impact The religious impact that Ramses 2 had on Egypt is not to be overlooked either. After reigning for thirty years, Ramses II celebrated the Sed festival, in which the king was turned into a God. Ramses II defaced the monuments of previous reigning dynasties which had fallen out of favor, and sought to return Egyptian religion to how it had been before the reign of Akhenaton. Since the people of Egypt worshiped Ramses II as a god, it also helped to ensure that his son, who at that point commanded the army, would rise to power following his death, without anyone trying to seize the throne.