Hatshepsut, also known as Maatkare, was an 18th Dynasty pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. She ruled longer than any other woman we know of who was an indigenous Egyptian.
Hatshepsut died at about age 50, according to a stela at Armant. That date has been resolved to January 16, 1458 BCE by some. That source does not mention how she died, nor does any contemporary source.
A mummy in 2007 was identified as the mummy of Hatshepsut. Assuming that identification is correct, we know more about likely causes of her death. The mummy shows signs of arthritis, many dental cavities and root inflammation and pockets, diabetes, and metastized bone cancer (the original site cannot be identified; it may have been in soft tissue like the lungs or breast). She was also obese. Some other signs show the likelihood of a skin disease. It is likely that the cancer killed her, though an abscessed tooth is another theory.
In 2011, researchers in Germany identified a carcinogenic substance in a vial that is identified with Hatshepsut, leading to speculation that she may have used a lotion or salve for cosmetic reasons or to treat a skin condition, and this led to the cancer. Not all accept the flask as actually connected with Hatshepsut or even contemporary to her lifetime.
There was no evidence found from the mummy of unnatural causes of death, though academics had long assumed her death might have been hastened by enemies, perhaps even her stepson. But more recent scholarship does not accept that her stepson and heir was in conflict with Hatshepsut.
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