Soon after evidence of the existence of a female pharaoh, Hatshepsut, was recovered in the 19th century, archaeologists figured out that
- Hatshepsut had ruled as a king, and not just regent for her stepson and nephew, Thutmose III;
- someone, presumably Thutmose III, had defaced inscriptions and statues, attempting apparently to remove evidence of such rule; and
- Hatshepsut had an unusuallly close relationship with a commoner, Senenmut.
The conclusion many drew was what's now referred to as the "wicked stepmother" story. Hatshepsut was assumed to have taken advantage of the true heir's infancy or youth, and seized power from him.
Hatshepsut was also assumed to have ruled alongside Senenmet, or at least with his support, and to have taken him as her lover.
As soon as Hatshepsut died, in this story, Thutmose III was free to exercise his own power. Out of hatred and resentment, he carried out a vicious attempt to erase her memory from history.
Questioning the Story
Although traces of this story can still be found in many reference sources, especially older ones, the "wicked stepmother" story eventually became suspect. New archaeological finds -- and, perhaps, changing cultural assumptions in our own world that influenced assumptions of Egyptologists -- led to serious questioning of the "Hatshepsut the wicked stepmother" myth.
Selective Removal of Images
It became apparent that the campaign to remove Hatshepsut's inscriptions had been selective. Images or names of Hatshepsut as queen or priestess were far less likely to be defaced than images or names of Hatshepsut as a king. Images unlikely to be seen by the public were far less likely to be attacked than those that were obvious.
Removal Was Not Immediate
It also became apparent that the campaign didn't happen immediately after Hatshepsut died and Thutmose III became sole ruler. One would expect a hate-filled campaign rooted in deep resentment would take place more quickly.
It was thought that the wall around the bottom of Hatshepsut's obelisks was built by Thutmose III to cover images of Hatshepsut. The date of the wall was put at about twenty years after Hatshepsut's death. Since images on the lower covered part of the obelisks weren't defaced and represented Hatshepsut as king, this led to the conclusion that it took at least twenty years for Thutmose III to get around to this literal cover-up of Hatshepsut's kingship.
At least one group, a French archaeology team, conclude that Hatshepsut herself had the wall built. Does that mean that Thutmose III's campaign could have been immediate?
No -- because new evidence shows statues with cartouches naming Hatshepsut as king were built over about ten years into Thutmose III's sole reign. So, today, Egyptologists generally conclude that Thutmose III took at least ten to twenty years to get around to removing the Hatshepsut-as-king evidence.
Thutmose III Not Idle
To read some of the older sources, you'd think Thutmose III was idle and inactive until after the death of his "wicked stepmother." It was commonly reported that after Hatshepsut's death, Thutmose III embarked on a series of military campaigns. The implication: that Thutmose III was powerless while Hatshepsut lived, but that he was so militarily successful afterwards that some have called him the "Napoleon of Egypt."
Now, evidence has been interpreted to show that, after Thutmose III was old enough, and before Hatshepsut's death, he became head of Hatshepsut's army, and actually carried out several military campaigns.
This means that it's highly unlikely that Hatshepsut held Thutmose III as a virtual prisoner, helpless until her death to take power. In fact, as head of the army, he was in a position to seize power and depose his stepmother during her lifetime, if he were -- as the "wicked stepmother" story would have it -- festering with resentment and hate.
Sources consulted include:
- James H. Breasted. A History of Egypt from the Earliest Times to the Persian Conquest. 1905.
- Kara Cooney. Interview, July 3, 2007.
- Aidan Dodson and Dyan Hilton. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. 2004.
- W. F. Edgerton. Thutmosid Succession. 1933.
- Zahi Hawass. The Realm of the Pharaoh. 2006.
- John Ray. "Hatshepsut: the Female Pharaoh." History Today. Volume 44 number 5, May 1994.
- Catharine H. Roehrig, editor. Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh. 2005. Article contributors include Ann Macy Roth, James P. Allen, Peter F. Dorman, Cathleen A. Keller, Catharine H. Roehrig, Dieter Arnold, Dorothea Arnold.
- Secrets of Egypt's Lost Queen. First aired: 7/15/07. Discovery Channel. Brando Quilico, executive producer.
- Joyce Tyldesley. Hatchepsut the Female Pharaoh. 1996.
