Hatshepsut was a rare example of a woman who ruled as pharaoh 14 centuries before Cleopatra VII. She is depicted here circa 1470BCE in pharaonic attire typical of the 18th Dynasty including the red crown of Lower Egypt. This reconstruction is based on measurements taken from photos of her mummified remains and surviving statues.
The facial proportions are taken from the mummy KV60-A identified as Hatshepsut from largely circumstantial evidence. A missing tooth that was found in a box labelled with her cartouches was recovered from another tomb and found to be an exact fit. According to an examination of the skull by a team of archaeologists the features resembled her brother and husband Thuthmose II and his son Thuthmose III in having a mild overbite and prominent zygomaticofrontal ridge with wide cheekbones, chin and forehead although with a wider nasal bridge. This evidence was augmented by DNA tests that showed a link to their common ancestor, Ahmose Nefertari. Examination of Hatshepsut’s body showed marked obesity with signs of diabetes as well as poor dentition. She also suffered from arthritis and bone cancer that probably led to her death around the age of 50. In creating the portrait I have followed proportions taken from photos of the head. The shape of the nose is difficult to assess from the damage to this area and is based on her sculptures.
Hatshepsut was daughter of King Thutmose I and became queen of Egypt when she married her half-brother, Thutmose II. Upon his death, she began acting as regent for her stepson, the infant Thutmose III, the son of another of her husband’s wives. She claimed her father had appointed her successor and that she was the daughter of the god Amun, becoming co-ruler of Egypt before assuming the role of pharaoh in 1478. She bolstered her claim to power by having herself depicted as a male pharaoh on monuments across Egypt, complete with false beard.
Hatshepsut was responsible for many building projects including her own monumental tomb complex in western Thebes. She organised a trading expedition to the land of Punt that returned with such riches as ivory, ebony, gold, leopard skins and incense. After Thutmose III succeeded to the throne many images of Hatshepsut were destroyed and her cartouche erased from public monuments. It is believed the example of a female pharaoh was regarded as heretical to Egyptian religious orthodoxy.