The King Herself (Photo: Kenneth Garrett/National Geographic. Click for full image on nationalgeographic.com).
3,500 years ago in the heart of ancient Egypt, in the heyday of the pharaohs, a woman took the throne.
A great king had died. A step-son and heir was too young to rule. The pharaoh, queen, Hatshepsut, stepped into power – and stayed there.
She built. She commanded armies. She wore the ceremonial fake beard of a pharaoh’s regalia. And when she had died, her stepson chiseled her name off every monument he could reach. Her mummy vanished to history. Now it’s back, and a new story is emerging.
This hour, On Point: Hatshepsut, the great “she-king” of Egypt.
You can join the conversation. How far do you think we can really understand what went on in one grand life in ancient Egypt, 3,500 years ago?
-Tom Ashbrook
Guests:
Joining us from New York is Chip Brown, author of “The She-King of Egypt,” the cover story in the current issue of National Geographic.
See the stunning gallery of photos by Kenneth Garrett, accompanying Chip Brown’s article, at nationalgeographic.com.
And joining us from Cairo, Egypt, is Zahi Hawass, world-renowned archaeologist and Egyptologist who led the effort that positively identified the mummy of Queen Hatshepsut in 2007. (Click here for an image of the Hatshepsut CT scan.) He is Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities and leader of the Egyptian Mummy Project, which uses modern science — including CT scanning and DNA analysis — to learn more about ancient Egyptian mummies. Among other projects, Dr. Hawass is currently leading the search for the tomb of Cleopatra and Marc Antony.
Tags: archeology, Egypt, history
Just in time for Passover, folks, Egypt’s She-King. Brilliant.
Posted by Paul Milson, on April 8th, 2009 at 11:06 PMIs it possible that she was a hermaphrodite? Has that been determined from the mummy?
Posted by Robert Gregory, on April 9th, 2009 at 10:40 AMIn Ancient Egypt the name King wasn’t so caught up in gender ideas. So a female ruler would have been known as King no matter what.
Posted by Soli, on April 9th, 2009 at 10:51 AMThere can only be one pharoh at a time. They had to erase the second pharoh from the record to preserve order (Ma’at). From what I remember from my Egyptology class, there was nothing the Egyptians feared more than a loss of order, because without it, the Nile may not flood on time.
Posted by Megh, on April 9th, 2009 at 10:52 AMMr. Ashbrook certainly does not need to value every caller’s comments, but it was extremely rude and unprofessional to respond with the juvenile comment of “So?” and then repeat that, “So?” and followed it with more rudeness. How about a simple, “Okay, thanks. Let’s take the next call.”
Posted by Tamar Myers, on April 9th, 2009 at 10:57 AMActually, one can run radioimmunoassays to determine hormone composition of intestinal contents, other soft tissues; one does not just need DNA (and it’s the illiac crest, not illiatic).
Posted by Beth, on April 9th, 2009 at 10:58 AMHail Queen (King) Hatshepsut!
Thanks for this update
Posted by Fred, on April 9th, 2009 at 11:01 AMI was wondering about whether anyone had heard (and what people may think) of the argument/theory that Hatshepsut was possibly also the stepmother of the Biblical figure of Moses. In considering: the line of Tut-Moses names, as Moses was an Egyptian name–not Hebrew; her other stepson’s possible desire to cut off a rival in his conquests; the Queen/King’s consideration of her people and their religions.
Posted by Emilie, on April 9th, 2009 at 11:12 AMThe Listen to This Show link isn’t working…Please fix it – I missed the broadcast!
Posted by Rebecca, on April 9th, 2009 at 1:16 PMWill Egypt’s She King be repeated. I was only able to listen for about 15 minutes, but she/he has been my favorite Pharoah since I was in school.
I look forward to hearin from you, and thank you.
Posted by Kathleen Kearney, on April 9th, 2009 at 2:23 PMWhen I was a kid, I read about the Pharaoh Hatshepsut in the book, “Mara, Daughter of the Nile,” by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. The book was first published in 1953 and portrayed her as the villain who kept her half-brother, Thutmose III, imprisoned to prevent him from claiming the throne. The portrait of Hatshepsut in the book very much reflects the old viewpoint of her as a vain, unscrupulous, ambitious woman as mentioned in the program. Nonetheless, after reading the book, I asked my cousin’s Egyptian husband if he’s ever heard of her and was thrilled when he confirmed that he knew of her, that she had been a real Pharaoh and not merely a fictional character. As a young girl, I was delighted to learn that once upon a time a woman had ruled Egypt. It was wonderful to hear more about her in today’s program. Thank you!
Posted by Alex, on April 9th, 2009 at 8:19 PMFrom what I’ve been able to read and see of Hatshepsut, it is clear that she was a remarkably intelligent and able ruler whose father taught her well, and a beautiful and sympathetic woman. Look at all the surviving sculptures of her, really look at her face. (The Met featured many fine photographs in their catalogue of her exhibition last year.) For her to survive as long as she did was an amazing achievement, as was what she built in her lifetime. That she is alive in our minds 3500 years later is amazing as well, and I thank NPR for the show.
Posted by Deborah Macchi, on April 10th, 2009 at 3:07 PM[...] (news) Tags: archeological find, drag king, uppity female This morning, I’m listening to an NPR broadcast about the recent recovery of Hatshepsut’s long missing mummy. The guest speaker is Chip Brown [...]
Posted by Hatshepsut, Pharoah-Queen of Egypt 3,500 years ago « opera.mad, on April 10th, 2009 at 6:10 PMMr. Ashbrook certainly does not need to value every caller’s comments, but it was extremely rude and unprofessional to respond with the juvenile comment of “So?” and then repeat that, “So?” and followed it with more rudeness. How about a simple, “Okay, thanks. Let’s take the next call.”
I second this comment. That woman deserves an apology.
Posted by Davis Randall, on April 10th, 2009 at 7:18 PMAbsolutely agree with the comment by Tamar Myers – was greatly disappointed in Mr. Ashbrook lack of manners, while every caller may not offer earth shattering insights there was no reason to be so dismissive. Ruined the rest of the program.
Posted by JK Joseph, on April 11th, 2009 at 2:46 AMNot sure how true this is but i heard is was actually a hermaphrodite. having both feminine quality’s and male, did she have any off-springs as well.
Posted by Mike, on April 11th, 2009 at 2:05 PMMr. Ashbrook had a potentially great program ruined by a terrible guest. He was not very informative, lacked passion for the subject and could answer any question with real authority. I was also dissapointed with Mr. Ashbrook’s attitude with his callers.
Posted by G Harden, on April 11th, 2009 at 3:00 PMMaybe the subject can be revisited with real authorities in the subject e.g. Prof. Ivan Van Sertima or Zahi Hawass.
hey
Posted by Amanda, on April 17th, 2009 at 1:27 PMwat is up
Posted by Amanda, on April 17th, 2009 at 1:27 PM