HATSHEPSUT THE QUEEN WHO BECAME KING

Some of the most powerful individuals of the ancient world, the pharaohs of Egypt, were believed to have inherited the throne by divine right and were worshipped as gods on Earth. Huge temples were built in their honour, statues were carved in their image and pyramids were built in their memory to ensure their everlasting legacy. However, in what may be one of history’s biggest cover-up operations, one of its greatest rulers has been all but lost to the desert. And the reason behind this monarch’s reign being erased from history might seem pretty trivial to us now: this pharaoh was a woman.

Hatshepsut was the longest reigning female pharaoh of Egyptian descent, with a rule spanning around 22 years

In the 16th century BCE, Egypt was experiencing a time of great stability. Founded by Ahmose I in 1543 BCE, the 18th Dynasty marked the start of an era when the empire reached the peak of its power. Once Ahmose had expelled the Hyksos settlers from Lower Egypt and brought the Nile Delta under his control, the nation was politically unified for the first time in more than 500 years. Ahmose reorganised the country’s administration and undertook numerous huge construction projects, which were continued when his successor,