SPECIAL IDENTITY, INSTITUTION, AND ICONOCLASM
Hatshepsut was the daughter of a pharaoh (Thutmose I), sister and wife of a pharaoh (Thutmose II), and stepmother of a pharaoh (Thutmose III). However, she was not meant to be pharaoh herself. She was the Great Royal Wife, the chief consort of Thutmose II. She was also ‘God's Wife.’ In this role, Hatshepsut served as a chief priestess in the Temple of Amun-Re in Thebes. Thus, as King's Daughter, Great Royal Wife, and God's Wife, Hatshepsut had great status in Egypt, but these were all part of the traditional roles for a royal woman. These positions all reflected Maat – the concept of cosmic order, balance, and harmony, personified as a goddess, that governed the world – to the Egyptian mindset. What threatened tradition was when, following the death of her husband, Hatshepsut, regent for her young stepson, Thutmose III, became pharaoh. Around 1479 BC, in year seven of Thutmose III's rightful reign, she installed herself as king, adopted royal titles and insignia, made decrees in her name, and portrayed herself as pharaoh. Hatshepsut legitimized her actions by saying it was all achieved by Amun: “I acted under his command; it was he who led me.” In fact, Hatshepsut did not
