Hatshepsut’s Power And Her Influence On Egypt

Hatshepsut is considered one of Egypt’s most distinguishable pharaohs, as a result of the prosperity and harmony that occurred throughout society during her reign. Her rule began during a time of affluence during Egypt, however gender stereotypes were still instilled in society., with positions of power tended to be held by men. Hatshepsut broke this accepted way of thinking by maintaining the country’s successful era. Consequently, the great impacts that resulted from her rule included the empowerment of females, encouragement of religion and the boost of the trade economy. Hence, her strength, buildings and foreign policies illustrate the internal peace and vigorous growth she had on society during her time period.

Hatshepsut’s successful reign as pharaoh within a mostly patriarchal society empowered many women as it demonstrated the willpower and strength of females. As a woman who was turned King, not all was at Hatshepsut’s favours, however, she was able to reign longer than any of an Indigenous Egyptian dynasty. One of the clearest examples of her power is displayed through her movement from regent for her step-son, Thutmose III, to pharoah. Hatshepsut crowned herself king and adopted a full royal titulary, fighting to defend the legitimacy of her power grab, she made it a point to emphasise her royal lineage, surround herself with supporters and reinvent her image. These images were displayed through paintings and statues where she was portrayed as a male pharaoh, illustrated with a beard and large muscles, however, it was never her intention to pass herself off as a man; rather, she referred to herself as the “female falcon” and still appeared in traditional female regalia. Her skilled overtake of power was and still remains to be highly inspirational for not only women competing against men for positions of power, but also for any individual who feels incarcerated and impotent within society. Another early demonstration of feminism carried by Hatshepsut is her refusal of traditional roles and representations assigned to women by abandoning her parentage in order to become the daughter of Amun and pharaoh of Egypt. Hatshepsut further enforced her importance and power as a female ruler by presenting herself as a daughter of Amun, a living embodiment of the divine. Thus, being a female, Hatshepsut’s successful reign, defied patronising stereotypes against women as she maintained her position against a male and redefined herself as a woman who turned ‘king’.

Hatshepsut's power was used to encourage religion, uniting her people and promoted her views. Raised in a time to have believed in mythology of instead of science, Hatsheput believed in Gods and Goddesses and hence, used her power to spread her devotion to Amun and other gods through the construction of temples to honour them. One of the most famous indications of her cultural value is demonstrated in her building projects, such as her temple of Deir el-Bahri at Luxor. The Temple was built to commemorate her achievements and as a funerary monument for her, as well as a sanctuary of the god. This building also recalls stories upon its walls, which illustrate her journeys and expeditions, spreading ideologies of multiculturalism and her success. As well as the construction of new temples, Hatshepsut worked hard to enforce ma’at through the restoration of temples, chapels and sanctuaries which were neglected during past dominations? Some recorded examples of her most successful restorations were at the Karnak temple complex, where Hatshepsut remodeled her father’s hypostyle hall, added a barque shrine, and introduced two pairs of obelisks. At Beni Hasan in Middle Egypt, she built a rock-cut temple known in Greek as Speos Artemidos. These regular building projects not only promoted also acquired work for peasant farmers, promoting unity through shared effort, opportunities to express ma’at, emphasis on the central value of culture. Overall, Hatshepsut’s power provided her with complete influence regarding her people’s religious and social views, which she steered into devotion to certain Gods and Goddesses and unity through the build and restoration of culturally significant temples.

Hatshepsut's favourability is ensured as a result of the economic boost she provided Egypt with. Traditionally, past pharaohs launch military campaigns with specific intentions to bring wealth into the country and Hatshepsut is known to have upheld this. As displayed in the expedition she ordered to Punt which most famously retreated living trees to Egypt, marking the first known successful attempt at transplanting foreign fauna, engraved on the walls of her temple at Deir el-Bahri, the luxury goods were described in detail with “heavily with marvels of the country of Punt; all goodly fragant woods of God's Land, heaps of myrrh-resin, with fresh myrrh trees, with ebony and pure ivory, with green gold of Emu, with cinnamon wood, Khesyt wood, with Ihmut-incense, sonter-incense, eye cosmetic, with apes, monkeys, dogs, and with skins of the southern panther. Never was brought the like of this for any king who has been since the beginning”. Although Punt had been a partner in the trade since the time of the Middle Kingdom, expeditions there were expensive and time-consuming, and thus Hatshepsut’s launch of her own expedition, especially one so lavish, is a testament of the prosperity of her reign. These riches opened Egypt up to increased trade routes, receiving gifts from Asia, Libya, and Nubia, expanding not only knowledge of other lands, but also spreading the knowledge of the Egyptians. These economic increases, contributed to the lavish constructions and revamping of temples and statues as they funded these constant building projects. To the extent that Bob Brier and A. Hoyt Hobbs state that 'the art produced under [Hatshepsut’s] authority was soft and delicate; and she constructed one of the most elegant temples in Egypt against the cliffs outside the Valley of the Kings, referring to the flourishing of buildings under her wealthy authority. 

Overall, Hatshepsut made complete use of her power to expand Egypt’s wealth through expeditions and trade with other empires, ensuring her reign to be wealthy, prosperous, and peaceful.