Hatshepsut summary

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Hatshepsut, limestone sculpture, c. 1485 bc; in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.

Hatshepsut , Queen of Egypt (c. 1472–58 bc). Daughter of Thutmose I and wife of Thutmose II, she first acted as regent for her stepson, Thutmose III, but soon ordered herself crowned as pharaoh. She attained unprecedented power, adopting the titles and regalia of a pharaoh, complete with a false beard. She devoted much of the profit from expanded trade and tribute to an extensive building program, most notably to a splendid temple at Dayr al-Baḥrī. Thutmose III, who had become head of the army, succeeded her; whether she died naturally or was deposed and killed is uncertain.

ancient Egyptian religion Summary

Ancient Egyptian religion, indigenous beliefs of ancient Egypt from predynastic times (4th millennium bce) to the disappearance of the traditional culture in the first centuries ce. For historical background and detailed dates, see Egypt, history of. Egyptian religious beliefs and practices were

government Summary

Government, the political system by which a country or community is administered and regulated. Most of the key words commonly used to describe governments—words such as monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy—are of Greek or Roman origin. They have been current for more than 2,000 years and have not

Egypt Summary

Egypt, country located in the northeastern corner of Africa. Egypt’s heartland, the Nile River valley and delta, was the home of one of the principal civilizations of the ancient Middle East and, like Mesopotamia farther east, was the site of one of the world’s earliest urban and literate