Student 22 Spring 2001

*Students were required to write a creative "autobiography" in which they assumed the role of an ancient Egyptian and discussed the role of art in ancient Egyptian society. This student wrote a very accurate and detailed "autobiography" of Hatshepsut and integrated myth, art, architecture and historical resources. This student also made a strong attempt to analyze the functionalist theory of art.

   Imagine being the first woman president in the United States.  Now imagine being the first female pharaoh in ancient Egypt.  My name is Hatshepsut, the first female pharaoh in Egypt.  You must be wondering how I won that title.  It all started when I married Thutmose II, my half-brother.  When he died, his son from a concubine,  Thutmose III, became pharaoh.  However, because he was not old enough to adequately reign over Egypt, the burden of looking after the country fell on me, the regent.  I did the job as regent so well that I had myself crowned as pharaoh in 1473, becoming both queen and pharaoh to Egypt.  However, out of my generosity, I allowed Thutmose III to co-rule with me.  I ruled and Egypt flourished for fifteen years until my death, when Thutmose III took over as pharaoh, at which time he ruined everything I had accomplished. 

            Now, in many countries today, women are not viewed very well.  This was not the case in my country long ago.    My country allowed women many rights, such as the right to own property and the right to take a case to court.  Women could also hold public office (which I most definitely took advantage of) and to inherit from their parents and late husbands.  While women did have many rights, Egypt was still a male dominated country.  Therefore, as you can imagine, being a female ruler was no easy task.  One of the greatest fears of most pharaohs is the fear of revolt.  Living with this fear, and finding ways to prevent it was one of the hardest difficulties in my life as pharaoh.  Coming from a long line of greatness, I had mastered the art of politics.  Therefore, I managed to overcome any public dislike of a woman as ruler.  To add extra security however, I dressed as a male pharaoh.  My typical outfit consisted of a headdress (nemes), a kilt (shendyt), and a head cloth (khat).  I even went so far as to wear a fake beard.  I did this because I needed to convey the strength and power of the rulers before me.  Any doubts about my leadership I quelled by clinging to the fact that my father raised me to be a leader.  He recognized that I was a born ruler and raised me that way.  I was educated by his royal scribes and raised like a boy, so that I would have the strength of a man to rule Egypt with.  While I call this man who raised me my father, I have another father, the god Amon.  This direct lineage to a god cements my right to be pharaoh.   Egyptians view the pharaoh as a divine ruler, therefore, with my divine father; I was the perfect person to rule.  You are probably wondering how I, having an earthly mother, could have a god for a father.  The story is detailed on the wall of my tomb.  I'll give you a short version of how this came to be.  Amon took the form of my father and went to my mother's room.  He gave her his heart, and I was conceived.  This was the beginning of my destiny to become a ruler, and a great ruler at that. 

            Once the people of Egypt learned of my divinity, they were convinced I was the one to rule Egypt, and I could focus on the more important tasks of being ruler.  I increased the wealth of Egypt significantly by becoming highly involved in trading with other nations.  Most importantly however, are my contributions to the art of the period.  Art played a huge role in the Egyptian society.  Art conveyed the divinity of the pharaoh and the pharaoh's divine powers and origin.  Because of my divinity, I greatly supported the art of the times.  I am given the credit for the first pictorial representation of divine birth (my own of course).  This is important because it shows the divinity of the pharaohs.  During my time as pharaoh, I encouraged new and creative ideas in art, and allowed for the creation of many new buildings.  I believe that monuments to a ruler are of utmost necessity, due to the divine nature that deserves to be worshipped and represented.  The most important monument of my time is a temple dedicated to me, the temple at Deir-El-Bahri.  It is common Egyptian belief that pyramids were not only to protect the mummy, but also to be a part of the pharaoh's spiritual journey.  Pharaohs were also buried with any items they might want with them in the underworld.  The usefulness of these pyramids makes them a work of art. All of us Egyptians believe that a work of art is defined by its function.  Today you would call us functionalists.  The more useful a work of art was, or the greater the purpose it served, the more beautiful it was thought to be.  Therefore, because the pyramids served such a useful purpose, they were a great work of art.  After all, the pyramids help the pharaohs to move onto the underworld with Osirus and Isis.  Also, the pyramids are partly responsible for the fertility of the country, since the pharaoh ceremony takes place in them.  

             Anyhow, I will get back to my temple now.  A member of my court (and also my dear friend) designed a monument that was meant for my burial place.  This temple was extraordinarily beautiful and a monument to my greatness.  In this temple, there are drawings of my divine conception on the walls, along with many other drawings showing major events in my life.  Also, because my temple fits in well with the hills in the background, it represents harmony between man and nature.  My temple is dedicated to my parents, however, it has many other chapels dedicated to different gods, such as the god of embalming.  Perhaps some of the most important designs in my temple are the sphinxes displaying my head.  The great Sphinx is one of the great works of art in ancient Egypt.  Therefore, it is only natural that I would want my greatness and nobility displayed by replicating them. 

            Despite the beauty and splendor of my temple, I was buried elsewhere.  I can't tell you where I'm buried though, because my father always told me that no one should know where you are buried.  Only one living man knew where my father was buried, his architect.  It is rumored that the one hundred slaves that built his tomb were all killed.  So, in the end, despite the fact that I had a beautiful temple, I was buried elsewhere and the function of my temple was reduced somewhat, as was it's artistic value.  However, because it remained as a monument displaying my nobility and great leadership, it still served a purpose and could be called wonderful art.  And, now that we have come to my death, we have come to the end of my story.   In summary, my view of art is reflected in the culture of Egypt. For an object to be beautiful art, it must have a purpose and a function, even if that purpose is simply to show the greatness of the pharaoh.