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Subordination of women in ancient Egypt
Subordination of women in ancient Egypt
Subordination of women in ancient Egypt
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Within the society of ancient Egypt, having a good Pharaoh was considered to be absolutely vital for the functioning of the country; and it was for this reason that Egypt had been ruled by these supposedly half gods half humans for over three thousand years. The position of the Pharaoh was auspiciously passed down through the royal family and traditionally to the eldest son when his father died. Hatshepsut was a significant individual who thwarted this convention by depicting herself as a male so that after her husband/brother Thutmosis II died suddenly she could become Pharaoh instead of the rightful successor, who was Thutmosis III. Because of the male-governed society of which she had lived in, Hatshepsut had to indeed subvert the system to a great extent in order to become Pharaoh of Egypt in 1473 BC.. This subversion is demonstrated by Hatshepsut’s use of high levels of propaganda such dressing herself up as a man and pretending that the gods approved of her so that she could rule smoothly that she used. Despite the fact that her hold on power was based on trickery and even deceit, she nevertheless was able to rule successfully, and could even compare with the most successful male Pharaohs of ancient Egypt.
Although ancient Egyptian society displayed some level of gender equality especially compared with its neighbours, this equality did not extend to the position of Pharaoh. While Egyptian women enjoyed much of the same privileges as their male counterparts in the broader society, men still had advantages that women did not share. For example, women were deemed to be “responsible for looking after the house and bringing up the children” and had “clearly defined roles” (Steedman & Inglis, 2003, p. 26). This would imply that ...
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...men. Inequality within the system was particularly evident among the higher positions of power which were typically reserved for the men of the royal family. Hatshepsut’s subversion of the patriarchal order to become Pharaoh is a significant argument as it reveals that her hard work and even deception had been pulled off in the end, when she became known to be one of the most powerful historical figures ever. Thus it was through exploiting the religious beliefs of the Egyptians and advocating propaganda (i.e. dressing herself up as a man) that Hatshepsut was able to subvert the patriarchal order of the conservative populace and become Pharaoh. However despite such severe measures taken to gain power, Hatshepsut nonetheless ruled a prosperous reign and Egypt flourished under her governance. Thus, the ruling of Egypt was not a task only men could perform successfully.
After her father’s death when she was 12, Hatshepsut became the queen of Egypt when she married her half-brother and he became the Pharaoh Thutmose II. He was the son of her father and one of his second wives. During the reign of Thutmose II, Hatshepsut assumed the traditional role of queen and principal wife. During their marriage, Hatshepsut and Thutmose II were not able to produce a male heir but had a daughter named Neferure. Because she was the first and main wife and queen of Thutmose II, when he died, she proclaimed herself the fifth Pharaoh while denying the old Kings son, her nephew.
When an Egyptian Pharaoh is pictured, it is normally a person with a very elegant crown and well-designed clothing, but most importantly a Pharaoh is depicted as a man. In the history of Egypt, though, some Pharaohs were actually women, just like the case of Hatshepsut. There were other women rulers of Egypt, and when asked which one is most recognized, it is probably Cleopatra, but Hatshepsut deserves just as much respect as Cleopatra for the way she obtained the title of Pharaoh. She not only broke the traditional laws of Egypt when becoming Pharaoh, but Hatshepsut let nothing stop her from becoming a future Pharaoh of Egypt. Developing into a Pharaoh was not a simple task, but to become Pharaoh “Hatshepsut made the most extraordinary move ever made by an Egyptian, or any other woman” (Wells 185). The move to follow her dreams were filled with lots of struggles, and the major struggle that was in her way was being a woman when most Pharaohs are men. Another struggle was her stepson Tuthmosis III, and his journey to become the next Pharaoh. The last struggle was to keep her legacy known after her death to show the Pharaoh she really was. Through all the battles to become Pharaoh, Hatshepsut stayed strong to become a person many women could not be in that specific time period. Hatshepsut, no doubt, had struggles through her destination of becoming a Pharaoh, but she fought through each battle in becoming one of the most known and popular Pharaohs of Egypt.
“The pharaoh of ancient Egypt is normally described as the typical example of a divine ruler” (J. Ray, Hatshepsut, Vol 44, Issue 5, 1994) The ancient Egyptian world has seen hundreds of pharaohs; some excelled and some didn’t. Many of the pharaohs were men, only few females succeeded in gaining such great power, yet some did... specifically Hatshepsut. Few pharaohs of the 18Th Dynasty have aroused as much controversy as Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut was the sixth pharaoh of the New Kingdom and set up co-regency with her nephew and stepson, Thutmose III. (J. Lawless, Hatshepsut, a Personal Study, 2010) Hatshepsut created many junctions in history through politics, building programmes and military. This makes her so recognised in modern day studies, though almost all evidence of her existence has been partially or completely destroyed. Due to this many theories have been created about the standard of her reign.
Hatshepsut was the most successful female Pharaoh, who ruled Egypt for two decades, and who provided the Egyptians with a peaceful and economic prosperity. Hatshepsut was a very well known and successful queen; therefore, she was in control for an expanded and vigorous building program throughout Egypt. This influenced her country to be more improved. She had also created trade and had improved it, which had impacted her country to become wealthier.
Despite Tang empress of china, Wu Zetian, and Egypt’s Pharaoh Hatshepsut leadership being underrated and infamous, these two women had their similarities and differences during their reign, beginning from striving to achieve leadership and power and later ruling their respective empires. Wu Zetian, also known as Wu Zhao was a woman who strived to get what she desired and even used manipulation and violence for anyone who would cross her way. With stunning beauty and talent, Wu managed her way to the emperors’ side. Hatshepsut became emperor upon the death of her father claiming that her father wished for her to be the next pharaoh. These two notorious women brought out the best of their empires and provided a reign of gloriousness.
Before Hatshepsut, there were other woman who attempted to rule over Egypt. Every time a woman came to power, there was some sort of problem that was left for them to solve. Unlike Hatshepsut, the other woman did not have any confidence to name themselves pharaoh and they did not grow up in the royal family like Hatshepsut did. In paragraph 13, it states, “A few women had tried to rule Egypt before, but never would search valid claim to the throne,” and, “These women had not ruled long or well and neither had had the audacity to proclaim herself pharaoh.” These quotes explain that Hatshepsut was recognized for taking power at a good time and not stepping
"For Rome, who had never condescended to fear any nation or people, did in her time fear two human beings; one was Hannibal, and the other was a woman" (Lefkowitz and Fant 126). During a time dominated by male rulers, Cleopatra VII Philopator (69 BCE – 31 BCE), the Last Pharaoh of Egypt, stood out among them all. With Egypt’s wealth at her disposal, she was “incomparably richer than anyone else” (Schiff 2). The amount of power a ruler had at the time of Cleopatra’s existence depended highly on the level of financial stability. However, wealth was not all Cleopatra was known for. She exhibited high militant leadership skills equal to that of her male counterparts to keep Egypt a prosperous country.
To me, under Hatshepsut ruling as a pharaoh, Egypt was able to explore, grow, and expand in buildings. Not only did she allow the trade routes to expand to the Land of Punt which became a major trade partner for supplying Egypt, she grew Egypt with hundreds of grand buildings and architects. Also, she flourished Egypt and her reign was not a warlike reign, it was more of a peaceful one. Under Egypt, Hatshepsut was a powerful ruler, a religious leader, and a successful pharaoh.
Queen Hatshepsut was born in Thebes, Egypt in 1508 BC. She was the first great female ruler in history. Some pharaohs were great warriors. Others were famous for the elaborate temples and monuments they built. Hatshepsut was famous for a different reason. She was the first successful female pharaoh to sit on Egypt’s throne. She began having herself depicted in the traditional king’s kilt and crown, along with a fake beard and male body. This was not meant to trick people into thinking she was male, but since there were no words or images to portray a woman with this royal status, it was a way of asserting her authority as a female ruler (ancientegyptonline.co.uk).
Hatshepsut, ruler during the 18th dynasty, was one of the few female rulers of the ancient Egypt civilization. Many people may call her a Transvestite, a liar, a man, etc. She just had to do what she had to do to break barriers. Her Temple left for her is grand, and the walls have the stories of her life are written all over.
Was she the archetypal wicked stepmother, an unnatural and scheming woman ?of the most virile character who would deliberately abuse a position of trust to steal the throne from a defenceless child? (Gardiner, 1961:184)? Or was she ?an experienced and well-meaning woman who ruled amicably alongside her stepson, steering her country through twenty peaceful, prosperous years who deserves to be commemorated among the great monarchs of Egypt? (Budge, 1902:I)? According to biographer and historian Joyce Tyldesley, Queen or as she would prefer to be remembered, King Hatchepsut became the female embodiment of a male role, whose reign was a carefully balanced period of internal peace, foreign exploration and monument building (Tyldesley, 1996:1). This study will show that it was Hatshepsut the Pharaoh?s devotion to the god Amen and her protection of the maat of 18th Dynasty Egypt that allowed her to forge her successful New Kingdom regime.
Queen Hatshepsut was one of the most powerful females in Ancient Egyptian history. Not only was she the longest reigning female pharaoh in all of Egypt, but she made lasting impacts on the nation during and far after her reign. Although she was a woman, and this type of power had never been given to a woman before, she is considered one of Egypt's most successful pharaohs.
In Egypt gender roles are prevalent and clearly defined. Women are responsible for the familiar, domestic relationships like Cooking, cleaning, and watching the children, so men interpreted this as women serving them. While men is the one who would work all day and teach their growing up boys their own trade and related to society at large.
During the time of Ancient Egypt, having strong Pharaohs was essential to the maintenance and growth of the civilization, as the Pharaohs were believed to be living Gods. Although leadership of Ancient Egypt was often male dominated, there were admirable female Pharaohs who successfully gained power and left behind a positive legacy; one woman to achieve this was Hatshepsut, meaning ‘foremost of female nobles’. Her innovation and determination allowed her to maintain her position of Pharaoh for about twenty years (1479-1458 BCE). Hatshepsut was considered to be a very successful leader because of her confidence and ambition, magnificent building projects, and establishment of a strong trading network.
Egyptians cherished family life the way we cherish food or money. Children were considered a blessing. They prayed for them and used magic to have children, but if a couple could not conceive they adopted. Men were the head of the household and the oldest son inherited everything of the father’s. Egyptian women were to obey their fathers and husbands, but were equal in many other ways. For example, women could have jobs, some rights in court cases, and they were able to own land. Women were also allowed to own businesses. Only noble women, however, could be priestesses. The women raised the children and took care of the house. Wealthy families would hire maids and nannies to do such things. Divorce was not common in Ancient Egypt, though it was an option. Problems were talked about between families, and if they could not be settled a divorce would take place. Some women became rulers but only in secret. The only woman who ruled as a pharaoh in the open was Queen Hatsheput. Ordinary men normally had one wife, while pharaohs and kings had several. Most marriages were arranged by parents. Most girls married at age twelve while boys were usually a little older.