What Happened To Queen Hatshepsut?

Thirty-five centuries ago a woman ruled in Egypt at the peak of its power. She was the beard-sporting Hatshepsut, one of only four female Egyptian kings. Hatshepsut’s tomb was discovered more than a century ago by archeologist Howard Carter in the Valley of the Kings, but instead of a lavish burial that befitted the most powerful ruler in the ancient Mediterranean world, the tomb was a common grave. For all the time the mummy was held in the Egyptian Museum no one was sure the mummy was that of Hatshepsut’s, but this year scientific tests confirmed that the mummy was indeed that of hers. CT scan showed that Hatshepsut was obese and had poor dental health.

Hatshepsut was a prolific builder, and she built a splendid mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri at the entrance to the Valley of the Kings. However, she was not buried there. In fact, her statues and other artifacts were found to have been obliterated by her successor or successors, possibly Pharaoh Thutmose III. Historians have suspected that Thutmose had murdered her, but physical evidence supporting the theory speculation is lacking.

When Hatshepsut was discovered in the simple tomb in front of her intended mausoleum, the tomb contained two mummies, one in a sarcophagus with an inscription indicating that it belonged to Hatshepsut's wet-nurse, Sitre-In, and Hatshepsut’s mummy lying on the floor. It was suspected that the mummy on the floor was actually Hatshepsut's because her left arm was positioned over her chest, assuming a typically Egyptian royal pose.

Hatshepsut was a powerful and important historical figure, yet we have little real knowledge about the details of her life. How did she end up in such a disheveled state and came to be buried in a servant’s vault? There may be answers to the mystery. Stay tuned.