The Story Of Ancient Egypt's Mysterious Queens

Ancient Egypt has a rich history spanning over 6,000 years. The lives and deaths of its famous characters continue to fascinate us today. We visit museums to get a real sense of ancient Egypt's grandeur, like its monumental statues of monumental men. But when examining the faces in museums, we see they are all men. Where are the women of ancient Egypt? Of course, the most famous is Cleopatra, but to learn about earlier great women, we must go from the monumental to the tiny, as most images of them are on small coins. I want to uncover who these influential women were. By looking in the right places, we see ancient Egypt's story is also one of extraordinary women who left an extraordinary legacy. Queen Hetepheres, Pharaoh Hatshepsut, Queen Nefertari, and Pharaoh Arsinoe paved the way for each other and Cleopatra, creating a legacy of female authority that shaped not just Cleopatra but generations to come. They are incredible role models even today. By telling their stories, I'll take a fresh look at this great civilization through the eyes of ancient Egypt's women.

The Egyptians' creation myths centered on the Nile's life-giving waters, from which the sun and male and female deities emerged. Isis was the dominant partner over her passive brother/husband Osiris. When he was killed, only Isis' magic could resurrect him, beginning humankind. Venerated as a mother figure, the first real woman I'll discuss gained power and prestige as a mother in the Old Kingdom, over 4,500 years ago. Her name was Queen Hetepheres.

For Egyptians, death was a transition to the afterlife. The elite built elaborate tombs to house their bodies and souls. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the final resting place of Hetepheres' son, Pharaoh Khufu. To ensure his rebirth, he buried Hetepheres nearby in the oldest intact royal burial ever found. Her tiny tomb contained a bedroom suite with a silver bed, gold throne, and gold boxes filled with bespoke jewelry fitted just for her. As Khufu's mother, she received luxuries like a fabulous gold carrying chair. Her titles are inlaid in gold hieroglyphs, emphasizing her role as King's Mother. She oversaw palace affairs and was called Daughter of the Gods.

Hetepheres' landscape was special, on the desert's edge where the dead were buried. Her tomb inspired the rest of the necropolis. She was the source of everything here, though only ever the King's Mother. She birthed and guided him but never ruled herself. Unlike my next woman of power - Egypt's ultimate female pharaoh, Hatshepsut.

At least 15 women ruled Egypt, but Hatshepsut made history as a monumental builder and warrior. Though of royal descent, becoming pharaoh wasn't straightforward. After her husband the Pharaoh died, their son was too young to rule, so Hatshepsut ruled on his behalf before being crowned King herself. To hold power, she had to look the part. Her regalia emphasized her role to mostly illiterate subjects. Wearing a false beard was a divine attribute of gods - all pharaohs had one.

At her power base in Thebes, Hatshepsut remodeled the landscape with monuments, especially her funerary temple Deir El Bahri, called "Most Sacred of Sacred Places." Emerging from the Theban hills, its clean lines contrast the rugged rocks. It commemorates Hatshepsut and offers her soul provisions for eternity without disturbing her tomb's peace. Its scenes illustrate her right to rule, permanent political propaganda.

Hatshepsut was also a military commander, leading campaigns against Egypt's enemies in Nubia. Offerings found at Deir El Bahri hint at her capabilities as a conqueror. She expanded trade routes and reopened lucrative trading with Punt, obtaining riches like myrrh for temples, mummification, and her signature perfume.

To be eternal, she commissioned obelisks at Karnak Temple as tributes to her father the king of gods, to catch the first rays of sun and transmit power into the temple for Egypt's good. She paid tribute to the state god Amun at Karnak, where she performed sacred rites before the god statue, channeling his protection throughout Egypt. For over 20 years of prosperity, she proved a woman could rule effectively.

After death, her stepson took sole power and female rule ended temporarily. But Egypt was quite egalitarian, with women having more rights than elsewhere in the ancient world. Writer Sahar Abdel-Hakim grew up not knowing of these women rulers beyond boring textbooks. Writing about them was like discovering inspiring ancestral mothers and grandmothers, giving immense power.

Around 150 years after Hatshepsut, my next woman Nefertari used diplomatic skills in Egyptian politics. She married the future Pharaoh Ramses II as a young woman. It's impossible to avoid Ramses, who built massively everywhere. A statue shows him colossal in scale while petite Nefertari clutches his leg. To learn about Nefertari, we must travel beyond Egypt's borders to Abu Simbel temple in Nubia, built to scare Egypt's enemies. While one temple is Ramses-focused, the other is dedicated to Nefertari, showing this royal partnership.

At 33 feet tall, Nefertari statues are slightly taller than Ramses' with a tall feather crown. Bringing her image here brought all Ramses' forces to bear, including his wife, to help control this volatile area. Inside, Nefertari appears in rituals with Ramses. In one, she encourages him as he executes enemies, a royal cheerleader. This was clearly a royal double act.

Egyptologist Dr. Ahmed Saleh, who has studied both temples' images, confirms they loved each other deeply. Nefertari accompanied Ramses everywhere until becoming very ill. She likely saw her temple's exterior but was too sick to enter, her last glimpse before dying. Her temple has no images of Ramses, perhaps because she wanted a peaceful afterlife away from him. Whatever the reason, there's no doubt of her importance and influence.

Nefertari's tomb in the Valley of the Queens is delicately painted with her journey to the afterlife. Great care was given to depict her beauty, with cosmetics and exquisite jewelry. A scene shows her with the god of knowledge and literacy, emphasizing her intellect. As a royal wife, she would have scribes write for her, but reading and writing hieroglyphs herself was the highest academic achievement, and she made sure to portray those credentials. As a diplomat, she exchanged correspondence with foreign queens like the Hittite Queen Puduhepa, using greeting gifts and sisterly warmth to build alliances. Despite Nefertari's efforts, Egypt's fortunes declined amid corruption and invasions.

Around 900 years later, Greek Ptolemaic ruler Arsinoe II capitalized on earlier women rulers' success. She married and fled her husband's death, then married her younger brother, the Pharaoh, to gain power herself. Through international connections, she brought prosperity, knowledge, and wealth to Egypt. Statues show her with cornucopias overflowing with Egypt's bounty, bringing double what anyone else could.

Arsinoe spent lavishly in Alexandria on an opulent lifestyle fueled by exotic imports from across the known world. With commerce booming, the population thrived. Arsinoe and her brother created a bureaucracy to manage the empire's staggering wealth. She focused on Egypt's finances, creating monopolies so all assets flowed to the royals. Coinage became common, bringing an early form of capitalism. Her coins showed her as a Greek queen, but with the ram's horns of Amun, hinting she was successor to Alexander the Great.

At Philae Temple, Arsinoe was worshipped as Isis, mother of the gods. Through her, Isis gained international influence. Portraying herself as an active Isis sent a message of her power. In one image, her crown incorporates symbols of earlier queen's powers, paying tribute to her role models. Later adopted by Cleopatra, these women extended Egypt's influence globally as lovers, mothers, queens, goddesses, and pharaohs. Their legacy shaped generations of strong, capable women and this great ancient civilization.