c. 1510 B.C.-1458 B.C.

Egyptian Pharaoh

Hatshepsut was not the only woman ruler of ancient times; however, as Egyptian pharaoh during the Eighteenth Dynasty, she was the only one to rule a world power at the height of its greatness. She did so by usurping the throne, and therefore did not engage in risky military exploits. Instead she devoted herself to building monuments, one of which records a historic visit by her emissaries to the land of Punt, a region usually identified with modern Somalia.

The elder of two daughters born to Thutmose I (r. 1493-1481 B.C.) and his wife Ahmose was named Hatshepsut (pronounced hah-CHEP-sut), which means "foremost of the royal ladies." When she was still a young girl, her parents married her to her half-brother Thutmose II (r. 1481-1479 B.C.), son of Thutmose I by a different wife. Marriage between relatives was...