- Hatshepsut is the second historically confirmed female pharaoh. Around the age of twelve, she became queen of Egypt upon marrying her half-brother Thutmose II and then regent to her infant stepson Thutmose III when he died.
- Less than seven years into her regency, Hatshepsut assumed the title and full powers of pharaoh. Officially, she still ruled jointly with Thutmose III, but it was clear that she was in charge.
- As a symbol of her pharaonic power and in an effort to legitimize her power grab, Hatshepsut ordered that all official representations of her include all the traditional regalia and symbols of pharaoh: the Khat head cloth topped with the uraeus, the false beard and shendyt kilt. However, because Thutmose III tried to erase Hatshepsut from history in the wake of her death, many extant statues of her alternatively use elements of traditional female iconography.
- Hatshepsut is generally regarded by scholars as one of the most successful pharaohs in Egyptian history, her reign lasting for at least twenty years. She expanded trade and undertook ambitious building projects.
- At the end of her life, Hatshepsut was laid to rest in the Valley of the Kings.
Powerful Egyptian Woman 