Divine Birth and Coronation Inscriptions of Hatshepsut

Audience

Both Hatshepsut's coronation and her divine birth were inscribed into the walls of her mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri, near Luxor, Egypt. The pharaohs of the New Kingdom tended to have a tomb (typically subterranean) and a mortuary temple, which were usually separated. Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, named Djeser-Djeseru, or “holy of holies,” is still largely intact and a phenomenal piece of architecture, with columned courts spanning three levels. It remains a standing monument to the magnificence of Hatshepsut, both visually striking and laden with inscriptions attesting to her divinity and majesty. In ancient times, her mortuary temple was an integral part of an annual procession in which a representation of the god Amon-Re would travel from his major temple across the river to Hatshepsut's temple with great fanfare. This procession furthered her association with Amon-Re.

Who exactly would have seen—and understood—the inscriptions in Hatshepsut's mortuary temple is open for debate. While almost any Egyptian living in or near Thebes (ancient Luxor) would have seen the monument and likely would have known that it was Hatshepsut's, only high-ranking Egyptian elites probably visited the temple itself. Furthermore, few Egyptians would have been able to read the inscriptions, as literacy rates in ancient Egypt were low. According to even liberal estimates, it is likely that less than 10 percent of the population was able to read. The divine birth and coronation inscriptions are lavishly illustrated and located on the middle terrace of the temple. Other inscriptions on this same level are dedicated to the goddess Hathor and the jackal-headed god Anubis and again stress Hatshepsut's divinity as pharaoh.