Divine Birth and Coronation Inscriptions of Hatshepsut

Questions for Further Study

• 1. Why would it have been necessary at the time for Hatshepsut to establish divine origins?
• 2. Traditionally, female monarchs have faced difficulties their male counterparts have not had to face. Locate information about another female monarch or regent—one possibility is Empress Dowager Longyu, discussed in Articles Providing for the Favorable Treatment of the Great Ching Emperor after His Abdication—and discuss how female monarchs have dealt with such difficulties, including questions about their legitimacy.
• 3. Compare and contrast this document with Mandate of Heaven. What similarities and differences do you see in efforts of early monarchs to legitimate their rule?
• 4. What role did Hatshepsut play in the expansion of the Egyptian empire? Why did the Egyptians at that time feel the need to expand that empire?
• 5.: The question is often debated as to whether Hatshepsut was a feminist icon or an aberration in the history of Egyptian pharaohs. Which do you think she was? What evidence supports your view?