Queen Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt during the 18th Dynasty, was one of the few female pharaohs. Despite her many accomplishments, her reign is best known for the fact that she was a woman. Its unique history has been a source of controversy among scholars, resulting in a number of conflicting views. The few details of Hatshepsut's life that have been documented do not allow us to see the most intimate details of her life. Historians have widely varying opinions about him, but one thing is certain: his reign gave Egypt a period of peace and prosperity after 100 years of foreign rule. There are a number of theories regarding Hatshepsut's personal and public life. Hatshepsut was born to Ahmose and Thutmose I, who was pharaoh at the time. Thutmose I and Ahmose also gave birth to two sons, both of whom died, leaving Hatshepsut as sole heir to the throne. It is unknown whether her parents raised her to become pharaoh or not, but she grew up and married her half-brother, Thutmose II. Marrying within one's family was a regular practice among royal families as it kept bloodlines intact. Thutmose II and Hatshepsut had a daughter together named Neferure. Hatshepsut's father died when she was very young, probably around 15 years old. Thutmose II took over, but only ruled for about three or four years, when he died of what is believed to be a skin disease. After her death, Thutmose III, Hatshepsut's stepson, was still too young to rule, leading her to become the queen's regent. Her charismatic personality and group of disciples led her to fully become pharaoh approximately seven years into Thutmose III's reign. Although having a female pharaoh was not unprecedented, Hatshepsut was the first to attack middle of paper... ten years into her reign, the degradation took place. Why would someone as hate-filled as the Egyptologists claim to have waited so long to get rid of his images? Hatshepsut had twin obelisks built to frame the entrance to the temple of Karnak, where it was traditional for pharaohs to build monuments to themselves. At the time, these obelisks were the tallest in the world, and one of them still stands today. The bottom of the obelisks featured images from Hatshepsut's life, and these images were spared. However, a wall was built around them to hide the figures of his reign. The wall, according to archaeology, was only erected 20 years after his death.BibliographyRoehrig, Catharine, editor. Hatshepsut: from queen to pharaoh. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005. Tyldesley, Joyce. Hatshepsut the female pharaoh. New York: Penguin, 1996.