Hatshepsut Book

I've started to catch up with some of my books recently. I've been collecting for a while and so it was getting to the stage where i had to actually start reading them.

My latest read is "TWO PHARAOHS - Hatshepsut and Tuthmose III" by Philip R. Clark (2007 Authorhouse books).

Not all (Hatshepsut) books i read are based solely on archeological evidence. It's nice to have a break from heavy reading now and again.

The book starts with the birth of Hatshepsut and ends with Pharaoh Thutmose III thinking about his son and future successor Amenhotep II. The author doesn't shy away from filling in the gaps that archaeology leaves us- so bare that in mind before considering this book.

Short punchy chapters make this book very easy to read.

Stuart

Hatshepsut Quiz

I found this and thought it worth sharing. Something quick and fun:

Hatshepsut Quiz

Stuart

Hatshepsut - Nebty and Golden Horus Names

592
Originally uploaded by kairoinfo4u

There are many hundreds of blocks laying patiently at Deir el Bahri for their turn to be re-integrated back into the temples therein.

This particular example shows two of Hatshepsut's names which have previously not been mentioned before on this blog.

Nebty Name - Wadjrenput (Flourishing of Years)

Golden Horus Name - Netjeretkhau (Divine of Appearances)

Thank you to Kairoinfo4u for the photo.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - Temple of Ptah, Karnak

Although this temple was not built or modified by Hatshepsut, stone blocks (attested to her) have been found within the foundations.

Further information can be seen on the CFEETK website.

The Ancient Egyptians were keen recyclers. As we have seen with other monuments after the time of Hatshepsut, pieces of her monuments have been re-used in later construction projects.

The biggest advantage is that often this type of recycling leads to (accidental) preservation. Away from wind, sand and man- deep within foundation trenches- these items give us valuable information many centuries after their use by Hatshepsut.

Stuart

Netjery Menu- CFEETK

Please follow the link to the Anastylosis of Netjery-menu in the Open Air Museum by CFEETK (Centre Franco-Égyptien d'Étude des Temples de Karnak).

CFEETK will be responsible for any further work carried out on the Netjery Menu. Their website will be the place to find future updates.

Stuart

Hatshepsut - Lessing Photo Archive

Another great photograph archive which i would like to share is the Lessing Photo Archive.

The link has a good range of Hatshepsut related photos including blocks, fragments, statues and more.

Stuart

Hatshepsut - NYPL Digital Gallery

The NYPL Digital Gallery is a fantastic online photographic archive. I spent hours just looking at their Karnak archive last night and only viewed approximately a quarter of their archive. Either as an excellent study resource or just an amazing gallery of old depictions of Egypt i recommend a visit.

The link is to their Deir el Bahri collection, but feel free to browse their archive for your own interests.

Stuart

Nehsi

Updated 11/04/2014

Nehsi/ Nehesi/ Nehesj was (and still is) someone of great importance to Hatsheput and to those of us who study her. I have limited information so far, but this was the man chosen to lead/ organise Hatshepsut's expedition to Punt. He is included in the Punt Colonnade at Deir el Bahri, was possibly of Nubian decent and held at least 2 titles: Wearer of the Royal Seal and Chief Treasurer.

Whether or not he was involved (in the expedition to Punt) from start to finish (including traveling there), i cannot tell you. Further searching will no doubt add further information and i will share any further information when available.

Wikipedia has this short article

Stuart

Hatshepsut - Mortuary Temple of Merneptah

Merneptah (or Merenptah if you prefer) was the 13th son of Rameses II and would become the 4th Pharaoh of the 19th dynasty upon the death of his father.

A number of mortuary temples of the 18th and 19th dynasties are tourist attractions today on the West Bank of Luxor. They are in a varied state of restoration and Merneptah's own temple is in a very poor condition when compared to that of Hatshepsut (Deir el Bahri) and Ramses III (Medinet Habu). Many of the finds from the mortuary temple of Merneptah were actually re-used material from temples of previous 18th dynasty Pharaohs. These include Amenhotep III, Akhenaton and Hatshepsut.

An article on the mortuary temple of Merneptah can be seen on Osirisnet.net.

Dr. Karl Leser's website (Maat-Ka-Ra Hatschepsut) provides a photo of a limestone block fragment featuring 2 cryptograms of Hatshepsut's throne name. In total he mentions 10 blocks in total from Merneptah's temple. Please follow the link, go to Monuments>Other Monuments>Fragments for further details.

Stuart

Hatshepsut Project - Neues Museum, Berlin

Senenmut und Nefrure
Originally uploaded by Hanne7

Here we have a block statue of Senenmut and Neferure from the Neues (New) Museum, Berlin.

This is one of a number of "tutor statues" featuring Senenmut and Neferure. I haven't been able to find similar statues featuring Neferubity- so my assumption so far is that there are none.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - Philadelphia

2007_0727_164806AA
Originally uploaded by Hans Ollermann

Here we have a lintel from the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

Formerly this lintel would have had 4 cartouches. The two to the left of the lintel are those of Hatshepsut (now erased) and the two on the right (still visible) are those of Thutmose III.

The caption under the photo by Hans Ollermann states the "find spot" to be the Ramesseum. I will have to look out for more information on this.

For a translation of the hieroglyphs, see: nilemuse.com

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - Naprstek Museum, Prague

Fragment of a vessel
Originally uploaded by Lenka
Lenka P(eacock) kindly shares this photo of a fragmented vase/vessel featuring the cartouches of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III, on Flickr.
This item was displayed during a specific exhibition (see Lenka's own description), so it may not be a permanent item on display today. The exhibition is described by On Culture.

Discovered at, or near Deir el Medina - this vessel fragment is one of a number of items that relate to Hatshepsut found in this area.

Not all of the Hatshepsut items (from Deir el Medina) relate to her lifetime. Some were made later, but i will go into further detail in a separate, later post.
Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - Contra Temple at Karnak

I've mentioned before that Hatshepsut erected 4 obelisks at the Karnak temple complex in Luxor (Thebes).

The standing obelisk and the fallen obelisk are a pair. The two others (also a pair) had a slightly different fate. We have pieces of these only. Their bases have been damaged but are still visible today. See Maat-Ka-Ra-Hatschepsut for photos of these bases. Visit Site Map/Obelisks. Also on his site, Dr. Leser shows 2 further fragments from Karnak and a detailed page

The location of these is the Contra Temple as described by Digital Karnak.

Now that the locations of the Karnak Obelisks have been described i will turn my attention to the fragments which i am aware of in Museums.

Hatshepsut - False Door of her Vizier, User

Updated 11/04/2014

From Jane Akshar.

Discovered at Karnak, False Door of her Vizier, User

this article provides another piece of the very large jigsaw puzzle that makes up the background life of Hatshepsut.

Wikipedia has a page on User, a Vizier. He is another person from Ancient Egypt who was involved in the life of Hatshepsut. He was buried on the West Bank of Luxor in tomb TT61.

For further information on the false door please visit Maat-Ka-Ra-Hatschepsut. Dr. Leser provides transliterations and translations of the full text and provides some useful background information on User (who is also known as Useramun). Please click the link and visit: Persons/Useramun.

With thanks to Dr. Karl Leser for the additional information.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - Temple of Amun- Khamutef, Karnak

Previous posts relating to Hatshepsut's building projects at Karnak have all been within the Amun precinct.

The Mut precinct and specifically the Temple of Amun- Khamutef are very well covered on Maat-Ka-Ra-Hatschepsut by Dr. Karl Leser.

Current excavation and restoration work within the precinct of Mut is the responsibility of the John Hopkins University. Working on the site since the late 1970's their recent work is very well documented (follow the link). Each season (since 2001) they've posted online reports and photographs of their work, including the New Kingdom finds of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III. Please also feel free to contact them. You will find their details on the link above.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut Project - Search Box moved, plus more

The (google) search box which was introduced recently has been working really well for me. I use this more often than the labels it is that effective. In order to make searching this blog even easier- it is now above the post area. That way no-one has to scroll down to the end of the blog, its now there where it can be accessed immediately.

Type in what you need- KV60, Senenmut, Deir el Bahri and all posts that are relevant should appear together in one place.

The changes to the blog are going well. The pages will always be a work in progress. Other pages will be added and one or two may be removed. I only have the capacity to have 10 stand-alone pages, so the final product will hopefully be easy to follow, full of links and useful information and relevant.

Regards,
Stuart

3rd Pylon

The 3rd Pylon at Karnak Temple was erected by Amenhotep III. Within the foundations of this pylon were (amongst many other things) 319 stone blocks. These blocks would one day be reconstructed as the Red Chapel (or Chapelle Rouge). This work was carried out by workers from the Centre franco-égyptien d’étude des temples de Karnak (CFEETK).

The Red Chapel had been dismantled some time after Hatshepsut's death and eventually ended up hidden as  foundation fill. These items have survived in remarkably good condition considering the 3,500 years or so due to their re-use.

These sites have some useful information on the Third Pylon and the Red Chapel:

• Maatkara Hatschepsut - Red Chapel (Monuments, Red Chapel) 
• Osirisnet.net - Red Chapel
• Digital Karnak - Red Chapel
• Digital Karnak - 3rd Pylon

Regards,

Stuart

Updated 02/06/2012.

Deir el Bahri, X-rated Graffito - Luxor News

Warning - Graffito contains some explicit scenes.

Not for the youngest of eyes, the article i wish to highlight comes from Jane Akshar from Luxor News. Photographs by Richard Sellicks (see also Rock cut tomb and KV60 photos).

Something a bit different, ancient graffiti. Like graffiti today, the ancient Egyptians were able to use graffito to express political views, tongue- in- cheek thoughts, to express their sense of humour and so on.

The artisans in question here seem to have all of these things in mind. Does the second from last photo depict Hatshepsut and Senenmut? Who knows although the link has been made in the past and i am aware of arguements for both sides. Due to its possible link to Hatshepsut and its location at Deir el Bahri it is certainly something to include in the Hatshepsut Project.

Thanks to Jane and Richard,

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut Project - Work in Progress

Maat-ka-Re Hatsjepsoet (RMO Leiden)
Originally uploaded by koopmanrob
I am working on the blog pages and so they will look a bit messy for a while.

For now, this beautiful Hatshepsut statue from the RMO Leiden.

Back soon,
Stuart

Neferubity - British Museum

BM/Big number: 1458

Neferubity was the only sister of Hatshepsut. Sadly not a great deal is known about her. Hatshepsut depicted her family members at Deir el Bahri and had it not been for the surviving images we have today- we may not even be aware of Neferubity's existence. Apart from at Deir el Bahri she is not well attested.

This surviving fragment shows Neferubity's cartouche along with other hieroglyphs, which mention her stance as "Kings Daughter". The king in this instance is Thutmose I.

This limestone fragment shows finely carved hieroglyphs, which i have come to see as the "norm" at Deir el Bahri. It is housed in the British Museum. Follow the link for this items information and also other items within their database.

This block comes from the Upper Court area of Hatshepsut's temple.

Regards,
Stuart