man who had been her father on earth. She left her husband, Tuthmosis II, where he was buried and her inscriptions never mention him. ?? among Hatshepsut?s inscriptions is an imaginative reworking of an episode when she was young, in which her father proclaims her his heir before the entire palace.Why was such a link so important? Because of the greatness of Tuthmosis I?s deeds when compared to those of his son Tuthmosis II. Hatchepsut?s father had embarked on a series of flamboyant and highly successful military campaigns which had endeared him to his people and which had brought riches to Egypt. But he had instigated equally successful domestic policies and had started extensive building pro-grams at all the major Theban sites. Because Hatshepsut was determined to hold on to power, the way seemed clear: follow in her father?s footsteps in terms of domestic policies, enjoy the stability brought by his military campaigns and link with her father in order to win the allegiance of his advisors until such time as she could handpick her own.By Year 7 of her regency, Hatchepsut was acknowledged to be king of Egypt. She was King of Upper and Lower Egypt and ?The One who is joined with Amen, the Foremost of Women.? Her subsequent lengthy reign, characterized by its economic prosperity, monument building and foreign exploration, seems to confirm her competence and mental stability. Her reign was not the rule of a scheming, power-hungry woman but appears to be a carefully calculated period of political maneuvering which allowed an un-conventional pharaoh to become accepted on the throne. It also brought peace and prosperity to the Egyptian people that had not been experienced since the 12th dynasty and would not be experienced again until the reign of Ramses II. Her ambitious program of public works restored most of the monuments of past pharaohs and established new temples for the glory of the gods. The benefits of these policies were to b...
