s age, that his reign was a brief four years and that most of his monuments cannot be identified, probably because they were usurped by Horemheb. Horemheb was a career military officer who first served under Amenhotep II and who became commander of the army under Akhenaten. He was a very ambitious man and the death of Ay offered the perfect opportunity to restore to Egypt the strong leadership he felt the country needed. He declared himself king in 1321 and married the sister of Nefertiti. Though he restored the temples and the cult of Amun to their previous glories, he insured against a challenge from the priesthood by appointing priests from the army. To consolidate his hold on the army, he divided it into a northern and southern branch. His actual reign is estimated at almost 30 years and was spent consolidating. There is little evidence of external contact except for a campaign in Kush and a trading expedition to the South (Clayton, 1994:131).?Hatchepsut stands out as one of the great monarchs of Egypt. Though no wars or conquests are recorded in her reign, her triumphs were as great as those of the warrior-kings of Egypt, but they were triumphs of peace, not war. Her records, as might be expected from a woman, are more intimate and personal than those of a king ? This was no conqueror, joying in the lusts of battle, but a strong-souled noble-hearted woman, ruling her country wisely and well? (Murnane, 1977:41).Why was it necessary for Hatchepsut to become king rather than rule as a queen? Contemporary readers would see little difference between the titles and the roles. If Queen Elizabeth had decided that she wanted to be addressed as King Elizabeth, her decision might have been viewed as eccentric but it would not have fundamentally changed her power or role as queen. To the ancient Egyptians, however, there was great spiritual and social separation between the king and the rest of humanity, including members of his own family. ...
