#aquicklookat

“Amum…He made me rule…No one rebels against me in all lands. All foreign lands are my subjects. He placed my border at the limits of heaven.”

-Section from the obelisk inscriptions of Hatshepsut, Karnak (trans. Lichtheim). Hatshepsut here emphasises her destined, god-given right to rule Egypt. In which and beyond, she is all-powerful. 

A quick look at: Hatshepsut (r. c. 1479–1458 BC), king of Egypt. 

When talking about aspects of ancient Egyptian history, I find that people are often surprised to hear that Egypt had female rulers aside from Cleopatra. Perhaps one of the most significant of these was Hatshepsut of Dynasty 18, some 1400 years before Cleopatra. Her life deserves far more recognition that it has typically received.

Hatshepsut was the daughter of king Thutmose I and his wife Ahmose. She had a younger half-brother: Thutmose II, who succeeded his father as king. She married her half-brother, an act that seems strange to us today, but it was not unusual for Egyptian royalty to marry family members. With the title “God’s wife”, Hatshepsut was extremely prominent during the reign of Thutmose II. Her husband had a son (Thutmose III) by another woman, who became king upon his father’s death. At this time Thutmose III was still a young child, and so Hatshepsut took care of Egypt, acting as regent. About 7 years into the regency, things started to change. Hatshepsut began using royal names and titles, which she made into feminine form. She was crowned king of Egypt. 

Her reign was accepted by a flourishing Egypt. As far as we know, there does not seem to have been foul play in her rise to kingship; there is no evidence for social trauma or bloodshed. Some Egyptologists have argued that she already held the strings of power during the reign of her husband. As king, she also acknowledged the kingship of Thutmose III -he is, for example, often depicted alongside her on monuments (although his inferior status is made clear by being placed behind her). Her reign as king was prosperous, and included trade expeditions (such as to Punt), and some military action, such as in Nubia. Her reign introduced a period of particularly outstanding artistic creativity, and her mortuary temple Deir el-Bahari is now one of the most visited monuments in Egypt.

Hatshepsut ruled as king for about 15 years. After this she seemingly disappears, and Thutmose III becomes sole king. It is not clear what happened to her; we do not know whether she died naturally, or was removed. Whatever occurred, her memory was wiped from Egyptian history. Thutmose III had her images and names removed from many of her monuments, and her statues at Deir el-Bahari were smashed. In addition, she was left out of later Egyptian king lists. Why this happened is much debated and not straight-forward, although the unconventional nature of her rule probably at least played a part in this. Manetho, however, much later during the Ptolemaic era, recognises her reign as king in his famous History of Egypt.

Much of this write-up draws from the work and interpretations of Egyptologist Marc Van De Mieroop. His publication ‘A History of Ancient Egypt’ (2010) is recommended. The shown sculpture of Hatshepsut is courtesy of & can be viewed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Via their online collections: 29.3.2.

A few pieces from prehistoric Japan.

Japan is “a world apart – a cultural Galápagos where a unique civilisation blossomed”, to quote the Lonely Planet. The early history of this unique country is significant for so many reasons. It has a particularly rich, and long, historical record, and the value of its cultural achievements continues to endure. 

It is clear that modern humans have inhabited this archipelago for 30,000 years (in the very least), during what is termed the ‘Late Palaeolithic’. The subsequent ‘Jōmon period’ constitutes Japan’s Neolithic period (about 10,000 BC - 400 BCE). The period is named after the characteristic patterns made with twisted cords on the period’s pottery (Jōmon meaning ‘cord pattern’, refer to photo 2). Given the huge temporal expanse and regional variability of this period, generalisations are obviously difficult. Despite this, the Jōmon culture is perhaps best conceived of as “a large loosely integrated cultural complex” (as noted by Richard Pearson). The onset of this period was gradual. People seem to have hunted wild animals, eaten seafood, and had a developing awareness of agriculture. By around 5,000 BCE, people appeared to have generally settled in stable communities, living mostly in pit dwellings with roofs of thatch or earth and wood. 

Shown in this post are a few examples of archaeological objects from this famous period of Japan’s history. The heads of clay figures shown in photos 1 and 4 date to the Late Jōmon period (ca. 1500–1000 BCE). The vessel shown in the 2nd image is the oldest artefact here, dating to the Middle Jōmon period (ca. 3500–2500 BCE), while the 3rd image, showing a Dogū figurine, is the youngest (Final Jōmon period, ca. 1000–300 BCE).

Shown artefacts are courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Via their online collections: 1975.268.189, 1975.268.183, 1975.268.191& 1975.268.190.