Egyptian archaeologists uncover ancient statues in Luxor

[Adsos Letter]

Source: China News/Xinhua

CAIRO, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian archaeologists on Wednesday uncovered a statue of pharaoh and a bust of the famous woman pharaoh Hatshepsut in the southern city of Luxor, the state MENA news agency reported.

The three-meter Amenhotep statue was "dug out with only one damage in the nose and one in the teeth," said Moustafa el-Waziri, director of the archaeological mission, adding that more antiques would be unearthed in the future.

Amenhotep III, or Amenophis III, was the ninth pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt. He ruled the country from 1411 B.C. to 1375 B.C. after his father Thutmose IV died.

Hatshepsut, or Hatchepsut, generally regarded as one of the most successful pharaohs, was the fifth monarch of the eighteen dynasty which dates back to 15th century B.C.

Being a woman, she wore a false beard to reinforce her authority while acting as the regent of her son, Thutmose III.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/19/content_10845169.htm

This is the full article

[leftstreet]

1. "she wore a false beard to reinforce her authority "

(I did not know that.)

Interesting stuff. Thanks for posting.

:hi:

[Adsos Letter]

2. Yup...couldn't assert authority without the symbolism of maleness...

:hi:

[leftstreet]

3. Well, at least she didn't have to wear a ...

er, no.

[Adsos Letter]

5. ...true...

...no codpiece for the queen... :D

[Thothmes]

6. She was queen to Thuthmes II (also her half brother).

She was Queen-regent when Thuthmes III (step son) was a child. She had her self elevated to Co-regent with Thuthmes III when the boy was old enough to be Pharoh in his own right.

[Bear down under]

7. All pharaohs wore the false beard.

Of course it was a symbol of virility, especially as Egyptian men rarely had luxuriant natural beards; but it was a standard part of the royal regalia. Take a look at the one on the golden mask of Tutankhamun. They didn't wear it all the time, of course, any more than present-day kings and queens go round in crowns all the time. The famous statue of Hatshepsut in the Metropolitan Museum depicts her wearing the Blue Crown (the one Tut's mask wears) but not the royal beard, though of course it might have broken off in the nearly forty centuries since the staue was made.

"Came forth the king of the gods, Amon-Re, from his temple, saying: Welcome my sweet daughter, my favourite, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Maatkare, Hatshepsut. Thou art the King, taking possession of the Two Lands."

So the Egyptian records tell the story, and she was indeed crowned King -- the idea of a woman ruler was so foreign to the Egyptians they didn't even have a word for it. The word we usually translate as "queen" (as in the case of Queen Nefertiti, for example) means literally "king's wife".

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

4. Two of the more significant figures of

the 18th Dynasty. IIRC, the ever self-promoting and sometimes informative and entertaining Zahi Hawass and a scientific team ID'd Hatshepsut's mummy in the recent past via DNA analysis.