Although the status of women in ancient Egypt was higher than in any other ancient civilization, the notion that a woman could be king was objectionable to the Egyptians, they went by the rule that only men could become pharaohs, never any females. Yet, a woman did become king and not just an ordinary king. She became the first great woman in recorded history; the ancestor of such figures as Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, and Catherine the Great. Her name was Hatshepsut and she ruled Egypt for 15 years until her dissapearance. There are many different theories as to how and why Hatshepsut became king, earned her success and gained power. Hatshepsut was born in the 18th Dynasty; the New Kingdom Egypt. Her father was Tuthmosis I and he ruled Egypt for approximately 12 to 14 years. Hatshepsut ruled Egypt between 1479-1458/57. She ruled in a time when women were allowed to own property and to hold official positions. …show more content…
Though past Egyptologists held that it was merely the queen’s ambition that drove her to gain her success and eventual power, more recent scholars have suggested that such a move might have been due to a political crisis, such as a threat from another branch of the royal family, and that Hatshepsut may have been acting to save the throne for her stepson. Hatshepsut was the elder of two daughters born to Thutmose I and his wife, Ahmes. After her father’s death, a young 12-year-old Hatshepsut became queen of Egypt when she married her half-brother Thutmose