Propaganda is commonly biased information, used to promote or publicize a specific point of view or cause. Today, we see many examples of propaganda, in advertising, politics, and media. People assume that propaganda only started in the 20th and the 21st century, but in reality the roots can date back to times in Ancient Egypt. It’s hard to believe that propaganda has been happening for quite long, but people are always trying to find ways to obtain power, even if it includes lying. Pharaohs and Queens in the 18th dynasty have used propaganda to make themselves seem more powerful. In this essay, propaganda in the 18th dynasty, the ways the propaganda was expressed, and how it manipulated people will be discussed, using historical sculptures, …show more content…
Many Pharaohs and queens changed their appearance of gender to give themselves the feeling of power. They have done this by changing how they looked in their everyday lives, and by modifying sculptures of themselves. An example of this can be the female Pharaoh, Hatshepsut. She was the fifth Pharaoh in the 18th dynasty. She reigned successfully for 22 years, and made an outstanding impact to Egypt. She created trade routes, and several building projects. The only problem she faced during he reign was the fact that she was a female. Her father had named her as his rightful successor, and he ensured her a place in the throne. When she became Pharaoh, she wanted to downplay her position by pretending to be a man. She wore a fake beard, and she was shown with her legs wide apart like the pose of a man. By doing this, she persuaded people to believe they were being led by a strong, powerful, and great ruler, which is a huge reason why she dressed as a man. She dressed like a man to emphasise the fact that she’s a pharaoh and fit into a man’s domain. She one of the only two female pharaohs to ever rule, it’s very uncommon for a …show more content…
Looks were always important, and still are today. People are often more respected when they look attractive, and could also be praised for it. There’s no surprise that there is a constant frenzy over looking whatever was deemed “attractive”. The queens and pharaohs at this time changed the way they look, especially in sculptures to look more attractive and be deemed as more powerful. A great example of this is Akhenaten. He’s known as being androgynous. It was believed that he had Marfan’s Syndrome which caused his long and different facial structure, but further research proved this theory wrong. There is another sculpture of him which isn’t commonly shown. It’s an accurate depiction of what he looked like, but it was quite different. His facial features matched those of a black person. But what’s the reasoning of him changing the way he looked? Around this time, Black Nubians were foreigners. They were hated amongst ancient Egyptians, and they were disrespected and even enslaved. Black pharaohs (commonly dark skin people ) weren’t respected as much, and weren’t considered that important. Akhenaten wanted all of the power and respect that he could get, (he even created a whole new religion which included praising himself) so he hid that identity of his and changed the way he looked. In most sculptures he has a long and slim face, and the way his face was sculpted made his features look less like a black