Latest news with #Antiquity
The Star
9 hours ago
- General
- The Star
Gender not main factor in attacks on Egyptian woman pharaoh: study
Visitors stand behind the bust of the ancient Egyptian queen Hatshepsut (1479-1458 BC) at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo's central Tahrir Square on June 11. Photo: AFP She was one of ancient Egypt's most successful rulers, a rare female pharaoh who preceded Cleopatra by 1,500 years, but Queen Hatshepsut's legacy was systematically erased by her stepson successor after her death. The question of why her impressive reign was so methodically scrubbed has attracted significant debate, but in new research published Monday, University of Toronto scholar Jun Wong argues far too much emphasis has been placed on her gender. "It's quite a romantic question: why was this pharaoh attacked after her death?" Wong told AFP, explaining his interest in a monarch who steered ancient Egypt through a period of extraordinary prosperity. Earlier scholars believed Queen Hatshepsut's stepson Thutmose III unleashed a posthumous campaign of defilement against her out of revenge and hatred, including because he wanted to purge any notion that a woman could successfully rule. "The way in which (Hatshepsut's) reign has been understood has always been colored by her gender," Wong said, referencing beliefs that Thutmose III may have viewed her as "a kind of an evil stepmother." His research, which builds on other recent scholarship and is being published in the journal Antiquity , argues Thutmose III's motivations were far more nuanced, casting further doubt on the theory of backlash against a woman in charge. Hatshepsut ruled Egypt roughly 3,500 years ago, taking over following the death of her husband Thutmose II. She first served as regent to her stepson, the king-in-waiting, but successfully consolidated power in her own right, establishing herself as a female pharaoh. Experts say she expanded trade routes and commissioned extraordinary structures, including an unparallelled mortuary in the Valley of the Kings on the Nile's west bank. Wong reassessed a range of material from damaged statues uncovered during excavations from 1922 to 1928. He said there is no doubt Thutmose III worked to eliminate evidence of Hatshepsut's achievements, but his efforts were "perhaps driven by ritual necessity rather than outright antipathy," said Wong. Thutmose III may have been trying to neutralise the power of his predecessor in a practical and common way, not out of malice. He also found that some of the statues depicting Hatshepsut were likely damaged because later generations wanted to reuse them as building materials. "For a long time, it has been assumed that Hatshepsut's statuary sustained a vindictive attack," said Wong, arguing that a fresh look at the archives suggests "this is not the case." - AFP
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- General
- Kuwait Times
Gender not main factor in attacks on Egyptian woman pharaoh: Study
The mummified remains of Queen Hatshepsut, ancient Egypt's most famous female pharaoh, lie in a glass case under the national flag moments before being unveiled at the Cairo Museum 27 June 2007. She was one of ancient Egypt's most successful rulers, a rare female pharaoh who preceded Cleopatra by 1,500 years, but Queen Hatshepsut's legacy was systematically erased by her stepson successor after her death. The question of why her impressive reign was so methodically scrubbed has attracted significant debate, but in new research published Monday, University of Toronto scholar Jun Wong argues far too much emphasis has been placed on her gender. 'It's quite a romantic question: why was this pharaoh attacked after her death?' Wong told AFP, explaining his interest in a monarch who steered ancient Egypt through a period of extraordinary prosperity. Earlier scholars believed Queen Hatshepsut's stepson Thutmose III unleashed a posthumous campaign of defilement against her out of revenge and hatred, including because he wanted to purge any notion that a woman could successfully rule. 'The way in which (Hatshepsut's) reign has been understood has always been colored by her gender,' Wong said, referencing beliefs that Thutmose III may have viewed her as 'a kind of an evil stepmother.' Visitors stand behind the bust of the ancient Egyptian queen Hatshepsut (1479-1458 BC) at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo's central Tahrir Square on June 11, 2025. --AFP photos His research, which builds on other recent scholarship and is being published in the journal Antiquity, argues Thutmose III's motivations were far more nuanced, casting further doubt on the theory of backlash against a woman in charge. Hatshepsut ruled Egypt roughly 3,500 years ago, taking over following the death of her husband Thutmose II. She first served as regent to her stepson, the king-in-waiting, but successfully consolidated power in her own right, establishing herself as a female pharaoh. Experts say she expanded trade routes and commissioned extraordinary structures, including an unparallelled mortuary in the Valley of the Kings on the Nile's west bank. Wong reassessed a range of material from damaged statues uncovered during excavations from 1922 to 1928. He said there is no doubt Thutmose III worked to eliminate evidence of Hatshepsut's achievements, but his efforts were 'perhaps driven by ritual necessity rather than outright antipathy,' Wong said. Thutmose III may have been trying to neutralize the power of his predecessor in a practical and common way, not out of malice. He also found that some of the statues depicting Hatshepsut were likely damaged because later generations wanted to reuse them as building materials. 'For a long time, it has been assumed that Hatshepsut's statuary sustained a vindictive attack,' Wong said, arguing that a fresh look at the archives suggests 'this is not the case.' - AFP The mummified remains of Queen Hatshepsut, ancient Egypt's most famous female pharaoh, lie in a glass case after being unveiled at the Cairo Museum 27 June 2007.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Ancient temple ruins discovered in Andes pull back curtain on lost society after 1,000 years
Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of an ancient South American temple they say has helped pull back the curtain on the workings of its enigmatic Andean civilization. Known as the Tiwanaku, the society lived in modern-day Bolivia near the southern shores of Lake Titicaca – the highest navigable lake in the world – before their mysterious disappearance more than 1,000 years ago. People had first started to live in the region around 10,000 years ago, according to University of California at Berkeley archaeologist Dr. Nicola Sharratt. As many as 20,000 people came to reside in the area. Skilled stoneworkers, the Tiwanaku were widely considered to be a precursor of the Inca empire and one of the earliest examples of civilization in the Andes mountains. 'Their society collapsed sometime around 1,000 CE and was a ruin by the time the Incas conquered the Andes in the 15th century,' José Capriles, an associate professor of anthropology at Penn State University, said in a statement. 'At its peak, it boasted a highly organized societal structure, leaving behind remnants of architectural monuments like pyramids, terraced temples and monoliths, most of which are distributed in sites around Lake Titicaca and, while we know Tiwanaku's control and influence extended much further, scholars debate how much actual control over distant places it had.' Capriles was the lead author of the international study detailing the findings published this week in the journal Antiquity. The temple is called 'Palaspata,' which was the native name for the area. Palaspata is located on a hill, approximately 130 miles to the south of the Tiwanaku's established historical site. The area was previously known to indigenous farmers, but had never been explored in depth by researchers. After noticing a strange plot of land with four sides, they turned to technology to learn more. They snapped and compiled satellite images of the site, and also took pictures using cameras aboard unmanned aerial vehicle flights. Then, they used the photos to construct a three-dimensional approximation of the Palaspata and its surrounding landscape. About the size of a city block, the complex includes 15 quadrangular enclosures arranged around a rectangular inner courtyard. Its composition, the authors said, suggested that it was used to perform rituals following the solar equinox: a bi-annual moment when the sun is positioned directly above the equator. But, it likely was not solely used for religious purposes. Much about the Tiwanaku civilization remains unknown, but Palaspata would have been in an advantageous trade spot, according to Capriles. Many people traded and built monuments throughout the mountains. This temple connected three main trade routes, including the highlands, a high-altitude plateau, and the Andean valleys of Cochabamba. 'Most economic and political transactions had to be mediated through divinity, because that would be a common language that would facilitate various individuals cooperating,' he explained. On the surface of the ruins of Palaspata, the scientists found fragments of 'keru' cups, which were used for drinking a traditional maize beer called 'chicha' during agricultural feasts and celebrations. The maize was cultivated in the Cochabamba valleys. The researchers had worked with the Bolivian Ministry of Cultures, Decolonization, and Depatriarchalization to export samples of the ruins, which were dated at the Penn State's Institute of Energy and the Environment Radiocarbon Dating Lab. The city is now working with state and national authorities to help properly protect and preserve the site. 'With more insight into the past of this ancient site, we get a window into how people managed cooperation, and how we can materially see evidence of political and economic control,' Capriles said. 'There's still so much to discover that we don't know about, and that could be hiding in plain sight. It just requires opening your eyes to see what's out there.'
Time of India
3 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Why ancient Egyptians broke Queen Hatshepsut's statues — it's not just patriarchy
Source: iStock For years, the story seemed straightforward: Queen Hatshepsut, one of ancient Egypt's most powerful and fascinating rulers, was posthumously erased by her successor, Thutmose III. The narrative had all the drama — a woman who ruled as a king, a threatened male heir, and a vengeful campaign to wipe her from history. But now, a new study throws a surprising twist into that tale. According to research published in the journal Antiquity, many of Hatshepsut's statues were not destroyed out of hatred or misogyny. Instead, they were ritually deactivated — a normal ancient Egyptian practice. Not erased, but 'deactivated' The research, led by Jun Yi Wong, a doctoral candidate in Egyptology at the University of Toronto, dives into records from the 1920s and '30s, when archaeologists uncovered shattered statues of Hatshepsut buried in pits at her temple at Deir el-Bahri. While it was long assumed this destruction was a symbolic erasure ordered by Thutmose III, Wong found something different. Speaking to Live Science, Wong explained that the statues weren't smashed at the face or stripped of inscriptions — the usual markers of desecration. Instead, they were systematically broken at the neck, waist, and feet, which seems like a process Egyptologists now call 'ritual deactivation.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like AC Installation & Repair from Certified Pros Search7 Learn More Undo Source: iStock Ancient Egyptians believed that statues, especially of pharaohs, weren't just stone — they were spiritually potent. Once a pharaoh died, statues could be ritually 'turned off' to prevent lingering powers from interfering with the world of the living. This isn't to say Hatshepsut escaped all forms of persecution. Her images and names were indeed destroyed from various monuments, most likely ordered by Thutmose III. However, there is a difference between the careful deactivation of her statues at Deir el-Bahri and the violent defacement elsewhere hints at a more complex motivation. Source: Canva According to Wong, the evidence suggests Thutmose III may not have acted out of personal resentment. Instead, political pressure from elites who disapproved of a woman taking the throne or fears about her legacy overshadowing his may have motivated his decisions. The new understanding that ancient Egyptians 'turned off' their dead rulers' statues explains how Egyptian culture had complex layers. Sites like the Karnak Cachette — where hundreds of statues from different dynasties were buried in a similar fashion — show that Hatshepsut wasn't uniquely targeted in this way.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Science
- The Independent
Study casts doubt over theory that Stone Age Ireland was ruled by incestuous ‘god-kings'
Stone Age Ireland was likely not ruled over by incestuous 'god-kings' 5500 years ago, as previously thought, a team of archaeologists has found. A skull fragment unearthed in the tomb chamber of the Stone Age Newgrange monument was previously claimed to have come from a man who was the product of either a brother-sister or parent-child pairing. Coupled with the identification of remains from relatives of this man in other nearby tombs, researchers earlier theorised that incestuous elites ruled Neolithic Ireland. These elites were compared with royal dynasties or "god-kings" who practised incest in other parts of the world, such as the pharaohs of ancient Egypt and leaders of the Inca Empire. Now, a new study published in the journal Antiquity casts doubt on this earlier belief that the kings and other dignitaries unearthed here represented a dynasty that practised incest. Archaeologists from University College Dublin point out that no other incestuous unions have been identified in Neolithic Ireland and Britain, with a lack of evidence for inbreeding across prehistoric Europe. The Newgrange monument is older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Giza, and is believed to have been built by a farming community that prospered in the Boyne Valley, County Meath, 5,000 years ago. Analysis of a skull fragment found in the monument, dating to between 3340BC and 3020 BC, revealed a rare case of incest, which led to widespread claims in 2020 that the individual was a high-status ruler, dubbed a 'god-king'. However, researchers now argue that there is no evidence yet found at the site suggesting the existence of a 'king' of Newgrange or any hereditary dynasty. 'People were definitely being selected for burial in passage tombs – the whole community does not end up in these monuments,' archaeologist Jessica Smyth said. 'However, we don't know the reasons behind this selection, and why they were thought to be special.' Researchers say the previous conclusions made in 2020 relied heavily on unsuitable comparisons with hierarchical societies where incest was limited to ruling families, such as in ancient Egypt, ignoring the possibility of incest in non-elite communities. 'A one-off example of incest is a shaky foundation on which to reconstruct an elite, let alone a specific social [hierarchy],' scientists wrote. The tombs clustered in the passages of Newgrange were most likely of people with distant biological relationships rather than close familial ties, researchers say. Based on this, scientists say the burial practices were not strictly determined by lineage. 'We now have some really great examples of monuments elsewhere in Europe that contain people with very close biological ties – parents, children, grandparents etc. This sort of aDNA (ancient DNA) evidence is much closer to the idea of a lineage or dynasty,' Dr Smyth said. 'We do not see this evidence in Irish passage tombs,' she explained. Archaeologists call for more studies to understand the social structures and activities of the communities that built and used the monument. '[It] doesn't make sense to continue to focus so exclusively on forms of stable, individual rule, in Neolithic Ireland and elsewhere, when the evidence is insufficient to support such claims,' researchers said. 'Doing so perpetuates the myth that only important individual males were socially active, and downplays the contribution made by collective action in the prehistoric past,' they added.
