Latest news with #Nile
Khaleej Times
4 days ago
- General
- Khaleej Times
Gender not main factor in attacks on Egyptian woman pharaoh: Study
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 on 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," 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."
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Hilton Breaks Into Cruise With a Waldorf Astoria Nile Ship
When Marriott dipped into cruising with its introduction of the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection brand in 2022, it was the first hotel company to head to the ocean. Then came Four Seasons, Orient Express and Aman—all with plans to launch ocean yachts in the next two years. And now, as of May, Hilton Worldwide Holdings has decided to quietly join the fray with its flagship luxury brand Waldorf Astoria, which is set to introduce a Nile River cruiser in late 2026. The Waldorf Astoria Nile River Experience will bear some of the hallmarks of the hotels that share its name: a Peacock Alley Bar, a monumental lobby clock and art deco design flourishes. (Yes, there will be plenty of Champagne, perhaps even enough to fill the Nile.) But Hilton's head of luxury brands Dino Michael says the decision to expand into cruising has more to do with the company's heritage than keeping up with the competition.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Gender not main factor in attacks on Egyptian woman pharaoh: study
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," 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." bs/acb
News.com.au
5 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Gender not main factor in attacks on Egyptian woman pharaoh: study
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," 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."
Gizmodo
5 days ago
- General
- Gizmodo
Why Ancient Egypt Smashed Hatshepsut's Statues After Her Death
Hatshepsut is one of the most famous figures in ancient Egypt. In 1479 BCE, she took on the role of regent on behalf of her young nephew Thutmose III. By 1473, she began ruling as a pharaoh in her own right, becoming one of the civilization's exceptionally rare female sovereigns. Over three thousand years later, when archaeologists excavated thousands of fragments of her statues, scholars widely assumed that her spiteful successor had ordered the total destruction of her images. New research, however, paints a more nuanced picture. University of Toronto Egyptologist Jun Yi Wong suggests that a significant part of the damage caused to the female pharaoh's statues was the result of ancient Egyptian 'deactivation' rituals and their use as materials for other constructions. Though Hatshepsut (pronounced 'HAT-shep-soot') faced political backlash after her death, Wong's research challenges the prevailing view that Thutmose III ordered the complete destruction of his former regent's every representation with malicious intent. 'Following her death, the monuments of the pharaoh Hatshepsut (reigned c. 1473–1458 BC) were subject to a systematic programme of destruction, the most common manifestation of which was the erasure of her name and image from temple walls,' Wong wrote in a study published today in the journal Antiquity, of which he is the sole author. 'This act was initiated by Thutmose III, her nephew and successor (sole reign c. 1458–1425 BC), but the motivation behind it remains contentious.' From 1922 to 1928, archaeologists excavated many of Hatshepsut's statues near her mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri, Egypt. Given the figures' damaged conditions, archaeologist Herbert Winlock of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who led the excavations, identified them as 'maddening relics of Thutmose's spite,' as quoted in the study. However, Wong claims that 'while the 'shattered visage' of Hatshepsut has come to dominate the popular perception, such an image does not reflect the treatment of her statuary to its full extent.' After studying the type of damage documented in unpublished field notes, drawings, photographs, and letters from the 20th-century excavations, the Egyptologist points out that many of the statues were preserved in a relatively decent state, with intact faces. The presumption is that if Thutmose III was hell-bent on destroying Hatshepsut's memory, he would have been more thorough in his destruction. Furthermore, Wong argues that some of Hatshepsut's statues' treatment is not unlike that of the statues of other male Egyptian rulers, including many for whom there is no evidence of persecution after death. Among other kinds of specific damage, scattered fragments with breaks at the neck, knees, and/or ankles are 'believed to be a form of 'deactivation' intended to neutralise the inherent power of the statues,' Wong wrote. In other words, the ritual wasn't inherently hostile. Some of the damage may have also been caused or worsened by the statues' reuse as construction material during later periods. This, however, does not completely negate the possibility that some of the damage was indeed related to a political backlash. 'Unlike the other rulers, Hatshepsut did suffer a programme of persecution, and its wider political implications cannot be overstated,' Wong concluded in an Antiquity statement. 'Yet, there is room for a more nuanced understanding of Thutmose III's actions, which were perhaps driven by ritual necessity rather than outright antipathy.' Ultimately, the suggestion that Hatshepsut was treated like other deceased pharaohs after her death, despite the persecution, makes her rise to the throne as a woman even more extraordinary.
