Egyptian Mummy Identified as Egypt’s Most Powerful Female Ruler

Egyptologists have declared that they have confirmed the identity of Egypt's most powerful female ruler. We’re not talking about Nefertiti nor Cleopatra, but Hatshepsut, a powerful ruler from the 18th Dynasty of Egyptian royalty. She reigned from 1479 BC to 1458 BC, and usurped control of the throne from her stepson, Thutmosis III. It turns out though that, after her death, Thutmosis took steps to avenge the rise she made to power, and obliterated her from all records.

Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass announced the confirmation of her identity in Cairo this past Wednesday at a packed news conference. Unlike other ‘identity confirmations’ though, her mummy has been laying around ever since Carters original expedition to the Valley of the Kings all those years ago. Even one of her royal-nurses had been identified, but she had only proved a mystery and source of speculation all these years
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The study funded by the Discovery Channel, claims that one of the major pieces of information is that she is missing a tooth. This gap matches exactly with an earlier relic discovered, a tooth found to have been engraved with Hatshepsut’s name.

Found in tomb KV60, the tomb has been one of the most significant mysteries of the Valley, due to the existence of two female mummies within. Both have now been revealed, the first – the royal-nurse – was identified as Sit-ra, in 1906. But with the identification of Hatshepsut, researchers are hoping that she will be able to provide clues in to how she died, and how she lived.

Posted by Josh Hill

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