When I read this, I just about fell out of my chair! For those of you who are not familiar with Hatshepsut, she was one of the greatest female Pharaoh’s of all time, surpassing even Nefertiti, Nefertari and Cleopatra. It is amazing that she was right under our noses the whole time. This is definitely a new afterlife for the 3,000 year old Hatshepsut. Really gives you the feeling that the Ancient Egyptians knew what they were doing when they preserved their bodies with the thought they would live forever. They live with us today in moments like this. Just amazing.

Below is the article from BBC, or you can click HERE to view original BBC article. The picture to the left is one I found in google images, I believe it is from the Louvre.

‘Find of century’ for Egyptology

Egyptologists say they have identified the 3,000-year-old mummy of Hatshepsut, Egypt’s most powerful female ruler.

Egypt’s antiquities chief Zahi Hawass made the official announcement at a packed news conference in Cairo.

It is being billed as the biggest archaeological find in Egypt since the 1922 discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb.

Archaeologists hope the mummy, which has lain unrecognised for decades, will yield clues about the mystery of her death and subsequent disappearance.

Mr Hawass has set up a DNA lab near the museum with an international team of scientists to verify the identification.

The study was funded by the US television channel Discovery which is to broadcast a documentary on the subject in July.

An important piece of the evidence is said to be that the mummy has a missing tooth, and the gap matches exactly an existing relic, a preserved tooth engraved with Hatshepsut’s name.

Difficult process

Some archaeologists have expressed scepticism about the possibility of using DNA technology to identify the queen.

It’s a very difficult process to obtain DNA from a mummy,” US molecular biologist Scott Woodward was quoted as saying by AP news agency.

“To make a claim as to a relationship, you need other individuals from which you have obtained DNA, to make a comparison between the DNA sequences.”

DNA is the molecule that contains genetic information in all organisms and can be used to establish family relationships.

Obliterated

In modern times, Hatshepsut’s temple was the location of the 1997 Luxor massacre when Islamic militants gunned down 58 foreign tourists, as well as three Egyptian policemen and a tour guide.

Hatshepsut was an important 18th Dynasty ruler in the 15th Century BC, having usurped her stepson, Thutmosis III.

She was known for dressing like a man and wearing a false beard, and was more powerful than either of her more famous female successors, Nefertiti and Cleopatra.

Hatshepsut’s funerary temple is one of the most visited monuments around the pharaonic necropolis of the Valley of the Kings in Upper Egypt.

But after her death, her name was obliterated from the records in what is believed to have been her stepson’s revenge.

The mummy was found in Tomb KV60, said to be one of the more perplexing tombs in the Valley of the Kings because it contained two unidentified mummies, both of them women.

The tomb was first discovered by Howard Carter in 1903, but it had been ransacked in antiquity and he resealed it. It was re-opened in 1906 and one mummy was removed and identified as Sit-ra, royal nurse of Hatshepsut.

The mummy now said to be of Hatshepsut herself was left behind and did not see the light again until 1990.

Speculation that it is was her was fuelled by the fact the mummy’s left arm was bent in a pose thought to mark royal burials and it wore a wooden face-piece (possibly to fit a false beard).

Vashti’s story begins to become interesting when on the death of her father, the new King Darius captures young Princess Vashti and takes pitty on her and marries her to his son Xerxes I (also commonly known as Ahasuerus). Now it is important in this story to know Vashti was the great granddaughter of King Nebuchadnezzar, the very king who destroyed Solomon’s Temple and drove the Jews to exile. Here we can find the root of her distaste for the Jewish people, which may explain some of her actions.

While noted for her beauty, Vashti was loved by the Persians. But her actions towards the Jews, found her less than favorable in their eyes. She was accused of forcing Jewish maids to disrobe and work in the nude on the Shabbat. She was also known for her cruelty and arrogant behavior towards the Jewish people and vowed to deny their return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple her grandfather destroyed. This gives you a tidbit into Vashti’s character and the impression she was neither a modest woman nor did she hold the virtue in high regard.

King Xerxes held a 7 day feast with the Shushan subjects. The Queen, in her chambers, held a replica feast for the royal ladies at court (some say as a protest to the King). On the 7^th day of the festivities the King called for Vashti to appear before is court wearing the Royal Crown. While some text state that Vashti was summons wearing ONLY the Royal Crown and nothing else, other state that she was simply asked to appear wearing the crown (while clothed) and to dance. Either way, Xerxes wanted to show his now drunken subjects her world renowned beauty.

Vashti was appalled by the King’s request. Having to much pride and royal dignity to parade before her husbands guest, Vashti flatly refused the King. Furious, King Xerxes sought the advise of his lawyers and royal advisor’s. It was quickly decided that if the Queen would not obey her husband the King, then the wives of Persia will follow her lead and start to revolt against their husbands. Not accepting his wife’s humiliation, King Xerxes stated that Vashti was to never again come before the King.

Now what happens to Vashti after this point is not exactly clear. It is generally believed that she was now divorced from the King and banished from the palace. While some say she was beheaded for her defiance, it is thought that would have been too extreme of a punishment for the time and banishment is more widely accepted among historians.

I must comment, this entry has been delayed in its posting due to the fact I have spent hours upon hours searching for what happened to Vashti after the King ordered her to leave. It is nice to think she married again and began a new life, maybe in a different country. But it is very ironic that someone who believed in the displacement of a people was displaced herself. A little bit of ancient Karma.

Of course you will find the short story of Queen Vashti in the Book of Ester in the Bible. But here are a few interesting recommendations:

Ester and the King
One Night With the King
Ester
Ten Queens: Portraits of Women of Power
Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther 480-465 BC
Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

I noticed in order to post a comment, you have to login… lame. I know how much that can discourage me when I find a blog entry interesting and proceed to leave a comment.  I must have had it set that way for spam reasons.  I installed new anti spam software for wordpress, so readers can now leave a comment without having to sign up.  I am eager to read any and all comments.