An engrossing biography of the longest-reigning female pharaoh in Ancient Egypt
and the story of her audacious rise to power.
Hatshepsut—the daughter of a general who usurped Egypt's throne and a mother
with ties to the previous dynasty—was born into a privileged position in the
royal household, and she was expected to bear the sons who would legitimize the
reign of her father's family. Her failure to produce a male heir was ultimately
the twist of fate that paved the way for her improbable rule as a cross-dressing
king. At just over twenty, Hatshepsut ascended to the rank of pharaoh in an
elaborate coronation ceremony that set