Prescilla Pascua
Human Event: 10:30 AM
Question: What efforts must Hatshepsut make to prove herself worthy as a Pharoah for Egypt?
Thesis: Hatshepsut asserts her position as Pharoah by vocalizing her direct connection to the gods, being subservient to orders
made by the gods, and by setting out an expedition to Punt, bringing back luxurious goods.
Claim 1: Hatshepsut vocalizes
her direct communication with
Amun, a god, in which he told her
himself to initiate the expedition.
Evidence 1:
Hatshepsut starts off by writing
about herself in the third person
where she speaks very highly of
herself, claiming how everyone
offers her high respect. One
striking claim she makes is stating
that, “The King of Upper and
Lower Egypt: Maatkare; sacred
image of Amun, she whom he
wanted to be on his thrown.”
(Hatshepsut 2006, 1).
Reasoning 1:
Hatshepsut asserts her position as
the next Pharoah by writing how
Amun himself had set aside the
throne for her to rule Upper and
Lower Egypt. He gave her the
green light to rule Egypt and,
because he’s a god, no one can
object to that. At the same time,
no one can deny her connections
to Amun because, if they do, they
could get into serious trouble as it
can come off as going against
their religion at the time. By
vocalizing her relations with
Amun, citizens of Egypt faithfully
(and possibly fearfully) believe
her statements to avoid getting
into trouble.
Claim 2: Hatshepsut abides by
the orders made by Amun.
Evidence 2:
Now that the people know that
Amun has reserved the throne for
her, she expresses how he set out
orders for her to, “Explore the
routes to Punt, open the roads to
the Myrrh-terraces, and lead an
expedition on water and on land
to bring exotic goods from the
God’s Land to this god who
created her beauty.” (Hatshepsut
2006, 2).
Reasoning 2:
Hatshepsut wants to prove to the
people of Egypt that she is
capable of being Pharaoh, and to
do so, she obeys the orders made
by Amun to start an expedition to
Punt. Her being subservient to
Amun proves that she highly
adores and respects her religion,
which will lead people to believe
that she isn’t going to try to do
anything to “mess up” the Empire
that has been set in place.
Additionally, the task that was
given was a difficult one since
Punt hasn’t been explored in 500
years. Her people were expecting
her to bring back these “exotic
goods”, and if she didn’t, she
would’ve gotten more backlash
and seen as unfit for the throne.
So, the expectation is that if she
can gather the goods she was told
to find, the people will see her fit
to rule Upper and Lower Egypt.
Claim 3: Just as she promised,
Hatshepsut successfully brings
back the luxurious goods from
Punt.
Evidence 3:
After landing in Punt, the soldiers
essentially demanded that the
exotic goods asked of by Amun be
given to them, as we can infer
from the illustrations that depict
the scene on page 14. Both the
queen and king of Punt seem to
look frightened from the soldiers’
visit, but eventually do give them
the goods as the ships used in the
expedition were loaded, “to a very
large extent with precious goods
from the land of Punt, all kinds of
good herbs of the God’s Land.”
(Hatshepsut 2006, 8).
Reasoning 3:
The illustrations made to depict
the scene of the arrival on Punt
show that both the king and queen
seemed startled by the sudden
visit, but because Hatshepsut was
determined to gather these goods,
the soldiers had to approach them
with an almost threatening
manner. When the goods were
achieved and brought back to
Egypt, people were amazed to see
the materials brought back from
Punt because nothing like those
exotic goods have been seen
before. Because Hatshepsut was
able to fulfill an expedition that
hasn’t been done in 500 years, she
proves that she is deserving of
obtaining the throne of Egypt.
Conclusion:
Hatshepsut ultimately wanted to prove that she is capable of being the next Pharaoh in place of her stepson who is too
young and unfit for the job. She proves that Amun, the god himself, had planned for the throne to be hers, she is subservient
to the gods, and was able to fulfill a difficult expedition ordered by Amun.

Intertextual Relationships:
In Hatshepsut’s Expedition, we see that she wants to essentially prove her worthiness to the people so she could ultimately
be Pharaoh. She does this by speaking highly of herself, expressing her connection to the gods and fulfilling an expedition
ordered by Amun. Similarly, In Enheduanna: The Exaltation of Inana, Enheduanna also wants to prove her worthiness to
Inana by speaking highly of her, saying, “…You are the guardian of the great divine powers! You have taken up the divine
powers, you have hung the divine powers from your hand. You have gathered up the divine powers, you have clasped the
divine powers to your breast. Like a dragon you have deposited venom on the foreign lands.” (Enheduanna 2006, 1).