Gallery 115 π²ππΎ at the MET holds an incredible collection of statues ππ ±ππΎπͺ which depict Egyptβs ππ ππ greatest female pharaoh ππ» (and just one of the greatest pharaohs ππ»π¦ ever), Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ. This room is my happy place; there is just something so incredible about being in Hatshepsutβs π³π¦π presence!
Most pharaohsβ ππ»βgreatnessβ is based upon how extensive their building projects were, and Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ had a lot of them. She built the first obelisk πΆ in over 90 years, had her mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri π¦ππ¦π₯π constructed (where the statues ππ ±ππΎπͺ in this gallery were found), and had multiple projects from Sinai to Nubia.
However, despite her extensive building projects, much of her work had been usurped or destroyed. Most of the statues ππ ±ππΎπͺ in this gallery have been reconstructed; the statues ππ ±ππΎπͺ were found in pieces and put back together like ancient puzzles by archaeologists.Β
At Deir el-Bahri π¦ππ¦π₯π, the βHatshepsut Holeβ is where many of these fragmented statues were found buried during an excavation by the MET and the Egyptian government. About 25 πππΎ years after Hatshepsutβs π³π¦π death, Thutmosis III π³π π£ went on a campaign to have her statuary destroyed and her name ππ taken off of monuments π π. No one knows why this occurred or the events that lead up to Thutmosis III π³π π£ doing this!
Ironically, while Thutmosis III π³π π£ tried to destroy and erase Hatshepsutβs ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ image ππ ±π, by burying the statues ππ ±ππΎπͺ, they have survived in pretty good condition thanks to the Egyptian sand. In a way, Thutmosis III π³π π£ did Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ (and archaeologists) a favor by allowing the statues ππ ±ππΎπͺ to be preserved instead of exposed to the elements/other pharaohs ππ»π¦.
This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.