Seriously? You Barely Mentioned the Most Important Person in this Story?

I love Nile Magazine. It’s gorgeous and informative.

But when I saw the current issue’s article about the discovery of Thutmose II’s tomb, I did a double take. While it’s certainly interesting (the discovery was of an abandoned tomb; they believe his real tomb–with his mummy–is nearby), it took me a moment to remember who Thutmose II was. And when I remembered, I couldn’t believe how they barely touched on who really mattered in his story:

He was the sickly husband of HATSHEPSUT! It was his death that allowed Hatshepsut to step up as regent and rule as pharaoh in powerful and transformational ways for nearly two decades!

I think the headline should have read, Tomb of Hatshepsut’s Husband Found!

After all, his only claim to fame was that he was sickly, weak and died young, leaving his brilliant young wife, Hatshepsut, in charge of all of Egypt. Her successor, Thutmose III, was likely an infant at the time she took the reins of power.

Hatshepsut stepped up, kept the succession chaos at bay, took control of the powerful priests who likely wanted someone else to rule, and invested heavily in public works that elevated the economic standing of her people. She also sent (or lead) successful military excursions into Punt (Nubia) and Syria and held the throne steady, all while preparing her successor, Thutmose III, to successfully rule after her.

Yes, I’m being nitpicky and somewhat silly over my contention with how the magazine framed this discovery, but I do think Hatshepsut should have gotten more prominence.

I have a chapter on Hatshepsut in my book, Warrior Queens, so I have a soft-spot for the amazing queen and how she managed to rule so efficiently and effectively amidst a sea of crocodiles, snakes, and scorpions who hated her for the crime of being female.

This issue of Nile also includes terrific articles on Ramses II, as well as on the writings found in Tut’s tomb.

I also loved reading about the Nubian prince Arinkankharer, who died before taking the throne. His parents co-ruled about a generation or so before my other favorite Nubian queen, Amanirenas ruled and went toe to toe with Octavian–and won (also in Warrior Queens). Peter Lacavora, former curator of the Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern galleries at the Carlos Museum, authored the story on the Nubian crown prince. I learned so much from Dr. Lacavora while training as a docent at the Carlos nearly twenty years ago!

The first time I met Dr. Lacavora, he told me I should write a children’s book about a Nubian king he believes should be more well-known–Taharqa. Goodness knows I have tried, but I have yet to find a publisher for it.

All nitpicking aside about the headline for the Thutmose II article, I’m a huge fan of the magazine. I highly recommend subscribing as a special treat for yourself. It is expensive, yes, but you can get a discount if you support the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE).

Go for it!