Queen Hatshepsut was the first great woman in recorded history: the forerunner of such figures as Cleopatra, Catherine the Great and Elizabeth I. Her rise to power went against all the conventions of her time. She was the first wife and Queen of Thutmose II and on his death proclaimed herself Pharaoh, denying the old king's son, her nephew, his inheritance. To support her cause she claimed the God Amon-Ra spoke, saying "welcome my sweet …showed first 75 words of 1196 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1196 total…others. Eventually her nephew grew into a man and took his rightful place as pharaoh. The circumstances of this event are unknown and what became of Hatshepsut is a mystery. In all, Hatshepsut accomplished what no woman had done before her. She ruled the most powerful advanced civilization in the world, successfully, for a large number of years. Even if there were some who resented her success, her legacy will still stand for all eternity.