Hatshepsut's reign (c. 1473-1458 BC) as pharaoh is one of the most fascinating episodes in Egyptian history, both for what it tells us about Egyptian gender ideology and for the remarkable posthumous attempt to erase her from the record.

Hatshepsut began as regent for her young stepson Thutmose III and gradually assumed the full regalia and titles of pharaoh, presenting herself in monumental art as male — bearded, in the conventional pharaonic stance. This was adoption of the visual language of an inherently masculine institution.

Her reign was by any measure successful. The expedition to Punt documented in the temple at Deir el-Bahri is the best-recorded ancient Egyptian trading expedition. Her building program includes some of the finest monuments of the New Kingdom period.

The erasure of her monuments — the removal of her images and the replacement of her name with those of Thutmose III or his successors — happened decades after her death and was systematic enough to suggest a deliberate program. The motivation was probably a later decision about dynastic succession — removing a precedent for female rule.