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Secondary sourcePhotograph1989

Hatshepsut Dancing Before Min, Karnak Relief

Carole Reeves · 1989

A 1989 photograph of a carved stone relief from Hatshepsut's Karnak temple showing her as pharaoh dancing before the god Min.

Shows Hatshepsut dressed as pharaoh performing a ritual dance before the god Min at Karnak.

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Photograph of a carved sandstone relief panel at Karnak. Columns of hieroglyphs divide the panel. On the left, a figure in a tall crown strides with one arm raised. On the right, a standing figure in a kilt faces left. Blue sky and a palm tree appear at the edge.
Carole Reeves, photograph of a Karnak relief of Hatshepsut dancing before Min, 1989. Wellcome Collection, United Kingdom.

About this source

What it is

This is a modern photograph, taken in 1989, of an ancient sandstone relief from a dismantled temple of Hatshepsut at Karnak. The carving shows Hatshepsut dressed as a pharaoh, wearing the Red Crown of Lower Egypt, dancing before a representation of the god Min. The photograph is held by the Wellcome Collection.

Why it matters

The relief itself is an ancient record of Hatshepsut performing a royal ritual role usually reserved for kings. It shows how she presented herself with full pharaonic authority and regalia, taking part in religious ceremonies as the ruler of Egypt.

Look closer

  • What does Hatshepsut's clothing and crown tell you about how she wanted to be seen?
  • Why might a ruler want to be shown performing a religious ritual like this?
  • What is missing from this photograph that the original stone carving would have had, such as color?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Hatshepsut on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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