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Primary sourceArtifactc. 1460 BC

Stele of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III

c. 1460 BC

A limestone stele carved with relief figures of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III, accompanied by hieroglyphic inscriptions.

A stele showing Hatshepsut together with her co-ruler Thutmose III, reflecting her shared rule during this period.

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Photograph of a limestone stele with a rounded top, carved with two standing royal figures in relief above rows of hieroglyphic inscriptions. Cartouches with royal names appear at the top, and a figure stands at the left edge.
Stele of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III from Thebes, c. 1460 BC. Museo Gregoriano Egizio, Vatican.

About this source

What it is

This limestone stele from Thebes shows two standing royal figures in relief, identified as Hatshepsut and Thutmose III, with cartouches bearing their royal names and rows of hieroglyphic text below. It dates to around 1460 BC and is now held in the Vatican's Gregorian Egyptian Museum.

Why it matters

Hatshepsut ruled Egypt alongside her stepson and co-ruler Thutmose III. Monuments like this stele, showing both rulers together, reveal how Egyptian art recorded shared or contested power between a female pharaoh and the male heir who would later rule alone.

Look closer

  • Why might the artist have shown both rulers together on the same stele?
  • What might the hieroglyphic inscriptions have recorded, based on where such stelae were usually placed?
  • What does the stele's survival in a museum tell us about how we study ancient history today?

This artifact 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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Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut

Senenmut and/or Hapuseneb (attributed) · c. 1479–1458 BCE

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.Photograph

Secondary source

Hatshepsut Dancing Before Min, Karnak Relief

Carole Reeves · 1989

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Punt Expedition Reliefs

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Photograph of a dark grey stone sculpture of a head, mounted on a red rectangular pedestal against a white background. The head has a tall, smooth-topped headdress, carved eyes, nose and mouth, and a worn surface. Catalogue label MM 11423 appears at lower right.Sculpture

Primary source

Sculpture Head Probably of Hatshepsut

Photograph of a seated limestone statue of a figure wearing a royal headcloth with a pleated nemes and a false beard-less face, hands resting on the lap, seated on a block with hieroglyphic inscriptions on its side.Sculpture

Primary source

Seated Statue of Hatshepsut

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