In recent decades, historians and Egyptologists have puzzled over the fate of Queen Hatshepsut’s statues. Some believed that her nephew, Thutmose III, deliberately defaced and destroyed these statues to erase her from history. However, a study published in Antiquity by Jun Yi Wong offers a new perspective. Wong’s findings suggest that the statues were not destroyed out of personal animosity or political vendetta, but rather as part of a ritual process. This discovery reshapes our understanding of ancient Egyptian religious and political practices, casting light on the reasons behind the posthumous treatment of Hatshepsut’s legacy.
Ritual Deactivation of Statues in Ancient Egypt
For centuries, Egyptologists believed that the destruction of Hatshepsut’s statues was a political act, executed by Thutmose III as revenge for his predecessor’s perceived threat to his reign. However, new research challenges this notion, presenting a much more nuanced view of the situation. The key to understanding the statues’ fate lies in the concept of “ritual deactivation,” a practice in which statues of deceased rulers were intentionally damaged to neutralize their supposed supernatural powers.
As Jun Yi Wong explains, the ancient Egyptians regarded statues not just as artistic representations but as living entities imbued with power. Therefore, the deactivation of statues was necessary to prevent the dead pharaoh’s spirit from continuing to exert influence over the living. This ritual often involved breaking the statues at their weak points, such as the neck, waist, and feet, ensuring that their power was neutralized.
“Deposits of deactivated statues have been found at multiple sites in Egypt and Sudan,” Wong said. “One of the best-known finds in the history of Egyptian archaeology is the Karnak Cachette, where hundreds of statues of pharaohs — from across centuries — were found in a single deposit. The vast majority of the statues have been ‘deactivated.'” This practice was not unique to Hatshepsut, and statues of many other rulers were subjected to similar fates in accordance with ritual custom.
Political Persecution or Ritualistic Motivations?
Despite the ritual deactivation, there is still evidence of a campaign of persecution against Hatshepsut following her death. During Thutmose III’s reign, images of Hatshepsut were deliberately erased from monuments across Egypt. The systematic destruction of her inscriptions and depictions suggests a deliberate attempt to erase her presence from the historical record.
“There is no doubt that Hatshepsut did suffer a campaign of persecution — at many monuments throughout Egypt, her images and names have been systematically hacked out,” Wong said. “We know that this campaign of persecution was initiated by Thutmose III, but we are not exactly sure why.” This destruction was not limited to statues; entire references to Hatshepsut were wiped from the walls of temples and monuments.
Wong’s research highlights the contrast between the ritual deactivation of statues at sites like Deir el-Bahri and the more violent and targeted defacement of her monuments elsewhere. This distinction suggests that while Thutmose III may have been involved in persecuting Hatshepsut’s memory, the destruction of her statues in the form of ritual deactivation may have had more to do with the cultural and religious practices of the time, rather than personal animosity.
The Political Landscape Behind Thutmose III’s Actions
Early Egyptologists often assumed that Thutmose III’s actions were driven by deep personal hatred toward Hatshepsut, but recent findings suggest a more complex picture. Wong argues that Thutmose III’s motivations were likely influenced by political factors, particularly the concerns over his own legacy as pharaoh.
“Early Egyptologists assumed that Thutmose III must have harboured intense hatred towards Hatshepsut, but this is unlikely to be accurate,” Wong said. “The treatment of the statues, for example, suggests that Thutmose III was motivated by ritualistic and practical factors, rather than any personal animosity.” Instead of erasing Hatshepsut out of spite, Thutmose III may have acted with an eye toward securing his own place in history, seeking to establish his reign as distinct from hers.
Thutmose III “would have been influenced by political considerations — such as whether Hatshepsut’s reign was detrimental to his legacy as a pharaoh,” Wong said. This insight into the political dynamics of ancient Egypt sheds new light on the motivations behind Thutmose III’s actions, showing that the destruction of Hatshepsut’s statues was likely more about consolidating power than erasing a personal rival.
Ritual Deactivation in Broader Context
The practice of “ritual deactivation” was not unique to Hatshepsut. It was a common procedure for ensuring that the deceased pharaoh’s statues would no longer possess any supernatural power. Statues of various pharaohs were treated in this manner after their death, demonstrating the continuity of this ritual across centuries of Egyptian history.
The discovery of the Karnak Cachette, a major archaeological find, reinforces the idea that this practice was not an isolated event. In this cache, hundreds of statues from various periods were found, many of them “deactivated.” This widespread practice shows that the destruction of royal statues was more a matter of religious and cultural tradition than a personal vendetta.
