New Kingdom Egypt · About 1479-1458 BC

Hatshepsut: the woman who became pharaoh

Hatshepsut began as regent for a young king and made herself pharaoh. Students follow her building works at Thebes and her fleet to the land of Punt, and ask why later rulers tried to remove her from history.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, 1479 BC to 1470 BC
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

Hatshepsut began as regent for a young king and made herself pharaoh. Students follow her building works at Thebes and her fleet to the land of Punt, and ask why later rulers tried to remove her from history.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain how Hatshepsut became pharaoh and how she presented her rule.
  • Locate Thebes, Deir el-Bahari and the likely region of Punt.
  • Weigh explanations for why her images were later removed.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

1479 BC

Thebes, the royal city

Open the map in 1479 BC and turn on Cities. Find Thebes, the royal and religious capital of the New Kingdom. How big is it compared with Memphis?

Open this view on the map
b

1460 BC

Temple in the cliffs

Cross the Nile to the west bank. At Deir el-Bahari Hatshepsut built her terraced temple against the cliffs. Why build on the west bank, the side of the sunset?

Open this view on the map
c

1470 BC

The road to Punt

Zoom out and follow the Red Sea south. Hatshepsut's ships sailed to Punt, probably on the coasts of the southern Red Sea or the Horn of Africa. How could a fleet from Thebes reach the Red Sea?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Hatshepsut had herself shown with a pharaoh's false beard. Why would she do that?
  2. She ruled for about 20 years in peace and wealth. Why do you think she is less famous than Ramesses II?
  3. Long after her death, Thutmose III had many of her images removed. Historians disagree why. What reasons can you think of?
  4. The Punt expedition brought back living myrrh trees. Why would a ruler celebrate a trade mission on temple walls?
  5. What does Hatshepsut's story tell us about women and power in ancient Egypt?
4

Game round

10 min

Play Rule History as Hatshepsut herself. Let the class vote on each of her decisions, then compare with what she really did. Discuss: which choice was the riskiest for a woman claiming the throne?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.