Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, and Cleopatra—The Fascinating Queens of Egypt

The three most powerful women of Ancient Egypt

Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, and Cleopatra (A collage of images from Wikimedia Commons)

Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, and Cleopatra were extraordinary women. Using their intelligence, beauty, and opportunism, they ascended the throne of Ancient Egypt.

These three women had what it took to be successful in a male-dominated society.

Queen Hatshepsut was a cross-dresser

One of the rare statues of Hatshepsut with breasts and without a fake beard (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Hatshepsut (1507–1458 BC) was one of the first women in the history of Ancient Egypt to get the full power of the pharaoh. She successfully ruled for twenty years.

Some historians believe that Hatshepsut was the first great woman in history.

To rule Ancient Egypt, she had to pretend to be a man. She even wore a false beard. In the official depictions, they portrayed her as a muscular man with a typical pharaoh’s beard. But this was only her public image. In private, she enjoyed being a woman and having affairs with her ministers.