Hatshepsut (Part IV): The Queen’s Ally
From 1495 to 1485 BCE, a young noble-man found his career accelerating in tandem with his queen. This was the legendary Senenmut, who became one of Hatshepsut’s closest allies and most trusted servants. We follow Senenmut from his birth and upbringing to the very corridors of power, and his accession over all other contenders.
Bibliography
- Peter Dorman, The Monuments of Senenmut, 1988.
- Ben Haring, “The Rising Power of the House of Amun in the New Kingdom,” in Ancient Egyptian Administration, 2013, read online.
- Bernard V. Bothmer, Egyptian Art: Selected Writings of Bernand V. Bothmer, 2004, read online.
- Edward F. Wente, “Some Graffiti of the Reign of Hatshepsut,” 1984, read online.
- Kahtryn Bard, The Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt, 2005.
- Kara Cooney, The Woman Who Would Be King, 2014.
- Maat-ka-Re.de – Senenmut
- Digital Karnak – The Obelisks of Hatshepsut/Senenmut
- SLU.edu – Senmut
- Ancient Egypt Online – Neferure
In the statute where Senenmut carries Nefurera (Hatshepsutproject.blogspot) and unlike most statutes, it seems that Senenmut is smiling, at least with his eyes. It’s a charming representation.
Thank you for pointing that out! I hadn’t noticed – how lovely 🙂
Senenmut is easily a top 5 Egyptian for me
Hello Dominic. I absolutely love the podcasts and could not get through my day without them. Thank you. I just wanted you to be aware that the commercials that we now here are much louder than the podcast which is a problem for those of us who listen at work. The podcast volume is fine but the commercial is shouting. Is there anything you can do to stop that? Thanks again and best regards,
Hi Denis,
Thanks for listening. Are you able to specify which episodes have this problem? I can’t change the volume of the ads (they are automated) but I can boost the volume of the episode, so that there is more balance. If you let me know which ones episodes have the issue I can fix that easily.
Thanks!
Dominic
Dominic:
I kick myself for not discovering the podcast until recently. It’s wonderful & I’ve spent many hours trying to catch up.
Hatsepshut is one of my favorite people in all of history and I am full of admiration for your delightful approach to her story. 3 or 4 times an episode I’ve had to stop & replay the last minute or so because I was laughing so hard that I missed it. If all history was taught your way, all students would clamor for those classes!
Thank you so much for helping me to turn this horrible year around. I’m learning to pace myself so I have a segment to look forward to every day.
I really want to hear your take on the “new discoveries” — I keep an eye on anything new here just in case.
Best wishes…
Hello,
The extra loud commercial is most pronounced in episode 62b, The Divine Birth of Hatshepsut. The commercial at the end of the program is significantly louder that the program. Thanks for whatever you can do to balance the volume of the commercials with the program is appreciated.
Thanks Denise, I have updated that episode 🙂
I noticed that when you are talking about the naming of Senenmut, you say that maybe Hatshepsut had someone in particular in mind when she named him “Uncle.” I think perhaps you meant his mother not the famous King/Queen… it occurs at 03:08.
I keep pointing these things out, but it’s not meant to be critical. I like to be helpful and I really enjoy your podcast!
Thank you 🙂
I was thinking – since we are talking stereotypes here (the only way he would have gotten ahead so quickly was to be sleeping with her), that maybe we should consider the “gay best friend” stereotype. He never married, he was artistic, and he loved her kid. Makes sense to me! lol
Possibly, but it is always dangerous to apply modern stereotypes to historical figures. I’d rather avoid the comparison, in general
Dominic:
I kick myself for not discovering the podcast until recently. It’s wonderful & I’ve spent many hours trying to catch up.
Hatsepshut is one of my favorite people in all of history and I am full of admiration for your delightful approach to her story. 3 or 4 times an episode I’ve had to stop & replay the last minute or so because I was laughing so hard that I missed it. If all history was taught your way, all students would clamor for those classes!
Thank you so much for helping me to turn this horrible year around. I’m learning to pace myself so I have a segment to look forward to every day.
I really want to hear your take on the “new discoveries” — I keep an eye on anything new here just in case.
Best wishes…
An interesting episode about a quite different figure.
He strikes me as the archetypal ‘new man’ that you often see in the administrations of figures who are feeling a little insecure in their position.
Its far easier to control and rely on the loyalty of someone who has no real history of connections among the elite, nor generational wealth. That seems a far more plausible reading of his rapid advancement than some illicit affair.
I’m surprised he never became Vizier though, given how many offices he seems to have walked through. Who was Hatshepsuts vizier, were they also a ‘new man’ or were they ‘old blood’ ? How much practical authority did the Vizier wield during Hatshepsuts reign?
I don’t’ find much of note in the graffito tbh, people on worksites have done ‘crude’ doodles of kings and emperors for thousands of years, I don’t think it suggests a particular weakness of Hatshepsuts legitimacy.
You draw note to the fact that he uses Hatshepsuts name in his tomb, was that the norm for other kings? Did the officials of Thutmose I Thutmose III etc. always write ‘king Thutmose’ or such when they referred to them in their tombs.
If indeed it is a noteworthy that other officials under Hatshepsut did not use their name, is it not also plausible that the reason for them doing so was due to the fact there were currently multiple kings?