276 CultureShock! Egypt
Famous People
Ramses II
The son of Seti I and Queen Tuya, Ramses II was the third
king (1279–1213 BC) of the 19th Dynasty. Called Ramesses
the Great, he lived to be 96 years old, had 200 wives and
concubines, 96 sons and 60 daughters. His favourite wife
was apparently Nefertari for whom he built a temple in
Abu Simbel. In addition to his great tomb (KV 7), Ramses
II built a great tomb for his sons, KV 5, which is currently
being excavated.Hatshepsut
The fi fth ruler (1473–1458 BC) of the 18th Dynasty, she was
the daughter of Thutmose I and Queen Ahmose. As was
common in royal families, she married her half-brother,
Thutmose II, who had a son, Thutmose III, by a minor wife.
When Thutmose II died in 1479 BC, his son, Thutmose III,
was appointed heir. However, Hatshepsut was appointed
regent due to the boy’s young age. They ruled jointly until
1473 BC when she declared herself pharaoh. Dressed in
men’s attire, Hatshepsut administered affairs of the nation.
Hatshepsut disappeared from the historical record in
1458 BC when Thutmose III, wishing to reclaim the throne,
led a revolt. Thutmose III then had her shrines, statues and
reliefs mutilated.Tutankhamun
‘ King Tut’, aka ‘the Boy King’ probably ruled Egypt between
1334–1325 BC, possibly the 12th ruler of Egypt’s 18th
Dynasty. Not considered to be an important pharaoh, prior
to Howard Carter’s discovery of his tomb, almost nothing
was known of him. One disappointment in Carter’s discovery
was that there was little in the way of documentation found
within his tomb. Akhenaten, the heretic pharaoh, was most
likely his father. His mother was probably Kiya, though this
too is in question.