Obelisk Tip of Queen Hatshepsut

This piece is the tip of one of the obelisks commissioned by Queen Hatshepsut, one of ancient Egypt’s most remarkable and successful female pharaohs, who ruled during the 18th Dynasty (c. 1473–1458 BCE) in the New Kingdom. Originally, this obelisk stood at the Temple of Amun at Karnak in Thebes (modern-day Luxor), a center of immense religious and political power. Obelisks were sacred monuments, representing a sunbeam in stone and serving as physical connections between earth and the divine. Queen Hatshepsut erected at least two grand obelisks at Karnak early in her reign, each hewn from red granite and inscribed with texts honoring Amun and legitimizing her rule. However, following her death, her stepson and successor Thutmose III attempted to erase her memory—chipping away her names and images in a widespread campaign of damnatio memoriae (condemnation of memory). This specific obelisk tip was once adorned with carvings showing Hatshepsut flanked by offerings and receiving divine symbols. At the summit, two female deities were depicted presenting bouquets of flowers to the goddess in her image. These figures were replaced by Thutmose III’s artists with an altered scene showing a male king worshipping Amun. One hand of the altered figure reaches forward in a gesture once associated with touching the crown of Amun, linking the pharaoh directly to the god’s power. Today, remnants of Hatshepsut’s original regalia remain visible, including the was-scepter (symbol of power) and ankh (symbol of life), reminding us of her enduring legacy despite efforts to erase her from history. This obelisk tip is more than just a fragment—it’s a powerful testimony to Hatshepsut’s bold assertion of authority, her devotion to the gods, and the political complexities that followed her death.