When visiting the Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology, the Upper Egyptian Gallery on the third floor was the first gallery I chose to explore. It came to no surprise to me that throughout the visit of the different galleries I kept wanting to go back the Egyptian gallery. While the other galleries were intricate and artistically advanced, I find the Egyptians and their process of preparing their dead for the afterlife the most fascinating especially for the time period in which things were made. Specifically, I've been drawn to Hatshepsut as I'm inspired by her being one of the first great women in history that we might have ever had in the world. Her rein lasted approximately twenty-one years. In theory, Thutmose III controlled the land, but Hatshepsut governed as regent. At some point between Thutmose's reign (1), she assumed the kingship herself. The lintel of Hatshepsut and Thermoses III was one of the first items in the Egyptian exhibit. It was originally part of Hatshepsut's temple, and was discovered in Deir el- Bahri- about a mile west of the Ramesseum (2). The piece itself is rather large and was constructed from limestone in the 19th dynasty (1479-1458 BC). It is understood that the three lines of hieroglyphs making up this artwork are to commemorate the names and titles of each ruler. Thutmosis III is the only name to remain. The name of Hatshepsut has been erased after her death. When looking upon this piece I had immediately made the connection to the hieroglyphs of the lintel with the Palette of Narmer. While both pieces are very different both visually and in terms of purpose, I feel like they share some interesting parallels as well.
There is no information pertaining to the artist who created the lintel, but we do know that is had been made from limestone. Limestone was one of the main building stones in ancient Egypt and was sometimes used if harder, more attractive ornamental stones were not available.
