Egyptian archaeologists say they have definitively identified the mummy of Hatshepsut, the only woman to rule ancient Egypt while the kingdom was at the height of its power.
The mummy was discovered more than a century ago in a humble tomb in the famed Valley of the Kings, but suspicion that it was the female pharaoh was difficult to prove because of a lack of direct evidence linking it to Hatshepsut.
New CT scans of the mummy and its internal organs confirm its identity, said Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s chief archaeologist.
Hatshepsut re-established trade routes and sent military expeditions to Nubia, the Levant and Syria, extending the empire.
As pharaoh, she was one of the most prolific builders, commissioning hundreds of projects. She also built a magnificent mortuary temple at the entrance to the Valley of the Kings.
But her mummy was not found in the tomb, and statues and other artifacts were obliterated, perhaps as part of an effort by her successor, Thutmose III, to delete her from the record.
Historians have long speculated that Thutmose murdered her or had her killed.
