One of the greatest strengths of the ancient Egypt civilization was the Pharaoh because of his or her ability to unite the country through the belief of divine kingship. Divine kingship was one of the fundamental tenets of ancient Egyptian religion. Hatshepsut of the 18th Dynasty was one of the most successful divine rulers of Egypt because of the impact she had on the citizens of society in which she existed. She was a successful ruler of Egypt because of her convincing concept of being a divine king, upholding Maat and having many building and trading achievements. Through these things Hatshepsut was able to fulfil her role of Pharaoh to the Egyptians.
To begin with, Hatshepsut believed to be of divine birth making her a divine king, and so the rest of Egypt was convinced that she was. In ancient Egypt the concept of divine kingship was one that was not taken frivolously, it was one of the major aspects of being a Pharaoh. Thus Hatshepsut claimed to be the offspring of a god, to convince people of her divine status and achieve a peaceful reign. The inscription on the walls in the tombs stated that her father Thutmose I was the physical son of Amun the god who then impregnated her mother therefore making Hatshepsut the daughter of god (Hatshepsut Biography, 2010-14). Archaeologist Zahi Hawass who helped discover Hatshepsut’s mummy stated that there paintings on the walls also revealed that Hatshepsut had claimed to be the intended successor to her father. Hatshepsut said Amun the god had regarded her saying “This is my daughter Hatshepsut who lives, I have appointed her as my successor upon my thrown assuredly it is she who shall sit upon my wonderful seat” (The complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, 2004). This claim made her to be taken seriously as a divine ruler and allowed the people of Egypt to accept her into the role of Pharaoh easily. When her husband Thutmose II died, his son Thutmose III was next in line to rule but