This talk was given by Dr Filip Taterka at the June 2026 meeting of the Essex Egyptology Group.
Event information
One of the most controversial issues regarding Hatshepsut’s reign is her alleged romantic relationship with her chief courtier Senenmut. A great number of privileges, often unparalleled in nature, that were granted to the latter by the female king were often seen as a proof that Senenmut was not only Hatshepsut’s chief advisor and counsellor, but also her lover. Some scholars have even gone as far as to suggest that Senenmut was the (real) father of Hatshepsut’s child(ren). In this lecture we will try to re-analyse the sources from both historical and methodological points of view in order to show that the romance hypothesis does not withstand criticism as it seems to be based on some unfounded assumptions, which ultimately go back to the 19th- and early 20th-century prejudices about women and their roles in society.