07.16.07
Big news I missed
The first royal mummy found since Tutankhamun/Tutankhaten has been identified as Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut was the most powerful female in Egyptian history, the only Egyptian queen to take the title of Pharaoh. As such, she wore the ceremonial garb of pharaohs, including the fake beard and the combined crown. I find it incredibly disingenuous that every article I’ve seen on the subject has contained some variation on this theme:
The mummy was identified as Queen Hatshepsut, who ruled for 20 years in the 15th century B.C., dressing like a man and wearing a fake beard.
I doubt the Egyptian people thought that Hatshepsut was male. Why our news reporters feel compelled to reach back through history and pick on the appearance of the queen of Egypt instead of discussing her reign is beyond me.
This is the HEADLINE of the Yahoo! article:
Mummy Reveals Egyptian Queen Was Fat, Balding and Bearded
Wow.