The Temple of Deir El Bahari. Introductory Memoir by Edouard
Neville, D.Litt. (Kegan Paul, Trench, and Co.)—M. Neville tells us in this Memoir (the twelfth of the series published by the Egypt Exploration Fund) about the previous efforts to explore the great temple, and gives us some hints about the discoveries which are now in process of being made. The fuller account is reserved until such time when the exploration shall have been completed. Meanwhile, the information which we possess about Queen Hatshepsu (otherwise Hatasu's), certainly one of the most interesting figures in Egyptian history is increased. The genealogy hitherto accepted is corrected. It has been commonly stated that Thothmes II. and Thothmes III. were brothers, that Hatehepsu was the wife and half-sister of Thothmes II., and the guardian of Thothmes III. We have now to regard Thothmes III. as the son of Thothmes II. by an inferior wife (Isis), and to intro-
duce a second Hatshepsu, daughter of the first and wife of Tbothmes III. The practice of marrying haltsisters, familiar to us from the history of the Ptolemies, was of great antiquity in Egypt. Various particulars about the Queen and her great naval expedition to the land of Punt are given. Among the illus- trative plates are representations of scenes in the expedition, and a portrait of the Queen in male attire. The portraits of her father, Thothmes, and her mother, Aahmes, are worthy of notice.
Previous page
