0:00:08 > 0:00:14Ancient Egypt, a rich history that lasted for over 6,000 years.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21The lives and deaths of its leading characters still fascinate us today.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28We come to museums like this one
0:00:28 > 0:00:32to get a real sense of the grandeur of Ancient Egypt.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Monumental statues to monumental men.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37But when we start to look around at the faces here,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40they are just that...men,
0:00:40 > 0:00:42so where are all the women of Ancient Egypt?
0:00:42 > 0:00:47Well, of course, the most famous is Cleopatra The Great.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49But then we have to go from the sublime to the ridiculous,
0:00:49 > 0:00:51from the monumental to the tiny
0:00:51 > 0:00:56because most of the images we have of the great women are in coin form,
0:00:56 > 0:00:59but what about all the great women who came before Cleopatra?
0:00:59 > 0:01:01I want to find out who they were.
0:01:03 > 0:01:04If you know where to look,
0:01:04 > 0:01:10the story of Ancient Egypt is also the story of extraordinary women,
0:01:10 > 0:01:14who left behind an extraordinary legacy.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16There she is,
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Arsinoe, pharaoh, the goddess.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Ancient Egypt was a society
0:01:22 > 0:01:26in which women had more rights than anywhere else in the ancient world.
0:01:28 > 0:01:33And I'm going to be looking at four of my favourite women of power.
0:01:33 > 0:01:34Each one, a trailblazer,
0:01:34 > 0:01:38who, in different ways, paved the way for the rest.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43The Venerated mother.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45It might look like a hole in the ground,
0:01:45 > 0:01:46but this is where it all began.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50The powerful leader.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Look at me. I am a pharaoh.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57The perfect diplomat.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02Not only beautiful, this woman was pretty clever too.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06And Cleopatra's globally-minded role model.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09She knew that knowledge really was power.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Together, they created a legacy of female authority
0:02:13 > 0:02:16that would influence not only Cleopatra,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18but generations to come.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21These women were incredible role models to all of us,
0:02:21 > 0:02:22even in the modern world.
0:02:25 > 0:02:26And by telling their story,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30I'll be taking a fresh look at this great civilisation
0:02:30 > 0:02:34through the eyes of the 'other' half of Ancient Egypt...
0:02:34 > 0:02:35its women.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51Now to understand the women of Ancient Egypt,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54we need to go right back to the beginning.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56To the Egyptians own story of creation.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01A story that gave its female characters
0:03:01 > 0:03:04unparalleled powers and status.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Powers inherited from the very gods themselves.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Now the ancient Egyptians had countless versions
0:03:26 > 0:03:28of the creation story,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31but most of them centred on their very distinctive environment
0:03:31 > 0:03:35and the life-giving waters of the wonderful River Nile.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40Now, in essence, what these creation myths tried to suggest
0:03:40 > 0:03:44was that all life had started from these waters of creation
0:03:44 > 0:03:48from which the great sun, the source of all life, had first emerged
0:03:48 > 0:03:54to create the deities. The multitude of Egyptian deities male and female,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57no less important and just as numerous as each other.
0:03:57 > 0:04:04The most famous of these was the great goddess Isis and Osiris,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08brother-sister gods, who were also husband and wife.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Now, according to the ancient Egyptians,
0:04:11 > 0:04:13unlike most ancient cultures,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16it was Isis who was the active, dominant partner
0:04:16 > 0:04:20whereas Osiris was a rather passive fellow.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23In fact, he was killed off early on in the story.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Poor Osiris.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27The only power in the universe strong enough
0:04:27 > 0:04:30to bring him back to life and resurrect him
0:04:30 > 0:04:31was his great sister Isis,
0:04:31 > 0:04:36who brought to bear all her great magic to resurrect him from the dead
0:04:36 > 0:04:40and from this pair, so began all human kind.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Such stories of Isis, this powerful mythical woman,
0:04:49 > 0:04:52are in many ways key to understanding
0:04:52 > 0:04:56how women had such prominence in Egyptian life.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59For Isis was venerated as a divine mother figure.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07And the first real woman I'm going in search of gained her own power
0:05:07 > 0:05:08and prestige as a mother.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16She lived in the early time of the pharaohs, known as the Old Kingdom,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19more than 4,500 years ago...
0:05:21 > 0:05:24..and her name was Hetepheres.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48For the ancient Egyptians,
0:05:48 > 0:05:52death was simply a transition to the afterlife
0:05:52 > 0:05:54into which the soul would need to be reborn.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00And to house their souls as well as their bodies,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03the Egyptian elite built ever-more elaborate tombs.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09The most spectacular such tomb is the Great Pyramid of Giza,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12final resting place of the powerful Old Kingdom leader...
0:06:12 > 0:06:13Pharaoh Khufu.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Everybody comes to Egypt to see these.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23And they are very big. They are very grand and they are very imposing,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27but I am here today to see something even more interesting,
0:06:27 > 0:06:28just over there.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39I'm looking for the tomb of Khufu's mother, Queen Hetepheres.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41For as mother of the King,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44it seems that Khufu wanted her to be buried close by
0:06:44 > 0:06:47to ensure his rebirth into the next world.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53So, I have come here to find the source,
0:06:53 > 0:06:57to find the origins of this whole entire site
0:06:57 > 0:06:59and it all started here.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01It might look like a hole in the ground,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03but this is where it all began.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08This is the entrance to the tomb of Hetepheres
0:07:08 > 0:07:12and I believe it was this mother's life-giving force
0:07:12 > 0:07:15that shaped this entire plateau forever.
0:07:18 > 0:07:19Now in Hetepheres' day,
0:07:19 > 0:07:23this landscape was a very special landscape.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25It was on the edge of the desert
0:07:25 > 0:07:27where the Egyptians traditionally buried their dead,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30in the land of the west, the land where the sun set.
0:07:30 > 0:07:36And yet, at her time, this entire plateau had nothing on it.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41The rest of this necropolis unfolded as a result of her tomb being here
0:07:41 > 0:07:44and it was filled with the most spectacular golden treasures.
0:07:44 > 0:07:50Because 20 metres down this steep shaft at the very bottom
0:07:50 > 0:07:55is the burial chamber and Hetepheres personal belongings covered in gold
0:07:55 > 0:07:57were found there in 1925.
0:08:07 > 0:08:13Hetepheres' tomb is the oldest, intact royal burial ever found,
0:08:13 > 0:08:17predating the tomb of Tutankhamen by 1,300 years.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24And all the contents of that tiny little tomb came here
0:08:24 > 0:08:27to this quiet corner of Cairo Museum.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36This is surely the ultimate in flat pack furniture.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39This is the bedroom suite, if you like,
0:08:39 > 0:08:43of the great Queen Hetepheres. It is absolutely stunning.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48We've got her bed, her silver headrest, one of her gold thrones
0:08:48 > 0:08:50and all manner of gold covered boxes.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58And among these boxes, a unique collection of jewellery was found.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01These spectacular silver bangles,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04which she would have worn up each arm.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07These are bespoke, and if you look very carefully,
0:09:07 > 0:09:10you can see they're all slightly different sizes.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12They start off quite large
0:09:12 > 0:09:16and then they get increasingly smaller towards the wrist.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18They would have fitted no-one else
0:09:18 > 0:09:21and these are kind of made to measure just to fit her,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23just to fit the great queen.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25It's absolutely extraordinary to think
0:09:25 > 0:09:27that this is 4,500 years old.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36As King Khufu's mother,
0:09:36 > 0:09:42Hetepheres was the most important woman in his life.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45So, he made sure that her tomb was filled with all the luxuries
0:09:45 > 0:09:48she would need in the afterlife.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51This fabulous gold carrying chair,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54which was given to queen Hetepheres by her son
0:09:54 > 0:09:56is a fantastic work of art.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00Her titles are inlaid in these fine, gold hieroglyphs
0:10:00 > 0:10:04down the back of the chair inlaid in this dark ebony wood.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10You can see the little figure of the bee and the plant
0:10:10 > 0:10:15and right immediately below that is the vulture and that means mother.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18'Mother of the King of upper and lower Egypt.'
0:10:18 > 0:10:22The next sign is a golden falcon.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24'Follower of Horus.'
0:10:25 > 0:10:29And then scroll right down through all these wonderful titles
0:10:29 > 0:10:32that Hetepheres held in her lifetime.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35'Overseer of the affairs of the palace.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39'She whose every command is carried out.
0:10:39 > 0:10:40'Daughter of the Gods body.'
0:10:43 > 0:10:47And the last 6 hieroglyphs gives the names Hetepheres,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50the woman herself and in the very final hieroglyph
0:10:50 > 0:10:53that's the so-called determinative,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56which shows her enthroned
0:10:56 > 0:10:59and we come face to face with the woman herself.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Being the mother of the king certainly had its perks
0:11:14 > 0:11:16and being carried around was one of them.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19For a slightly less royal ride in the desert,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21I have asked Faith and Ibrahim for help.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Now, this wonderful thing
0:11:24 > 0:11:28is a replica of Hetepheres' carrying chair and I am going to try out now.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32It really symbolises how precious this royal woman was
0:11:32 > 0:11:35that like the goddesses, she was carried around.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39She was far, far too important to merely walk across the ground.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42So, she was carried everywhere in the chair like this one.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46SHE SPEAKS IN ARABIC
0:11:47 > 0:11:52SHE GIVES INSTRUCTIONS IN ARABIC
0:11:52 > 0:11:54SHE SQUEALS AND GIGGLES
0:11:54 > 0:11:57This is so good. This is really good.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59I wouldn't like to go very far in it though.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Now, although in many ways,
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Hetepheres was the source of everything here.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34She was only ever the king's mother.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38She may have given birth to him, guided him throughout his life
0:12:38 > 0:12:41and enabled him to enter the next world,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44but she was only ever royal mother
0:12:44 > 0:12:47unlike my next mighty woman of power,
0:12:47 > 0:12:49the ultimate Egyptian pharaoh.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57Move forward over 1,000 years to my next choice.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Another great royal woman destined to become
0:13:00 > 0:13:02one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Her name was Hatshepsut.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15And although at least 15 women
0:13:15 > 0:13:18are now known to have ruled Egypt as pharaoh...
0:13:20 > 0:13:22..Hatshepsut would really make history...
0:13:24 > 0:13:27..as both the monumental builder and a royal warrior.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Although Hatshepsut was of direct royal descent,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45becoming pharaoh wasn't so straightforward
0:13:45 > 0:13:48and required some skilful, political manoeuvring.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55At the death of her husband, the reigning pharaoh,
0:13:55 > 0:13:59her stepson and heir to the throne was too young to rule.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03So, Hatshepsut ruled on his behalf and was eventually crowned king.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09But how did she hold on to her power?
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Staring down on visitors to Cairo Museum,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23her intimidating presence can still be felt.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30All pharaohs had to look the part,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33but it was especially important for a woman
0:14:33 > 0:14:36to project herself as the perfect leader.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40It's all about how you looked.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43If you looked like a pharaoh, you were a pharaoh.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45You took on the attributes of a pharaoh
0:14:45 > 0:14:48and that's exactly what Hatshepsut is doing here.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51The correct crown, the tie on false-beard
0:14:51 > 0:14:53and other parts of the regalia
0:14:53 > 0:14:55were all meant to emphasise to her subjects
0:14:55 > 0:15:00because you are looking at 95, 99% illiterate subjects.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02They couldn't read royal edicts.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04They couldn't read any sacred inscription.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06It was all about the visual
0:15:06 > 0:15:10and that is what Hatshepsut was so brilliant at doing.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13This ultimate in propaganda.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Look at me. I am a pharaoh.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Wearing a tie-on false beard
0:15:23 > 0:15:26was considered a divine attribute of the gods.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30All pharaohs had one and Hatshepsut was no exception.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37But she didn't confine such visually dazzling statements of power
0:15:37 > 0:15:39to her own appearance.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45I'm travelling to Hatshepsut's power base
0:15:45 > 0:15:47500km south of Cairo...
0:15:49 > 0:15:52..to Thebes, modern day Luxor.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02For here, Hatshepsut remodelled the landscape
0:16:02 > 0:16:05with a whole series of monumental buildings.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08The most famous, her sublime funerary temple
0:16:08 > 0:16:09at Deir el-Bahari.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Known by its most ancient name 'the most sacred of sacred places',
0:16:15 > 0:16:19the temple is one of Egypt's most spectacular buildings.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21The ultimate eternal monument.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26Now seeming to emerge from the foot of the Theban hills,
0:16:26 > 0:16:30Hatshepsut's temple is a brilliant piece of architecture.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34It's clean, geometric lines contrast stunningly well
0:16:34 > 0:16:37against the rugged rocks behind them.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40It's surely one of the most beautiful temples in Egypt
0:16:40 > 0:16:44and the most fitting place to commemorate the life
0:16:44 > 0:16:46of the great female pharaoh Hatshepsut.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56The setting of the temple is indeed awe-inspiring.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03But the reasons behind its construction
0:17:03 > 0:17:05go far beyond the aesthetic.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Now, Hatshepsut built here for three specific reasons.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Firstly, it lay directly across
0:17:16 > 0:17:19from the great temple of the state god Amun-Ra.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23Secondly, offerings could be left for her soul for eternity
0:17:23 > 0:17:26rather than disturbing the peace of her tomb
0:17:26 > 0:17:31and thirdly, this place was filled with scenes personally selected
0:17:31 > 0:17:35by Hatshepsut illustrating and emphasising
0:17:35 > 0:17:37her right to the throne.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42In short, this was a piece of permanent political propaganda.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52But Hatshepsut wasn't just a builder.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55She was also a military commander,
0:17:55 > 0:17:59twice leading campaigns herself against Egypt's enemies in Nubia.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04And some of the offerings discovered at Deir el-Bahari
0:18:04 > 0:18:07hint at Hatshepsut's military capabilities.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15She lead her troupes into battle on at least two occasions.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Texts describe her as a conqueror.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20"She who will be a conqueror, flaming against her enemies."
0:18:23 > 0:18:26This very special thing.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31It's a votive offering, presentative of an axe blade, a copper alloy
0:18:31 > 0:18:34and it's inscribed with Hatshepsut's names and titles.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36And I think, in a single object.
0:18:36 > 0:18:42it encapsulates this female pharaoh, this woman warrior.
0:18:42 > 0:18:43It's a wonderful thing.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Having proved her military skills,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Hatshepsut turned her attention
0:18:56 > 0:18:59to securing the nation's peaceful prosperity.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09She formed economic alliances
0:19:09 > 0:19:11that brought wealth into her country.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Trading with kingdoms like Punt to the south on the Red Sea coast.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Now, Hatshepsut certainly expanded Egypt's trade routes
0:19:25 > 0:19:28and initiated commerce on a large scale.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32She also reopened the very lucrative trading routes with the land of Punt
0:19:32 > 0:19:34down the Red Sea coast.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38And we can see exactly this scene behind us now.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40These are the Egyptians arriving in Punt.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43These are the Puntites coming out to meet them
0:19:43 > 0:19:46and this is the place where the commerce occurred.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50It's a small low chest on which the Egyptians have placed
0:19:50 > 0:19:54all the valuable goods, the beads, the bangles,
0:19:54 > 0:19:58the metal weaponry with which they're then going to trade
0:19:58 > 0:20:01with the Puntites for this most precious of commodities,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04that kind of red dome-shape.
0:20:04 > 0:20:09That's actually a huge pile of myrrh resin.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Myrrh and other resins were traditionally used
0:20:12 > 0:20:14in temple rituals, in mummification
0:20:14 > 0:20:18and were also key ingredients in perfume production.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24And Hatshepsut herself is known to have used fragrant myrrh oil
0:20:24 > 0:20:27rubbed into her skin to, as she puts it herself,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30"Gleam like the stars before the whole land."
0:20:30 > 0:20:33So, in the days before the modern celebrity,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Hatshepsut also had her own signature fragrance.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46The details in such scenes certainly help piece together
0:20:46 > 0:20:50how Hatshepsut managed to hold on to power for over 20 years.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57But through one intriguing object,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00I can even experience a little bit of time travel.
0:21:03 > 0:21:04That's quite amazing.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08This small alabaster vessel still has its original contents
0:21:08 > 0:21:12after almost 3,500 years.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15And her names and titles are again inscribed on the front,
0:21:15 > 0:21:17but look inside.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19It's the actual imported resin.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23This is the stuff that is referred to on the walls at Deir el-Bahari
0:21:23 > 0:21:25and here it is.
0:21:25 > 0:21:26It's amazing.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28It's as if we can smell the past.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30We can't just see it, we can't just read the words.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32It's contained in this very vessel.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55Maintaining power for over two decades of peace and prosperity,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59Hatshepsut was the most successful female monarch Egypt had yet seen.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05And she had proved beyond doubt
0:22:05 > 0:22:08that an effective leader didn't have to be a man.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31As part of Hatshepsut's master plan for posterity,
0:22:31 > 0:22:35she commissioned two pairs of pink granite obelisks at Karnak Temple.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44At almost 30 metres high,
0:22:44 > 0:22:48this one is the tallest still standing, anywhere in Egypt.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54In her own words, she tells us why she wanted to set up
0:22:54 > 0:22:59such striking monuments as a tribute to her father,
0:22:59 > 0:23:01to "the one who made me," she says.
0:23:03 > 0:23:08And by father she didn't mean her natural parent, but Amun,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11the king of the gods, to whom this whole temple is dedicated.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Their tops would have been capped with electrum,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19which is a blend of gold and silver
0:23:19 > 0:23:23and the idea is they acted as a kind of esoteric lightning rod
0:23:23 > 0:23:26to catch the very first rays of the sun at dawn
0:23:26 > 0:23:28to transmit that solar power down here,
0:23:28 > 0:23:30into the heart of Karnak Temple...
0:23:33 > 0:23:35..where it could then be re-distributed
0:23:35 > 0:23:36for the good of Egypt.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49Karnak Temple is the place where the god Amun was worshipped.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57This huge religious complex was continually expanded and embellished
0:23:57 > 0:23:58by successive rulers.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06And Hatshepsut made sure that she paid tribute to the king of the gods
0:24:06 > 0:24:07in the grandest of styles.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15This is the Red Chapel of Hatshepsut.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20This shrine was known as the 'place of the heart of Amun', the state god
0:24:20 > 0:24:24and lay at the very centre of his great temple at Karnak.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27It was kind of like a sacred garage,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30which housed the sacred barque, or boat,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33on which the god's statue stood
0:24:33 > 0:24:37and would have been paraded around in procession as we can see here
0:24:37 > 0:24:39on these wall scenes behind me.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41We can see the rows of shaven-headed priests
0:24:41 > 0:24:44bringing in the sacred barque
0:24:44 > 0:24:47on which the statue of the god is housed.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51Hidden behind these little curtains to keep him from profane eyes.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58And the barque itself has been greeted by the two co-rulers,
0:24:58 > 0:25:02the young male pharaoh - Tutmosis.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04Bringing up the ceremonial rear,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07as a kind of glorified magician's assistant,
0:25:07 > 0:25:12he's burning incense to welcome the god's arrival
0:25:12 > 0:25:16and yet, centre-stage is Hatshepsut herself.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Make no mistake, she's the most important figure here.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22She is the senior partner.
0:25:22 > 0:25:23SHE is the child of god.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Through such lavish endowments,
0:25:31 > 0:25:36Hatshepsut was demonstrating her veneration to Amun.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38And assisted by the priests,
0:25:38 > 0:25:40the pharaoh had to personally perform
0:25:40 > 0:25:45the necessary religious ceremonies to maintain cosmic order.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49And this is where Hatshepsut herself would have stood
0:25:49 > 0:25:52to perform the sacred rites before the god,
0:25:52 > 0:25:57presenting the offerings and pouring the sacred water
0:25:57 > 0:26:00all around the god statue.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Of course, Hatshepsut would have used a golden vessel
0:26:03 > 0:26:05and we have a rusty, old bucket,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07but it gives you an idea of what would have occurred.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15With the sacred water channelled out and beyond the chapel,
0:26:15 > 0:26:19the god's protection spread throughout the entire land
0:26:19 > 0:26:21and beyond.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27For Hatshepsut wished to be "eternal like an undying star"
0:26:27 > 0:26:31and she certainly gained a unique place in history.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37The feelings aroused by the notion of a female pharaoh
0:26:37 > 0:26:40remained so strong that, for some,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Hatshepsut's been cast as a kind of wicked step-mother figure.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Kind of a woman who dared to masquerade as a man,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49dressing up with a false beard of kingship
0:26:49 > 0:26:52and usurping the right to the throne.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56For others, however, she's a huge inspiration.
0:26:56 > 0:27:01An amazing woman, who kind of led the way for generations to come.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10Hatshepsut's reign had been a triumph
0:27:10 > 0:27:14and yet, at her death, her stepson took sole power
0:27:14 > 0:27:18and for now, female rule was over.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Leaders like Hatshepsut reveal Ancient Egypt
0:27:42 > 0:27:46as one of the most egalitarian societies of the ancient world,
0:27:46 > 0:27:50where women could achieve high-powered roles, own property,
0:27:50 > 0:27:55make business deals, earn equal pay and go to court.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59It may all sound reasonable now, but it was highly unusual back then.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08I have arranged to have tea with the academic Sahar El Mougy,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11who's written extensively about the legacy
0:28:11 > 0:28:14of these incredible ancient role models.
0:28:14 > 0:28:19Tell me, Sahar, in terms of the female rulers of Ancient Egypt,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21when you were growing up,
0:28:21 > 0:28:24was it easy to find out about them, about their legacy?
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Because I know there's very little
0:28:26 > 0:28:28in the Egyptological literature about them.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32They seemed to have been swept very much under the academic carpet.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35But what's the situation in Egypt, was it different for you?
0:28:35 > 0:28:39I grew up not knowing about those women,
0:28:39 > 0:28:43except in bits and pieces in boring history books at school.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45In the process of writing,
0:28:45 > 0:28:49I was like getting to know my mothers and grandmothers
0:28:49 > 0:28:52and that's why in my writings
0:28:52 > 0:28:57those female goddesses come back to life as inspiring figures.
0:28:57 > 0:29:02The amount of power that I received from knowing about them
0:29:02 > 0:29:05through my own eyes, it was immense.
0:29:05 > 0:29:11It was magical. It was like, "Wow! This is where I come from."
0:29:23 > 0:29:27It must be said female pharaohs were quite a rarity
0:29:27 > 0:29:29and by the 19th dynasty,
0:29:29 > 0:29:34a new regime of ex-military men from the north had taken power in Egypt.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37Men were now very much in control
0:29:37 > 0:29:40and the royal women had to find other tactics.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49Around 150 years after the death of Hatshepsut,
0:29:49 > 0:29:53my next woman used diplomatic skills to assert herself
0:29:53 > 0:29:55at the heart of Egyptian politics.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01Her name was Nefertari.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07Meaning 'the loveliest one of all',
0:30:07 > 0:30:10Nefertari was not only beautiful,
0:30:10 > 0:30:14she was also one of Egypt's most gifted queen consorts.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25As a very young woman, Nefertari had married a prince,
0:30:25 > 0:30:29who would become one of Egypt's most famous pharaohs...
0:30:31 > 0:30:33..Ramses II.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42And it's quite impossible to go anywhere in Egypt
0:30:42 > 0:30:44without bumping into him.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47For he ruled longer, built bigger
0:30:47 > 0:30:51and certainly boasted more than almost any other pharaoh.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57In ancient Egypt, size is everything.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00And Ramses himself has accurately been described
0:31:00 > 0:31:02as the giant planet Jupiter,
0:31:02 > 0:31:06Brilliant at a distance, but essentially a ball of gas.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13And this really cuts to the heart of his policy
0:31:13 > 0:31:17of quantity over quality, the bigger the better
0:31:17 > 0:31:19and this is wonderfully expressed by this statue here.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23We can see Ramses' on a colossal scale
0:31:23 > 0:31:25while even his favourite wife, Nefertari,
0:31:25 > 0:31:29clutches at the back of his leg not even as high as his knee!
0:31:32 > 0:31:34So, in order to find out more about her,
0:31:34 > 0:31:37we have to travel beyond Egypt's traditional boundaries.
0:31:49 > 0:31:54So I'm going 400km south to tell a different side of this story.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56To the temple of Abu Simbel.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05As one of the most monumental examples of pharaonic might,
0:32:05 > 0:32:08it was built on the border with volatile Nubia
0:32:08 > 0:32:11and was designed to strike fear and respect into all
0:32:11 > 0:32:14who sailed past along the Nile toward Egypt.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25This is the temple of Abu Simbel
0:32:25 > 0:32:28built by Ramses II during his 67th year reign.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30And it's typical of the man.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32It's massive,
0:32:32 > 0:32:36it's monumental
0:32:36 > 0:32:38and yet, it's only one of the temples at Abu Simbel.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40In short, it's only half the story.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48The story I'm really interested in is next door...
0:32:51 > 0:32:56..within a temple dedicated, for once, not to Ramses,
0:32:56 > 0:32:57but to his wife.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45And here she is, the great Queen Nefertari
0:33:45 > 0:33:48standing a colossal 33 feet tall.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50If you look very carefully,
0:33:50 > 0:33:52you'll see she is just that little bit taller
0:33:52 > 0:33:54than her famous husband Ramses II
0:33:54 > 0:33:57because of the tall, feather crown she is wearing.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03Built to make a statement,
0:34:03 > 0:34:07the temples towering size, conveyed a strategic, political message
0:34:07 > 0:34:10that puts Nefertari at the heart of power.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15And so, for Ramses to erect these massive statues of his wife,
0:34:15 > 0:34:19he's really bringing into play every force at his disposal,
0:34:19 > 0:34:22including the good lady wife,
0:34:22 > 0:34:25the little woman at home, quite literally,
0:34:25 > 0:34:30but out here in Nubia, in the wiles of this desert landscape,
0:34:30 > 0:34:32these volatile tribes people,
0:34:32 > 0:34:36he needed her help and she was a very potent force.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38Her colossal, striking image
0:34:38 > 0:34:41reveals that Nefertari was the ultimate trophy wife.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45THEY SPEAK IN ARABIC
0:34:50 > 0:34:52In the interior of her temple,
0:34:52 > 0:34:54Nefertari appears in a variety of scenes,
0:34:54 > 0:34:57performing a series of sacred rights.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00Taking an active role next to her husband.
0:35:05 > 0:35:06She's got her arms raised.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09She's encouraging her royal husband Ramses,
0:35:09 > 0:35:12who's in that classic pose of an Egyptian pharaoh,
0:35:12 > 0:35:14smiting the enemy.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16Basically, this is a state execution.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21They cower at his feet.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24He holds them by the top of the head with the hair
0:35:24 > 0:35:26and once they're in that position,
0:35:26 > 0:35:29he brings the weapon down on their head,
0:35:29 > 0:35:30literally bashes out their brains.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37And all the while, Nefertari on the sidelines
0:35:37 > 0:35:40as a kind of royal cheerleader, if you like.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44Two sides of the same coin,
0:35:44 > 0:35:47but of no less value than a husband.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49It's a very, very potent scene.
0:35:53 > 0:35:58There is definitely no doubt that this was a royal double act.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07Egyptologist and Abu Simbel director Dr Ahmed Saleh
0:36:07 > 0:36:11has spent many years studying the images within both these temples.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16Is there enough information in the evidence we have
0:36:16 > 0:36:20to try and get an understanding of what they were like as a couple?
0:36:20 > 0:36:22He loved her very much.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25He married her before he ascended to the throne.
0:36:25 > 0:36:29That means he had fallen in love with Nefertari.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32She accompanied him like a deputy.
0:36:34 > 0:36:38Yet, it seems that when Nefertari sailed this far south,
0:36:38 > 0:36:40her health was fading fast.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46The sad story here is Nefertari didn't see her temple.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49She was sick. She stayed in the boat,
0:36:49 > 0:36:53maybe she can see the statues of her outside,
0:36:53 > 0:36:56but she didn't come inside her temple.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59What a shame she could only view the exterior,
0:36:59 > 0:37:01at least she saw her statues.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03- This is a sad story. - It is a sad story.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06I think this is the last time of Nefertari.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10This is... We're talking about the 24th year of his reign.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14This is the last year of Nefertari,
0:37:14 > 0:37:16because when she goes back to Thebes,
0:37:16 > 0:37:19I think, she died and she buried there.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42I'm travelling back north to get inside Nefertari's tomb.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46The place where I can find more evidence of the woman herself.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57Located in the Valley of the Queens,
0:37:57 > 0:38:01its scenes are so delicate that access is limited.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04I have just been given permission
0:38:04 > 0:38:06to personally unlock the tomb of Nefertari,
0:38:06 > 0:38:10the great royal wife of Ramses II and I am really excited
0:38:10 > 0:38:13cos this is an absolute gem of a tomb.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16I have only ever seen it once before when I was much younger,
0:38:16 > 0:38:18so this is going to be a rare treat.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21That is a big key.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23SHE GASPS
0:38:24 > 0:38:26Oh, my word!
0:38:29 > 0:38:30Wow!
0:38:32 > 0:38:33Oh, wow! Oh, wow!
0:38:38 > 0:38:40Covering 520 square metres,
0:38:40 > 0:38:44its brilliant jewel-like images vividly depict her journey
0:38:44 > 0:38:46into the hereafter.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54The scenes just continue one after another, after another.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56There's nothing here left to chance.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00Nothing's thrown in simply as a little bit of pretty decoration.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02It's like a machine functioning
0:39:02 > 0:39:05to keep Nefertari's soul alive in the next world.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14Great attention was given to her appearance.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17Her eyes and eyebrows outlined in black,
0:39:17 > 0:39:20a subtle, red colour on her cheeks and lips
0:39:20 > 0:39:24and the most exquisite golden jewellery adorning her.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27Nefertari, the loveliest of all.
0:39:27 > 0:39:33Her name implies incredible beauty and she really lives up to this...
0:39:33 > 0:39:35this name that she has.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37She is the ultimate high-maintenance woman.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44She was certainly beautiful,
0:39:44 > 0:39:50but one particular wall scene shows Nefertari in the company of Thoth,
0:39:50 > 0:39:54the god of knowledge and literacy, who was selected for a reason.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59We come to this wonderful scene,
0:39:59 > 0:40:04which really ties in to what we know about Nefertari in life.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07Nefertari's chosen to have the weighing of the heart,
0:40:07 > 0:40:09the judgment of the dead scene,
0:40:09 > 0:40:12from the Book Of The Dead, written out,
0:40:12 > 0:40:15but illustrated in a rather unique manner
0:40:15 > 0:40:17because here she is.
0:40:18 > 0:40:23She's having herself in the guise of the deity of Thoth,
0:40:23 > 0:40:27the ibis-headed god of literacy and writing.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30And the emphasis on writing can be seen on the scribble palette,
0:40:30 > 0:40:34which stands between Nefertari and the god Thoth
0:40:34 > 0:40:37and there she's presenting herself before Thoth.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41She says, "I am a scribe. I am a scribe."
0:40:41 > 0:40:43That's quite an emphatic statement.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47Not only beautiful, this woman was pretty clever too.
0:40:50 > 0:40:51As a royal wife,
0:40:51 > 0:40:55she would, of course, have had scribes to write on her behalf,
0:40:55 > 0:40:58but being able to read and write hieroglyphs
0:40:58 > 0:41:02was then regarded as the ultimate in academic achievement.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05And Nefertari made sure that her credentials
0:41:05 > 0:41:08would be clearly portrayed for posterity.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29Being the wife of such a domineering husband
0:41:29 > 0:41:32would also have required a considerable amount
0:41:32 > 0:41:34of gentle persuasion and soft power.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40Skills best shown in diplomatic correspondence exchanged
0:41:40 > 0:41:44with Egypt's great rivals, the Hittites of Anatolia,
0:41:44 > 0:41:45in modern Turkey.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48Nefertari is known to have corresponded
0:41:48 > 0:41:51with her opposite number in the Hittites heartland,
0:41:51 > 0:41:54the great Queen Puduhepa
0:41:54 > 0:41:59and it's amazing that one of these very letters has actually survived.
0:41:59 > 0:42:04Nefertari would have composed her own letter in the Egyptian language
0:42:04 > 0:42:09and then a bilingual scribe would have translated it into cuneiform,
0:42:09 > 0:42:13and then embossed it on small clay tablets.
0:42:13 > 0:42:19This is the exact letter that Nefertari wrote to Puduhepa.
0:42:19 > 0:42:24It's obviously a replica, but it really gives a flavour
0:42:24 > 0:42:27of the very words of our great royal wife Nefertari.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30It's full of warmth, full of sisterly felicitations.
0:42:33 > 0:42:39"To my sister Puduhepa, Great Queen of the Hittites,
0:42:39 > 0:42:42"May the Sun god of Egypt and the Storm god of the Hittites
0:42:42 > 0:42:45"bring you joy
0:42:45 > 0:42:48"and may the Sun god make the peace good forever."
0:42:50 > 0:42:54And at the very end, there's this very touching reference
0:42:54 > 0:42:58to the greetings gift she is sending the Hittite Queen.
0:42:59 > 0:43:03"I've sent you a greeting gift, my sister,
0:43:03 > 0:43:07"for your neck a necklace of pure gold,
0:43:07 > 0:43:09"and some coloured linen to make a royal robe
0:43:09 > 0:43:11"for your husband, the king."
0:43:15 > 0:43:19Sending such greeting gifts to the monarchs with whom you corresponded
0:43:19 > 0:43:23played a crucial role in the diplomacy of the ancient world.
0:43:25 > 0:43:30If we actually look at Nefertari's ear,
0:43:30 > 0:43:33we can see something which encapsulates this idea.
0:43:33 > 0:43:35Because regardless of all the gold,
0:43:35 > 0:43:38all the Egyptian royals were dripping in gold.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40Everybody knew that gold was as common as dust in Egypt,
0:43:40 > 0:43:44'you only have to pick it up,' wrote the ancient correspondents,
0:43:44 > 0:43:49but in Nefertari's ear is a silver earring of far more value.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51Not only that, it isn't even an Egyptian earring.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54It's a style of Greek earring
0:43:54 > 0:43:58because these silver pieces of jewellery were sent to Nefertari
0:43:58 > 0:44:03from the Aegean area, so in faraway Greece they knew about Nefertari
0:44:03 > 0:44:05and these earrings were sent to her
0:44:05 > 0:44:08and she wore them with great pride throughout her life.
0:44:08 > 0:44:12So there is rather more to this jewellery and frocks business
0:44:12 > 0:44:13than at first meets the eye.
0:44:20 > 0:44:22Amidst such jewelled splendour,
0:44:22 > 0:44:25Nefertari was finally laid to rest in the manner
0:44:25 > 0:44:26in which she had lived,
0:44:26 > 0:44:30in the most spectacular tomb in the whole of Egypt.
0:44:33 > 0:44:35I think one of the things that strikes you more emphatically
0:44:35 > 0:44:39when you catch your breath and calm down
0:44:39 > 0:44:41and start looking at these scenes in a more logical
0:44:41 > 0:44:44rather than emotional way,
0:44:44 > 0:44:48you suddenly realise that Nefertari's husband's not here -
0:44:48 > 0:44:52the great Ramses is nowhere present.
0:44:52 > 0:44:57He's on every temple throughout Egypt. He's everywhere
0:44:57 > 0:45:01and yet, here, in his wife's last resting place,
0:45:01 > 0:45:03there isn't a single image of him.
0:45:05 > 0:45:09Now, of course, Egyptologists have postulated many theories
0:45:09 > 0:45:13about why the great Ramses wasn't actually portrayed
0:45:13 > 0:45:15in his wife's tomb.
0:45:15 > 0:45:19I, personally, prefer to think that she herself thought,
0:45:19 > 0:45:21"Well, I've lived with him for so many years and...
0:45:21 > 0:45:24"in the next world, it'd be wonderful
0:45:24 > 0:45:26"not to have to listen to him forever."
0:45:29 > 0:45:31But whatever the real reason,
0:45:31 > 0:45:35there's no doubting the importance and influence of Nefertari
0:45:35 > 0:45:38as queen of one of Egypt's best known pharaohs.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47Yet, despite Nefertari's best diplomatic efforts,
0:45:47 > 0:45:51Egypt's political fortunes were soon in sharp decline.
0:45:51 > 0:45:53Amidst rampant inflation and official corruption,
0:45:53 > 0:45:56a long series of ephemeral rulers
0:45:56 > 0:46:00proved completely incapable of defending Egypt's borders
0:46:00 > 0:46:02from wave after wave of foreign invaders
0:46:02 > 0:46:05throughout the first millennium BC.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09And the most successful of these were the Macedonian Ptolemies,
0:46:09 > 0:46:11who would change Egypt's fortunes forever.
0:46:21 > 0:46:23900 years after Nefertari,
0:46:23 > 0:46:26a new era in Egypt's history
0:46:26 > 0:46:29produced the first female pharaoh of the Ptolemies -
0:46:29 > 0:46:30Arsinoe.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39She capitalised on the success of the women rulers
0:46:39 > 0:46:41who'd gone before her.
0:46:48 > 0:46:52Arsinoe was able to bring together two worlds,
0:46:52 > 0:46:54the Egyptian and the Greek,
0:46:54 > 0:47:00building on a legacy inherited from the most famous Greek of them all -
0:47:00 > 0:47:02Alexander the Great.
0:47:09 > 0:47:12Everybody has heard of Alexander the Great,
0:47:12 > 0:47:15who invaded Egypt in 332 BC
0:47:15 > 0:47:19and was crowned pharaoh as shown in repeated scenes here.
0:47:21 > 0:47:26Alexander was then succeeded by his rumoured half-brother Ptolemy,
0:47:26 > 0:47:28whose dynasty then went on to rule Egypt
0:47:28 > 0:47:31for the last three centuries BC.
0:47:31 > 0:47:36Ptolemy, in turn, was succeeded by his extraordinary daughter Arsinoe,
0:47:36 > 0:47:40whose spectacular achievements were very consciously modelled
0:47:40 > 0:47:41on those of uncle Alexander.
0:47:44 > 0:47:48Born in Egypt, the teenage Arsinoe was sent to Greece
0:47:48 > 0:47:50for an arranged royal marriage.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58Then, at the death of her husband, the king
0:47:58 > 0:48:03and a second disastrous marriage, she fled for her life back to Egypt.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09But having acquired a taste for power,
0:48:09 > 0:48:13Arsinoe persuaded her younger brother, the pharaoh, to marry her.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16He would be her route to the crown.
0:48:18 > 0:48:22In one move, Arsinoe became ruler of two worlds -
0:48:22 > 0:48:24Egypt and the Greek Mediterranean.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35Through her international connections,
0:48:35 > 0:48:39Arsinoe brought more prosperity, knowledge and wealth
0:48:39 > 0:48:42into Egypt than almost any other ruler before her.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48The bronze figure is all very interesting
0:48:48 > 0:48:50because you have Arsinoe
0:48:50 > 0:48:52almost giving the queenly wave, if you like,
0:48:52 > 0:48:54a very regal posture she's striking,
0:48:54 > 0:48:57but look what she's carrying in her left arm.
0:48:57 > 0:48:58It's a cornucopia,
0:48:58 > 0:49:01which is a kind of Greek-pointed vessel,
0:49:01 > 0:49:05but within it, all the bounty, the fruits, the flowers,
0:49:05 > 0:49:07the wealth of Egypt
0:49:07 > 0:49:10and there isn't just one cornucopia, but two.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12She is bringing double the amount
0:49:12 > 0:49:14that anyone else can possibly bring.
0:49:28 > 0:49:33Arsinoe spent much of this fortune in the new royal capital Alexandria,
0:49:33 > 0:49:36where her opulent lifestyle was sustained
0:49:36 > 0:49:39by a continuous flow of exotic imports
0:49:39 > 0:49:42from as far afield as India and even further east.
0:49:44 > 0:49:49And as goods like ivory, silk and jewels poured into the country,
0:49:49 > 0:49:51the rest of the population thrived too,
0:49:51 > 0:49:55as Egypt became the greatest marketplace on earth.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57SHE SPEAKS IN ARABIC
0:49:57 > 0:49:59Yeah, hello.
0:50:18 > 0:50:19Let's try this one.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22SHE SPEAKS IN ARABIC
0:50:22 > 0:50:25I'm looking for some fabric.
0:50:25 > 0:50:26Oh, that's beautiful.
0:50:28 > 0:50:30How much?
0:50:30 > 0:50:31HE SPEAKS IN ARABIC
0:50:31 > 0:50:35Fixed price. OK! Well, that's good.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38So, with commerce operating on such a vast scale,
0:50:38 > 0:50:42Arsinoe and her brother set up a sophisticated bureaucracy
0:50:42 > 0:50:47to manage the staggering wealth circulating within their empire.
0:50:49 > 0:50:54Now, coinage, finance, plays a huge part in Arsinoe's story.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57She was an extraordinary woman.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00She had huge personal fortune
0:51:00 > 0:51:03and her financial acumen was very much focused
0:51:03 > 0:51:05on Egypt's own finances.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07She and her brother-husband Ptolemy
0:51:07 > 0:51:12created a kind of doomsday style inventory of all Egypt's assets.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15She created royal monopolies on absolutely everything
0:51:15 > 0:51:19making sure that finance flowed directly into the royal house
0:51:19 > 0:51:22and in Ancient Egypt previously barter economy,
0:51:22 > 0:51:25coinage played a crucial role.
0:51:25 > 0:51:31It became increasingly common as a means of financial transactions.
0:51:31 > 0:51:34Pretty much, it was the beginning of capitalism.
0:51:39 > 0:51:44Under Arsinoe, Egypt was once again a land of plenty and wealth.
0:51:45 > 0:51:48And yet, her coins had another very useful purpose
0:51:48 > 0:51:52as a means of circulating her agenda.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55This coin shows Arsinoe wearing the Greek diadem crown
0:51:55 > 0:52:00and a veil over carefully styled hair pulled back into a bun.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03At first appearance the epitome of a standard Greek queen.
0:52:06 > 0:52:11This is the perfect portrait of an elite Greek matron.
0:52:11 > 0:52:15Very respectable looking, very well coifed, very well dressed
0:52:15 > 0:52:18and yet, if you look really, really closely
0:52:18 > 0:52:20just poking out in front of her ear,
0:52:20 > 0:52:23just looks like a very tasteful little earring,
0:52:23 > 0:52:25but it's actually a ram's horn.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28It's the ram's horns of Alexander The Great.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31Arsinoe is using this very, very subtle device to say,
0:52:31 > 0:52:34"I am the successor of the Great Alexander."
0:52:40 > 0:52:44As his successor, Arsinoe built on the legacy of Alexander,
0:52:44 > 0:52:48whose emblems were the ram's horns of Egypt's state god Amun.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54And so, by adopting this symbol herself,
0:52:54 > 0:52:57Arsinoe was tapping into an ancient force.
0:52:57 > 0:53:01This single, subtle image confirming her place
0:53:01 > 0:53:03as the ruler of two worlds.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20Almost 200km south of Luxor, a remarkable site
0:53:20 > 0:53:22on an island in the middle of the Nile
0:53:22 > 0:53:26gives a real sense of the power at Arsinoe's disposal.
0:53:40 > 0:53:44Now, we know that every temple in Egypt house statues of Arsinoe
0:53:44 > 0:53:47as the resident goddess alongside their traditional deities.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00But at Philae,
0:54:00 > 0:54:04she was also worshipped as the equivalent of Isis herself,
0:54:04 > 0:54:06the mother of all gods.
0:54:11 > 0:54:15Philae Temple has rightly been dubbed the pearl of the Nile.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18It was the cult centre of the great goddess Isis,
0:54:18 > 0:54:21and in many ways, it was kind of an outpost
0:54:21 > 0:54:25both in terms of its southerly geographical location
0:54:25 > 0:54:28and that this was the very last place in Egypt
0:54:28 > 0:54:30where the ancient gods were worshipped
0:54:30 > 0:54:32as late as the 6th century AD,
0:54:32 > 0:54:35but not only was Isis worshipped here,
0:54:35 > 0:54:39Arsinoe, too, was the resident goddess.
0:54:39 > 0:54:44In fact, it was through the international influence of Arsinoe
0:54:44 > 0:54:46that Isis goes global.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54Arsinoe's desire to be seen as the active goddess Isis
0:54:54 > 0:54:57sent a very clear message to her subjects.
0:55:03 > 0:55:06She had certainly played a fundamental role in shaping Egypt
0:55:06 > 0:55:10both at home and abroad.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13But Arsinoe's many achievements were only possible
0:55:13 > 0:55:16because of the countless generations of incredible women
0:55:16 > 0:55:18who had gone before her.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20And it's in one specific image,
0:55:20 > 0:55:23she paid permanent tribute to all of them.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26Follow me, this way.
0:55:26 > 0:55:32There she is, Arsinoe, Pharaoh, the goddess.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35She's got all her regalia on,
0:55:35 > 0:55:38that emphasises just how much power this woman has.
0:55:38 > 0:55:42And it's the crown, the focus of so much recent research,
0:55:42 > 0:55:44that can tell us so much.
0:55:44 > 0:55:48We can even deconstruct it to tell Arsinoe's full story.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51If we start with this crown.
0:55:51 > 0:55:52This is the red crown.
0:55:52 > 0:55:56It represents northern Egypt and very much embodies the idea
0:55:56 > 0:55:59that Arsinoe ruled form the royal capital Alexandria
0:55:59 > 0:56:02on Egypt's northern coastline.
0:56:02 > 0:56:06Next of all, we have the two tall feathers at the top
0:56:06 > 0:56:12and the cow's horns as worn by the great royal wife Nefertari,
0:56:12 > 0:56:14wife of Ramses II.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17And then we move on to the twisted ram's horns,
0:56:17 > 0:56:20of course, various forms of ram's horns are associated
0:56:20 > 0:56:23with the great state god Amun-Ra,
0:56:23 > 0:56:26a favourite deity of Hatshepsut.
0:56:26 > 0:56:31And finally, at the very heart of this very special crown,
0:56:31 > 0:56:36the sun disk, the great creator of all life.
0:56:36 > 0:56:39Takes us right back to the pyramid age and Hetepheres,
0:56:39 > 0:56:41the queen mother.
0:56:41 > 0:56:45So, by taking on this crown, Arsinoe is telling us
0:56:45 > 0:56:51she's taking on the accumulated powers of all these great women,
0:56:51 > 0:56:55who were in power in Egypt from so many centuries before her.
0:56:55 > 0:56:57It's a wonderful thing.
0:57:11 > 0:57:15With this crown later adopted by the great Cleopatra herself,
0:57:15 > 0:57:18these incredible women had been her guides
0:57:18 > 0:57:22as she extended Egypt's power across so much of the ancient world.
0:57:41 > 0:57:45Now, I must say, this journey for me has been an incredibly opportunity
0:57:45 > 0:57:50to engage with Ancient Egypt in a new and very fresh way.
0:57:50 > 0:57:54It's allowed me to investigate the lives of some incredible people,
0:57:54 > 0:57:56four amazing women.
0:57:59 > 0:58:02These women were incredible role models to all of us
0:58:02 > 0:58:03even in the modern world.
0:58:09 > 0:58:15They were lovers, mothers, queens, goddesses and pharaohs.
0:58:15 > 0:58:18They were incredibly strong. They were incredibly capable
0:58:18 > 0:58:23and they underpinned the whole of this fantastic ancient civilisation.