eviously held by any female in Egypt, unless it were Net-akret
(Nitocris). Women in Egypt had been, it is true, from very early times
held in high estimation, were their husbands' companions, not their
playthings or their slaves, appeared freely in public, and enjoyed much
liberty of action. One of the ancient mythical monarchs, of the time
before Sneferu, is said to have passed a law permitting them to exercise
the sovereign authority. Nitocris of the sixth dynasty of Manetho ruled,
apparently, as sole queen; and Sabak-nefru-ra of the twelfth, the wife
of Amenemhat IV., reigned for some years conjointly with her husband.
Hatasu's position was intermediate between these. Her father had left
behind him two sons, as well as a daughter; and the elder of these,
according to Egyptian law, succeeded him. He reigned as
Thothmes-nefer-shau, and is known to moderns as Thothmes the Second. He
was, however, a mere youth, of a weak and amiable temper; while Hatasu,
his senior by some years, was a woman of great energy and of a masculine
mind, clever, enterprizing, vindictive, and unscrupulous. The contrast
of their portrait busts is remarkable, and gives a fair indication of
the character of each of them. Thothmes has the appearance of a soft and
yielding boy: he has a languishing eye, a short upper lip, a sensuous
mouth and chin. Hatasu looks the Amazon: she holds her head erect, has a
bold aquiline nose, a firmly-set mouth, and a chin that projects
considerably, giving her an indescribable air of vigour and resolution.
The effect is increased, no doubt, by her having attached to it the male
appendage of an artificial beard; but even apart from this, her face
would be a strong one, expressive of firmness, pride, and decision. It
is thought that she contracted a marriage with her brother, such unions
being admissible by the Egyptian marriage law, and not infrequent among
the Pharaohs, whether of the earlier or the later dynasties. In any
case, it is certain that she took the direction of affairs under his
reign, reducing him to a cipher, and making her influence paramount in
every department of the government.

[Illustration: HEAD OF THOTHMES II.]

[Illustration: HEAD OF HATASU.]

At this period of her life the ambition of Queen Hatasu was to hand her
name down to posterity as a constructor of buildings. She made many
additions to the old temple of Ammon at Karnak; and she also built at
Medinet Abou, in the vicinity of Thebes, a