Scientists reveal face of Egypt’s forgotten female Pharoah in huge breakthrough

Scientists believe they've worked out why statues of one of Egypt's most overlooked rulers were destroyed - and even reconstructed them to unveil the visage of the historic pharaoh. Hatshepsut was the sixth pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's Eighteenth Dynasty, and she was thought to have been born between 1505–1458 BC and died in 1458BC.

A historic figure, she became only the second confirmed female to rule the ancient civilisation in her own right. She had initially functioned as regent, running the country with others until her young stepson Thutmose II was old enough to rule.

This was a recognised practice in Ancient Egypt, but she then made the controversial move of taking power for herself, taking on the title of pharaoh and adopting the full royal titulary.

She still nominally co-ruled with Thutmose II, though he was effectively sidelined for the next two decades.

Her ascension to power was controversial, and she made efforts to assert her legitimacy by claiming to have been appointed by her father as his successor.

She also had herself portrayed in pictures with a male body and beard, creating a public representation similar to that of her male predecessors.

Hatshepsut's reign is regarded as a period of prosperity and relative peace at the start of Egypt's New Kingdom.

Thutmose II eventually became Pharoah following her death, and it had been thought that he was behind the destruction of many of her statues, ordering it out of resentment.

But Jun Yi Wong, an Egyptologist at the University of Toronto, believes there's a less loaded explanation.

Speaking to MailOnline, he said: "My research indicates that a large proportion of the destruction to Hatshepsut's statues was actually caused by the reuse of these statues as raw material."

He has published findings in Antiquity, with evidence indicating that many of them were damaged in a methodical way, rather than being struck in anger by the frustrated ruler.

The breaks appeared to be at weak points, like the knees, waist and neck, waist and knees, in a process known among scholars as "ritual deactivation".

The practice allowed parts of the sculptures to be reused, and may also have been done to neutralise the power of former rulers to draw focus to the current king.

Dr Wong said: "In other words, this treatment does not necessarily denote hostility towards the depicted individual."

As a result, we can assume Hatshepsut was treated in death more like her male predecessors than previously thought

The academic did note that unlike other king's, "Hatshepsut did suffer a programme of persecution, and its wider political implications cannot be overstated".

However, he added that "there is room for a more nuanced understanding of Thutmose III’s actions, which were perhaps driven by ritual necessity rather than outright antipathy".