Egyptologists have long claimed the statuary of Hatshepsut in Luxor was wantonly destroyed, it may have been "ritually deactivated" instead.

From the iconic pyramids of Giza to the ancient temples lining the Nile River, a cruise through Egypt offers an unforgettable deep dive into one of the world’s oldest and most awe-inspiring ...

The Temple of Kom Ombo, a further 40 miles upriver, is more ragged, some of its columns having been decapitated and reused in building work many centuries later.

Archaeologist Jun Yi Wong re-examines the destruction of Hatshepsut's statues, suggesting ritualistic deactivation rather than revenge by Thutmose III.

A new study argues that the pharaoh’s statues weren’t destroyed out of revenge, but were ‘ritually deactivated’ because of ...

A detail of a sarcophagus displayed in front of Hatshepsut Temple in Egypt’s valley of the Kings in Luxor Egypt. (AFP pic) She was one of ancient Egypt’s most successful rulers, a rare female ...

The shattered statues of Queen Hatshepsut: the reasons for the wreckage Ritual ‘retirement’ rather than family feud might explain why so many figures of the female pharaoh are broken and cracked.

Rather, Hatshepsut's statues were broken to "deactivate" them and eliminate their supposed supernatural powers, according to a study published Tuesday (June 24) in the journal Antiquity.

This phenomenon of deactivation was not exclusive to Hatshepsut, as in Egyptian tradition, statues of earlier rulers — even those of male pharaohs — were subjected to similar processes to nullify ...

He pushes apart the columns of the temple, collapsing it upon thousands of Philistines. His act is not only one of vengeance, but a final assertion of power when no other option remained.