It was a weekend of royal surprises at Wimbledon this year, as the tournament welcomed Kate Middleton not once but twice to watch the ladies’ singles final on Saturday, July 12, and the gentlemen’s ...

After the Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut died around 1458 BCE, many statues of her were destroyed. Archaeologists believed that they were targeted in an act of revenge by Thutmose III, her successor ...

But as Thutmose III was an infant at the time, Hatshepsut ruled in his stead. Ancient Egyptian custom barred women from the title of pharaoh, but in 1473 B.C.E., Hatshepsut declared herself ...

A recent study challenges the long-held belief that Queen Hatshepsut's statues were destroyed out of spite by Thutmose III. Research suggests many statues underwent ritual deactivation, a common ...

Thutmose III may have been trying to neutralize the power of his predecessor in a practical and common way, not out of malice.

Meanwhile, statues that were confirmed to have been damaged during Thutmose III's reign were destroyed specifically by breaking them across weak points: specifically, the neck, waist and knees.

Thutmose III "would have been influenced by political considerations — such as whether Hatshepsut's reign was detrimental to his legacy as a pharaoh," Wong said.

His research, which builds on other recent scholarship and is being published in the journal Antiquity, argues Thutmose III's motivations were far more nuanced, casting further doubt on the theory of ...

However, many of the statues survived in relatively good condition, questioning the idea that the destruction was motivated by Thutmose III's animosity towards Hatshepsut.