Did Ancient Egypt’s Queen Hatshepsut Accidentally Poison Herself?
- Posted on August 21, 2011 at 9:04am by
Liz Klimas
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Though the cause of death for Egypt’s most powerful female ruler, Queen Hatshepsut, may never be fully known, researchers at the University of Bonn in Germany think it’s a possibility she may have accidentally poisoned herself.
In a flask that researchers assumed for years contained perfume was recently analyzed as containing palm oil, nutmeg oil and other fatty acids, which indicate it was a lotion probably used to relieve skin diseases like eczema. They also found it contained benzopyrene, a highly carcinogenic substance. A substance that, as reported by History.com, was like a “cancer-causing tar” and is also found in cigarette smoke.
The researchers spent two years studying the dried-out contents of the flask, which is part of the university‘s Egyptian Museum’s collection and bears an inscription saying it belonged to Hatshepsut.
Researcher's found this flask owned by Queen Hatshepsut contained a highly carcinogenic substance. (Photo: Ägyptisches Museum/University of Bonn)
“If one imagines that the queen had a chronic skin disease and the ointment gave her short-term relief, then she may have exposed herself to a major risk over the course of a few years,” Helmut Wiedenfeld of the university’s pharmaceutical institute said in a statement.
History.com has more on Hatshepsut’s reign and death:
Many scholars regard Queen Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt from 1479 to 1458 B.C., as one of the most powerful and successful pharaohs in history. During her 22-year reign, she ushered in an era of peace and stability, established a vast trade network and commissioned hundreds of construction projects. To win over detractors who considered women unfit for high office, she emphasized her royal birth and had artists depict her with a male body and false beard.
After Hatshepsut’s death, her resentful stepson and heir Thutmose III attempted to erase all traces of her from the historical record. This could explain the empty sarcophagus British archaeologist Howard Carter found when he discovered the queen’s royal burial place, located in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, in 1902. But in 2007, Egyptian authorities announced that Hatshepsut’s mummy had turned up in a nearby tomb. A CT scan revealed that she had died in her 50s of bone cancer and also suffered from diabetes and arthritis.
Hatshepsut’s two-decade rule was the longest among ancient Egyptian queens, at a time of the New Kingdom’s “golden age.“ Wiedenfeld said he thinks ”there is a lot that speaks to the hypothesis” that Hatshepsut may have inadvertently poisoned herself while remedying a skin disease, which was said to have run in her family.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Comments (69)
ZABO
Posted on August 22, 2011 at 4:40pmi agree with uriel who cares and no i haven‘t been to that temple and i don’t care if you did my man.
Report Post »Uriel
Posted on August 22, 2011 at 9:09amIn the immortal words of Socrates, “I drank what?”
Report Post »MUDFLAPS
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 11:08pmtwo words for this article… who cares.
Report Post »forourtroops
Posted on August 22, 2011 at 12:03amI can tell your have never been to Hatshepsut’s Temple — OR — you wouldn’t make such a stupid remark!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »otmonger
Posted on August 22, 2011 at 5:40amThat is a big 10-4!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »Jezcruzen
Posted on August 22, 2011 at 7:27pmWell, for those unenlightened among us, who gives a S! Wanna do something people are interested in? Discover who killed Kennedy in ‘63.
Report Post »COFemale
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 2:40pmPeople, people, people who think this is a lame article. What sour pusses you are. Also, in the great words or Dr. Phil; if you are bored, then you must be boring”. No one is forcing you to read this article, no one is forcing you to respond, yet you feel you must. If you think you are slamming the Blaze with your dribble, then your narcissim is truly showing. You aren’t that important. If you think the Blaze articles are beneath you, then leave, you won’t hurt our feelings at all.
If find Egyptian history quite facinating and watch Dr. Hawass as often as I can. It is a shame Egypt is in such turmoil because all their history is at risk of becoming destroyed forever.
Those who continute to learn throughout life can recognize the importance of learning. I hated history in school, now I learn all I can. If you think learning stops at school, then you are destined for failure. Knowledge is power. This does not mean you have to know everything, but if you know enough how to find the answers, then you can challenge any statement someone makes and can recognize BS when you see or hear it.
Report Post »sooner12
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 5:02pmGood post. Well said.
Report Post »USACommoner
Posted on August 22, 2011 at 11:06amI agree and found this article fascinating. I am of Melungeon heritage, and some theories point to Carthage as being one of the contributors of those who migrated, mixing with other natives. A skin disease is also an inherited trait among Melungeons. One way or another, we are all connected…
Report Post »nelan72
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 2:36pmWhy not lead paint be the reason?
Report Post »liberalescheisskopf
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 12:23pmAn anagram of Hatshepsut is Phat tushes….just sayin’
Report Post »Mateytwo Barreett
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 11:43amWWHAT! Did I somehow get on the NatGeo site? Looks just like the BLAZE!
Report Post »Hazzard
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 11:36amI found this article fascinating, for the same reason that at least one other has indicated. They had already determined what her cause of death was and found that she had suffered from diabetes and arthritis. To now have been able to analyze the contents of her “perfume jar” to find a possible link to her cause of death roughly 3 1/2 millenia ago is not just good detective work but incredibly interesting reading.
However, the sad part about this whole article is the response to it from the vast majority of the readers. We are a dumbed down society, far from top place in the world, schooling wise, because knowledge for the sake of knowledge is no longer respected and a desired result. I am not a member of academia. However, I do subscribe to The great Courses in which I take a wide variety of lectures on diverse subjects because I want to know. In addition I read voraciously and have always done so. I want to know! Clearly this is not a view held by many of the readers here. Still, from my point of view, its a good think to know that the majority prefer a closed mind! Like all I learn in the course of living, that factoid will prove useful at some point. In the meanwhile, it is just sad.
Report Post »kindling
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 2:07pmIt may be genetic. I love learning and science just like both my parents. I devour all information I can get my hands on and I am able to use a lot of it in my own life. I have children both natural and adopted. They are all educated the same and exposed to the same information. The natural born have the same hunger for information, the adopted are all very much like their birth parents, satisfied with taking the easy way with the least amount of effort and no desire to learn more than the minimum. I will add though, they are still better off than their counter parts, ( children also born in poverty of generational welfare and drug exposure but still living with birth families). I know there are exceptions, but I have not seen many.
Report Post »Chris
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 2:11pmI’m always amazed by the way that willful ignorance is not only tolerated but celebrated by a segment of the people commenting here, on any subject. They take the attitude that if you don’t believe what they believe in the way that they believe it you are wrong, stupid and a deserving target for all kinds of bigotry and abuse. It is almost as bad as talking to a bunch of liberals!
Report Post »-Publius
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 2:38pmFunny how people are able to determine the cause of death from over 3,000 years ago, but no one could determine the death of Casey Anothony’s daughter after only a month….interesting
Report Post »sWampy
Posted on August 22, 2011 at 10:52amChris, I find the childish name calling by those on the left well rather childish.
Report Post »Odessa WoS
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 11:36amSome of you must have been a joy in history class. I guess some people can only tolerate “learning” what about what they already “know”.
Report Post »Nucular Bush
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 11:24amIsn’t Barney Frank an ancient queen? Just askin.
Report Post »ElaineA
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 11:29amThis comment made me smile happily.
Report Post »obroen
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 7:05pmWell your kind of right in a way…….he was really playing with Nero`s fiddle when Rome was burning.
Report Post »Oraclevoiceofreason
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 10:41amWell – it is clear that her one failing as great ruler of Egypt was she did not have universal health care ( Pharaoh-care) because clearly she would have survived her cancer and subsequent poisoning via lotions and potions made from natural ingredients unapproved by the FDA
Report Post »Dixiewitch13
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:47amAre you sure, they may have had death panels associated with Pharoh-care or maybe she was adopted and couldn’t rise above her knuckle scraping birth-kindred since we all know that nature beats nurture EVERY time. (NOT). I’m adopted and am far more like my adoptive parents than what I know of my birth parents.
Report Post »stage9
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 10:38am“If one imagines that the queen had a chronic skin disease and the ointment gave her short-term relief, then she may have exposed herself to a major risk over the course of a few years,” Helmut Wiedenfeld of the university’s pharmaceutical institute said in a statement.”
key words: imagines, may have.
Origins science (the study of events in the past that are not readily testable, repeatable or verifiable according to the scientific method) is far different than OPERATIONAL SCIENCE — which IS testable, repeatable and verifiable in the present.
Report Post »clockwatcher
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 10:18amOne less voter for the black jimmy carter.
Report Post »ThomasUSA
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 10:11amThis is truly pathetic..All of you who gripe about the content of the Blaze… No one is forcing you to read any of this…
HINT – The purpose of the “title” of an article is to tell you what is in it before you read it.. if the topic does not interest you DON”T READ IT!!!
Report Post »sissykatz
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 10:33amWow, Sounds like someone peed in a lot of bowls of Cereal this morning. Amazing !!!!
Report Post »nappy
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 10:40amWe’re griping because we had hoped for more from the Blaze..
BLAZE.. not Blase’
Report Post »Star Spangled
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 10:41amI agree !
Yet as I read through the comments it becomes clear ( almost ) no one reads the comments !
Report Post »ddg7
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 10:01amFinally the truth. Now I can sleep at night.
Report Post »Marengo Ohio Patriot
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 10:10amone of the longest open cases in human history.
Report Post »good job, dano!
patrickrose
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 10:01amWho cares. Lets get some jobs going.
Report Post »beenaroundyaknow
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 10:00amI guess if they found that Hatshepsut had vacationed at the Jersey shore, American’s might take more interest in something cultural and historical. I think the comments are a great indicator of the state of American culture, or lack thereof. Forest Gump had it right…stupid is as stupid does. Besides “all being socialists now”, we are also stupid.
Report Post »olddog
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 9:46amWOW, this is so much more interesting than the egypt and israel conflict that’s just broken out. Armed with this information and $8.00 you will be able to get a cup of coffee almost anywhere, in the mean time the world burns.. Wonder what’s happening on Drudge Report?
Report Post »walkwithme1966
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 9:49amThis was really a very interesting article – its amazing how they can take stuff that is so old and analyze it and come to a conclusion about what happened so long ago!! http://wp.me/pYLB7-1vg
Report Post »beket
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 9:59amWas it in 1997 when terrorists massacred 60-some (?) tourists at Hatshepsut’s temple at Luxor? The terrorists had al-Qaeda links, and it is believed they chose Hatshepsut’s temple (as opposed to the other sites packed with tourists at Luxor) because Hatshepsut was a woman.
Report Post »ares338
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 9:42amExcept for learning purposes who really cares?
Report Post »Hungry_i
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 10:12amBesides knowledge being its own reward, you can contrast Queen Hatshepsut’s administration which “ushered in an era of peace and stability, established a vast trade network and commissioned hundreds of construction projects” with that of our president’s: She created jobs!
Report Post »thegreatcarnac
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 9:41amI find ancient Egypt interesting. They were more intelligent and serious than we give them credit for.
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 9:22amShould I care?
I’m much more interested in the men and women who helped create AMERICA, esp. now that I realize we truly know so very little about them.
Report Post »ohiochili
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 10:07amGod forbid you should increase your knowledge. Membership fees to the Flat Earth Society are really cheap for the dull and narrow minded.
Report Post »Marengo Ohio Patriot
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 10:13amchili:
Report Post »and this useless trivia, er, i mean knowledge will help you in what way, again?
Dixiewitch13
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:55amPeople today are so arrogant and self-absorbed. If we aren’t interested in something, no one should be. Well, maybe our forefathers were interested in Ancient Egypt. I mean a pyramid is on our currency. It takes many threads to create a tapestry. Then there will always be moths trying to chew them up because they don’t understand the value of what they are destroying and are only focused on satisfying their hunger. Oh, but you probably don‘t care about tapestry or moths and you won’t get the point I’m trying to make.
Report Post »cntrlfrk
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 9:20am‘
Report Post »Who cares?
Ella
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 9:33amMy sentiments exaclty. this is one unimportant, meaningless article. Just the kind of drivel an academic at Harvard would waste their time on.
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 9:38amDoes your computer automatically open up pieces you don’t want to read? You have control. If you don’t care, don’t click it. I like hearing something besides politics 24-7.
Report Post »USAMama
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 10:01amI’m with Loriann, if you don’t find it interesting move along. But you not only read it, you then take the time to comment on it/ complain about it. There are a lot of stories on here that the headline doesn’t catch my interest so I scroll on even though it gets hundreds of comments from others, obviously someone is interested.
Report Post »TheGreyPiper
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 11:55amAnd yet you wonder when the leftards call us ignorant knuckle-draggers.
Dear God, I miss William F. Buckley.
Report Post »Viet Vet
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 3:06pm@USAMama
I’m with you…as I scrolled down this is the only article I saw that piqued my interest. Of course some of the articles I passed over I had already read. But I like history.
Report Post »forourtroops
Posted on August 22, 2011 at 12:05amYou have never been to Hatshepsut’s Temple — OR — you wouldn’t make such a dumb remark!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »Mannax
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 9:18amNo news like old news…. really old news.
Interesting theory none the less.
Report Post »YepImaConservative
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 9:12am“…she emphasized her royal birth and had artists depict her with a male body and false beard.”
The world’s first DRAG QUEEN.
Report Post »UlyssesP
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 9:39amDrag King more like it.
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 10:31amNo, women weren’t supposed to be Pharoahs, because they were God, and God wasn’t a woman. So she had to fool the public by making them think she was male after being declared Pharoah. Don’t you watch the History channel?
Report Post »YepImaConservative
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 10:59am>ULYSSESP.
Lol, maybe so.
Report Post »YepImaConservative
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 11:01am>LORIANN12.
So that kind of explains how Obama came to be President. Lol.
Report Post »Killgreed
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 9:11amFirst
Report Post »TheGreyPiper
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 12:39pmFirst FAIL.
Report Post »DennisMichael
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 7:03pmthat is only in the movie “The Ten Commandments”….Moses was raised by Bithiah…Here is a link from the Jewish Encyclopedia.com…
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1106&letter=B
Report Post »StrongWesternbabeluvinherWesternMAN
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 8:16pmThere are two popular explanations about the woman who pulled Moses from the river. Some think that Hatshepsut, wife of Pharaoh Thutmose II, was the one because she could not have children and she would accept the baby as a gift from the gods (this would match the earlier exodus date). Some think the princess who rescued the baby Moses was the daughter of Rameses II, a very cruel Pharaoh (This would match the later exodus date).
Report Post »chazman
Posted on August 21, 2011 at 8:28pmTo HATSHLEPSLUT
Her majesty’s a pretty nice girl, but she doesn’t have a lot to say
Her majesty’s a pretty nice girl, but she decomposes from day to day
I wanna tell her that I love her a lot, but I gotta get a belly full of wine,
Her majesty’s a pretty nice girl, someday I’m gonna make her mine,
Oh yeah,
Someday I’m gonna make her mine …
-Beatles-
Report Post »mernijo
Posted on August 22, 2011 at 3:25pm@FLORIDACRACKER
Wow! Sounds like you have done your homework. Very interesting! Thanks!
Report Post »straightstreet1
Posted on August 22, 2011 at 3:33pmYou would think the author would have mentioned these facts, critical to the reader fully understanding who she was!!!! If I were writing this piece, I would certainly have woven this into it to inform the readers.
Report Post »violist56
Posted on August 23, 2011 at 12:48amThe butler did it!
Report Post »larz928
Posted on August 23, 2011 at 3:43am@DennisMichael:
Report Post »That may have been her Hebrew name; her Egyptian name may have been different. Your Mishnah quote is very interesting however, as Zawi Hawass has confirmed that this dynasty had a hereditary skin disease. This was shown in a recent National Geographic Special. The lesions were easily seen.
Thanks for the quote!
larz928
Posted on August 23, 2011 at 3:49am@DennisMichael: Sorry – meant Midrash.
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