Having spent many wonderful years researching the ancient Egyptian New Kingdom, it has always been apparent to me that the rule of Hatshepsut is heavily under-represented in English literature. Most works on the reign of Hatshepsut exist only in French, limiting their access and potential audience. Therefore, the primary impetus for this work was to produce an up-to-date volume in Englishon this most enigmatic woman. A second consideration lay in synthesizing various methodological approaches in order to re-appraise Hatshepsut's reign. This is particularly evident in the examinations of monumental architecture. Moreover, several sub-disciplines such as statuary & portraiture, epigraphy and artefactual studies are collectively considered in this research. Finally, en vogue topics such as the 'accession' of Hatshepsut, the Office of the God's Wife of Amun, and her relationship to Senenmut and Neferure are critically assessed. This work should help to shed light on the events and relationships of her reign, being useful to anyone with an academic interest in the time of Hatshepsut.

Aaron Shackell-Smith (BA, MA hons., PGDip) was educated at Auckland University. Having researched Ancient Egypt for almost 20 years, he recently completed his doctoral thesis. A university lecturer from 2001-2003, he has run adult seminars since2002, given numerous talks on the subject, and published several academic articles.