Popielska-Grzybowska, Joanna [Hrsg.]; Central European Conference of Young Egyptologists <1, 1999, Warszawa> [Hrsg.]: Proceedings of the first Central European Conference of Young Egyptologists: Egypt 1999: perspectives of research, Warsaw 7 - 9 June 1999 (Warsaw, 2001)

Dariusz Niedziôlka

to the rulers, who already assumed the kingship,
the royal protocol, and thus were considered the
legally valid. The case of Senenmut’s graffito
would be the only exception. Another expres-
sion which seems to attest employment of the
royal phraseology in the discussed text would
be the clause at the very end of the graffito,
namely hpr.n n bS.w hm.t=s.32

Summing up, these features should be con-
sidered almost the proof for the date just be-
fore the enthronement of Hatshepsut. Because
of the public nature of this text, and its execu-

tion, it seems certain that Senenmut could not
command to carve the graffito without the
agreement of Hatshepsut. Thus one may imag-
ine that Hatshepsut’s decision to assume the
royal status had to be taken previously at
Thebes, before Senenmut was sent to Aswan
to quarry obelisks, which probably were in-
tended to be erected just on this occasion.
Maybe it was Senenmut who persuaded the
queen to do so, as he might have a hold on her,
a young woman of about twenty years old or
little more.33

32 See above, p. 100.

33 Regarding the age of Hatshepsut at this moment,
see M. BIERBRIER, How Old was Hatshepsut?, GM

144 (1995), pp. 15-19 and KARKOWSKI, in:
Geheimnisvolle Königin Hatschepsut, pp. 22 and
24.

104