Hatshepsut (Egypt)

Hatshepsut ruled as pharaoh in her own right for about two decades, initially as regent for her stepson Thutmose III, and had herself depicted in male regalia with the ceremonial beard. Her reign was prosperous and largely peaceful, marked by the expedition to Punt and the mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari. Late in Thutmose III's reign her images and name were systematically erased from monuments, probably to secure the succession rather than out of personal hatred. She appears in some alternative Exodus chronologies as a candidate for the daughter of Pharaoh who raised Moses, an identification with no direct evidence but persistent popular appeal.