Hatshepsut’s male siblings died, leaving her young nephew pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Although second-in-command, Hatshepsut gradually took more and more control and had herself crowned. There was no word in her language for a female ruler, so she called herself pharaoh, or king, a male title. She began to wear men’s clothing and a gold beard in public. After Hatshepsut died, her nephew destroyed symbols and statues of her in an attempt to erase all signs of her reign. In spite of this, archaeologists have pieced together the remarkable story of her life.