23. This Ancient Queen Fought Fiercely to Secure Her Son’s Throne
Eventually, Ahhotpe’s son Ahmose I came of age, and personally took over the reins of power. A boss in his own right, Ahmose drove out the Hyksos invaders who had dominated northern Egypt for generations, and reunified Egypt. He then founded the Eighteenth Dynasty, Ancient Egypt’s most famous and successful. During that dynasty, the Egyptian Empire reached the zenith of its power, stretching from Syria in the north to Nubia in the south, and from Mesopotamia in the west to the Libyan deserts in the west.
Ahhotpe’s days as a warrior did not end when her son came of age. While Ahmose was busy in the south warring with Nubians, a cabal of Hyksos-sympathizing rebels tried to seize the throne. Ahhotpe rallied loyal troops, fought them off, and foiled their attempt. For that, she was rewarded with the “Golden Flies of Valor” – Ancient Egypt’s highest military award for courage. It was discovered by archaeologists in a tomb, along with weapons and jewelry, thousands of years later.