Mud Brick Stamped with the Throne Names Aakheperkare (Thutmose I) and Maatkare (Hatshepsut)
New Kingdom
This fragmentary mud brick is stamped with a seal that combines the throne names of Hatshepsut (right) and of her father Thutmose I (left). Each royal name is written in a cartouche and followed by an epithet. The inscription reads (right to left) Maat-ka-re, given life; Aa-Kheper-ka-re, justified (true of voice). These epithets indicate that Hatshepsut lives and that her father is deceased. The two rulers are symbolically united by having their names and epithets enclosed in a large cartouche. The same seal impression was used to stamp another brick in the collection (90.6.43)
The bricks probably came from Hatshepsut's funerary temple at Deir el-Bahri in Western Thebes. On the south side of the upper terrace are chapels dedicated to the funerary cult of each king.