What are alternative explanations for the damage to Hatshepsut's statues?

While it was long believed that Thutmose III intentionally sought to erase all traces of Hatshepsut’s rule as an act of vengeance, modern scholarship offers alternative perspectives on the damage to her statues and monuments.1

Recent research, including a 2025 paper, suggests that the destruction may not have been a singular, politically motivated purge. Alternative explanations include:1

• Ritual Deactivation: Some scholars propose that the statues were ritually broken in specific areas to "deactivate" their power, a common practice applied to the statuary of other Egyptian kings.1
• Post-Depositional Processes: Much of the damage may be attributed to the natural wear and tear caused by the reuse of materials and the physical processes that occur after monuments are deposited or abandoned over centuries.1

These findings challenge the traditional view that the damage was solely a systematic attempt to ensure the royal succession ran exclusively through male heirs by removing female interruption.1