There were many Female Pharaohs and Queens in Ancient Egypt who exercised amounts of power and authority, and this video will introduce you to the most famous ones. Spanning from the Early Dynastic Period with Neithhotep and Merneith, to the New Kingdom with Hatshepsut and Nefertiti, and the Ptolemaic Dynasty with Cleopatra VII, this video will take you through the history of female rulers of Egypt- some you may know, and some you may not!
Ancient Egypt was a civilisation where women exercised greater freedom than most other cultures in the ancient world. So it isn't surprising that there were many important female rulers throughout Egypt’s expansive history. Although a number of these women ruled Egypt in their own right, they all required a male from their lineage, whether it be their father or a son who was not yet old enough to rule, to justify their claim to power. This was because of one of the foundational myths of Egypt in which the god Osiris is depicted as the first king and his son Horus as his successor; therefore, only males could rule.
The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on:
Did you know that the best known female Egyptian ruler Cleopatra VII wasn't actually Egyptian?
Cleopatra VII was actually Macedonian Greek because the Ptolemies tended to marry within
their own bloodline. Hello and welcome to Ancient History Encyclopedia. My name is Kelly and today
we're going to take a look at some of the most famous and powerful female pharaohs and queens
Don't forget if you enjoy our videos chuck this one a like and subscribe to our channel so you
don't miss out on any new uploads. Ancient Egypt was a civilization where women exercised greater
freedom than many other cultures in the ancient world. So it isn't surprising that there were
many important female rulers throughout Egypt's expansive history. This video is going to introduce
some of the most famous female rulers but just so you know this isn't a final list.
Before we jump in and discuss these female rulers it's important to note that although
many of these women ruled in their own right they all required a male from their lineage.
Whether that be a father or a son who was not yet old enough to rule to justify their claimed
power. This is because of one of the foundational myths of ancient Egypt where the god Osiris was
named the first king and his son Horus was his successor. Therefore only males could rule.
The women who ruled for 20 plus years such as Hatshepsut and Cleopatra VII fully recognized
that they needed this male connection to justify their rule. For Hatshepsut it was her stepson
Thutmose III and for Cleopatra it was her father multiple brother husbands and two notable Roman
generals. These women used their male relationships in a number of ways to legitimize their rule.
You have Sobek Neferu who ignored her dead husband but instead established a strong
connection with her dead father as a reason to continue holding power. You have the idea of a
caretaker of a family dynasty when there wasn't an obvious male heir such as Hatshepsut who also
used her religious position as god's wife of Amun to validate her growing power. And you have the
idea of woman as regent a mother who steps in and rules in place of her son who is not yet old
enough to rule for himself. Succession in ancient Egypt who was next in line to rule was determined
by the concept of divine kingship which made sure that the son of the king would be next in line to
rule as the new embodiment of the god Horus even if he was still too young. Who better to guide and
keep safe the next king of Egypt than his mother. There were many other women in power who did not
leave the same mark in history as these women did. If you'd like to learn more hit the link below to
our article Great Female Rulers of Ancient Egypt. Let's start off with some of the earlier and maybe
not as recognizable female rulers. In the early dynastic period we have Neithhotep who was the
Her dates and most of her life are a bit uncertain but we know that she is considered the mother of
Although we may not know much about her life the initial discovery of her tomb led archaeologists
to believe that they had found the tomb of either Nama's successor or of a king who had been left
off the official list of Egyptian monarchs due to how grand it was. Another queen of this same period
who is believed to have ruled on her own is Merneth, wife of Jet and mother of King Den. The
grave goods of Merneth suggest that she was not only regent to her young son but went on to rule
The tomb of Merneth reflects the same grandeur and honor fit for a monarch as Neithhotep's did
with servant graves, a large underground chamber and many sacrificial offerings.
Both Neithhotep and Merneth had their names inscribed on a serac,
a clay representation of a royal house upon which a king's name appeared. The middle kingdom of
Egypt is considered the classic period of Egyptian art and literature and its 12th dynasty included
the reign of queen Sobek Nefru between circa 1807 and 1802, the first female confirmed by
historical texts to have ruled in her own right. Unlike later female rulers Sobek Nefru did not
present herself as a male in keeping with the tradition that only men could rule but instead
chose to reign as a woman. Sobek Nefru was the first monarch to take her throne name from the
which presided over fertility, kingly power and protected from danger. She is believed to
have made additions to the funerary complex at Hawara and built structures at Heracleopolis
and Crocodolopolis and was the last ruler of the powerful 12th dynasty. When she died without an
heir in 1802 BCE it ushered in the weak 13th dynasty and was a period of decline as the country
was divided between Egyptians, Nubians and Hyksos. The new kingdom however pulled Egypt back up to
its height and was a period with many strong female rulers from the very beginning starting
with the mother of Ahmose I, queen Ahotep I. While Ahmose was campaigning against Nubians,
Ahotep put down a bunch of Hyksos sympathizers without consulting her son and gained considerable
respect from the military for doing so independently and successfully. She also held the
title of god's wife of Amun, the female counterpart to the high priest of Amun and was the very first
woman to do so although many others would follow her. Moving on to one of the most highly regarded
female rulers of ancient Egypt we come to Hatshepsut, the daughter of Thutmose I and
regent of Thutmose III. Hatshepsut was regent for less than seven years when she assumed the
title of pharaoh and although she was co-ruler with Thutmose III it is undeniable that she was
the power and the brains of the duo. During her reign between 1479 and 1458 BCE Egypt prospered
with Hatshepsut's successful trade ventures, military campaigns and monumental building projects.
Hatshepsut's expedition to Punt is a famous example of her trade ventures as the exchange
between Egypt and Punt marked the first known successful attempt at transplanting foreign fauna.
Paintings on the walls of Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, just one of the monumental building
projects ascribed to her, shows her successful expedition to Punt and depicts exotic flora,
fauna and luxury goods exchanged between Punt and Egypt. Unlike Sobek Nefru, Hatshepsut chose
to portray herself not with female attributes but in the style of a traditional male pharaoh,
often complete with the headdress and beard. After her death her inscriptions and monuments
were defaced or destroyed and this vandalism is commonly attributed to Thutmose III who not only
backdated his reign to the death of his father but claimed all of Hatshepsut's victories and
accomplishments to himself. He is thought to have done this in order to discourage women
in the future from following in Hatshepsut's footsteps. Even though women were highly
regarded in the culture, the Egyptians were quite conservative and held tightly to tradition,
especially to that of the male monarchs sticking to the model of the first divine king, Osiris.
Our next great female monarch is Queen Tieh, wife of the pharaoh Amenhotep III and mother
of Akhenaten. Tieh was featured prominently on monuments built by her husband, even on an
announcement of the king's marriage to a foreign princess. Images show Tieh participating in affairs
of the state and she was known as the mistress of upper and lower Egypt and mistress of the two lands,
neither of which were customary titles for the queen. Unlike the usual depictions of queens as
smaller or shorter than the king's, depictions of Tieh and Amenhotep III were of equal stature,
which in Egyptian art means that they were considered equals. Upon her son Akhenaten's
ascension to the throne, Tieh became the mother of the king. Her son abolished the ancient Egyptian
religion, which many at the time objected to, and moved the capital from Thebes to modern-day Amarna.
The letters uncovered at the site detail Tieh's continuous involvement in economic affairs
through correspondence with foreign nations, whilst Akhenaten was busying himself with his new religion.
One of the most iconic Egyptian queens, mostly thanks to her famous bust, was Queen Nefertiti,
wife of Akhenaten. Letters from Nefertiti to foreign dignitaries show her involvement in
political and economic affairs was at the same level as Tieh's. Akhenaten joined his seal with
hers in order to show their equality, and Nefertiti may have undertaken responsibilities of the pharaoh
whilst Akhenaten was busy reforming his new religion, which made him so unpopular during
his reign. There are many surviving images supporting the idea that Nefertiti participated
in state affairs and traditional pharaonic duties. These include officiating religious services,
moderating diplomatic meetings, receiving foreign dignitaries, and even smiting Egypt's enemies in
the role of the king. Another famous queen was Nefertari, not to be mistaken with Nefertiti.
Nefertari was the best-loved wife of the pharaoh Rameses II, also known as Rameses the Great.
Nefertari held the position of God's wife of Amun, and during her queenship she participated
in court affairs. The reign of Rameses II is often claimed to be the pinnacle of Egyptian prosperity,
culture, and art, a claim which is supported by the wall paintings from the tomb of Nefertari
and the great edifice of Abu Simbel, on which she is also featured. Nefertari was active in
the administration of Egypt, and through correspondence with the Hittite queen Peruhepa,
furthered diplomatic exchange between the two nations after Egypt and the Hittites entered
into a peace treaty with each other. The final queen on our list is the famous Cleopatra VII
of the Ptolemaic dynasty, without whom no list of female Egyptian monarchs would be complete.
Cleopatra VII was the final queen of Egypt, before it was annexed as a province by Rome.
Cleopatra was well educated and fluent in Greek, Egyptian, and numerous other languages,
and had a talent for politics and diplomacy. Unlike her Ptolemaic predecessors who only spoke
Greek, Cleopatra embraced the Egyptian language and culture, which helped her communicate with
diplomats. Although today she is often considered a great beauty, no ancient writer gives that
impression, but instead praises her intelligence, charm, and wit. Her love affairs with both Julius
Caesar and Mark Antony have overshadowed her personal accomplishments, but she single-handedly
guided Egypt through some of its most difficult times. It's clear that women were active in
administration, diplomacy, and management of the Egyptian government all throughout its history,
and held responsibilities to the same importance as male rulers. Why do you think this regularity
of women in power was mostly seen in Egypt? Do you see any similarities between these women?
And can you think of any other women who has held a position of leadership or power? Let us know
down in the comments below. Don't forget if you enjoyed this video, chuck this one a like,
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