Ancient Egyptian Forum

[PharoahKel]

Hey, im new here, does anyone know how many female pharoahs there were in ancient egypt? ive been trying to figure out but cant seem to get it, thanx for the help!
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[Google]

[tiya]

The only female Pharoah I know of is Hatshepsut. I am not sure but some may have shared the throne with there husbands. But that would be rare if it ever happened. If you know of any other females besides Hatshepsut that were pharoahs I would be intersted to know who?

[PharoahKel]

well im not really sure if they shared the throne with their husbands but i know nefertiti, cleopatra, but i dont think they ruled alone
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Yea, Im gonna need you to come in on Sunday...

[Meritaton]

Probably the first female pharaoh was Merytneith of the 1st dynasty. It's not known whether she was a pharaoh or only a regent, but her name was included in a serekh, which is an early version of cartouche, so she surely was of great importance. Then there was Neith-iqerty or Nitocris, but she is more a legendary person than a historical one. She was the last pharaoh of Old Kingdom and 6th dynasty. The next female pharaoh is Sobekneferu of the 12th dynasty, she ruled after the death of her brother Amenemhet IV and was the last ruler of the Middle Kingdom.

In the New Kingdom we know about Hatshepsut, Nefertiti - who might have ruled for a short time after Akhenaten's death -, Ankhesenamen (who was de jure pharaoh after Tutankhamen's death and maybe co-ruler with Ay) and Tausert of the 19th dynasty, who was a granddaughter of Ramesses the Great.

There were also women who weren't crowned pharaohs but had the power of a pharaoh, for example Ahmose Nefertari (who was regent for her infant son if I remember well), Tiye (wife of Amenhotep III) or the women who held the title "God's Wife of Amun" in the late period of Egypt's history.

And of course there was the dynasty of the Ptolemys with almost as many female rulers as male ones; the famous Cleopatra was the seventh queen called by this name.

[tiya]

Wow so their were many female Pharoahs! I wonder why hatshepsut gets so much fame??

[Dark_Meryetamun_28]

Probably because she made so many monuments...but maybe it's something else?
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[Akhenaten]

Probably because she has so much authority, and for her expedition to Punt, and because she ruled for so long.
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-Akhenaten-

[Chenoa]

Also Tauset was a female pharoah of the 19th dynasty and Sobeknefru in the 12th dynasty also the ones previosly mentioned
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Henut pet,Chred Maet

[Meritaton]

The reasons for Hatsy being the most famous can be these:

1. She ruled for a long time - 22 years, compared to Sobekneferu's three years and Tausert's only one year

2. She ruled in the golden age of Egypt, while Nitocris, Sobekneferu and Tausert were all last rulers of a dynasty, ruling an empire which was close to collapse (1st and 2nd Intermeidate Periods)

3. The monuments and the Punt expedition, as someone has mentioned it b4 me

4. She strong-willed and charming... born to be a pharaoh, and she wanted to be a pharaoh, while Nitocris and Sobekneferu were kind of "forced" to be rulers and try to save their kingdom

[PharoahKel]

hatsy? lol
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Yea, Im gonna need you to come in on Sunday...

[Meritaton]

a friend of mine calls her that

[Neb-Ma'at-Re]

One difference between Hatshepsut and the others mentioned is that Hatshepsut ruled as a Pharaoh and not a Queen, a position traditional held for males. She had herself portrayed as a male wearing the Nemes headress and false beard as well.

I think Thutmoses III's fame plays a major part in the fame of Hatshepsut. As many of you know, when Thutmoses II (husband/half brother of Hatshepsut) died, his son (from a harem wife Isis) Thutmoses III was rightful heir to the throne. Since Thutmoses III was only a small child at the time his step mother/aunt Hatshepsut ruled with him as a co-regent. About 6 or 7 years into the co-regency something major happened. Hatshepsut had herself appointed Pharaoh and sole ruler of Egypt by concocting a story which she claimed she was born of divine conception from Amun himself. The story goes that Amun visited her mother Queen Ahmose one night in the form of her father Thutmoses I... after a few drinks, a Barry White album and some hanky panky, Hatshepsut was conceived. She had this scene carved in her tomb to legitimize her coronation (minus Barry and the booze of course...ha). She ruled as Pharaoh for over 20 years and basically stole the throne right out from under Thutmoses III. Mean while Thutmoses III grew up in the royal palace, pissed off at his stepmother/aunt I'm sure, and took a liking to the military training that almost all young heirs underwent, waiting for the day that he would once again have what was rightfully his. After Hatshepsut's death, which is still shrouded in mystery, Thutmoses regained the throne and lead a number of military expiditions that expanded Egypt's borders more vast than ever before, which is how he gained the nickname's of modern Egyptologists as "Egypt's Warrior King" and "The Napoleon of Egypt". He eventually had Hatshepsut's name and image hacked out of as many reliefs, statues and monumants as possible. Oddly enough Egyptologists claim that this didn't happen until 20 some years into his reign!

Anyways, the contrast between Hatshepsut's peaceful reign in which she sent expiditions to Punt and erected some of Egypts most beautiful monuments and temples, to Thutmoses' III rampage of expiditions and battles to expand Egypt's borders, power, and wealth and his attempt to 'erase' Hatshepsut from history seems to reflect Thutmoses III contempt for what Hatshepsut did to him.
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[k8kate]

Husband/half brother.
lol. ew