Top 10 Female Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt

Pharaoh Ahhotep I, also known as Ahhotpe, which means 'Peace of the Moon', was a queen of Ancient Egypt. She ruled Egypt around 1560 - 1530 BCE during the early New Kingdom period. She was the daughter of Queen Tetisheri (or 'Teti Small') and Senakhtenre Ahmose. According to some records, she played a crucial role in establishing the 18th dynasty of Ancient Egypt. As a warrior queen, she made significant contributions to protecting Egypt’s territories from external forces. An inscription on a memorial to Ahhotep I states: 'She was the one who completed the rituals of care for Egypt... She cared for the Egyptian soldiers, defended the land, brought back exiles, and gathered the fugitives. She pacified Upper Egypt and expelled the rebels.'

Ahhotep I was a queen who likely played a key role in founding the 18th Dynasty. She led the military against the Hyksos and was buried with symbolic weapons and three honor flags, awarded for her military accomplishments. The inscriptions on her memorials mention her as having completed important ceremonies for Egypt... Ahhotep I is referenced in inscriptions CG 34003 by her grandson Amenhotep I and in the CG 34009 inscription by the steward Iuf. On Iuf's stele, both Ahhotep and Queen Ahmose (wife of Thutmose I, who succeeded Amenhotep I) are mentioned. As a result, it is believed Ahhotep lived to a relatively old age. While her original tomb location is unknown, her outermost coffin was discovered in tomb TT320, decorated similarly to those of Ahmose-Nefertari and Ahmose-Meritamon (daughter of Seqenenre). However, no mummy was found.

Ankhkheperure Neferneferuaten was a woman who ruled as a pharaoh during the late Amarna period of the 18th Dynasty. She is likely the princess Meritaten, daughter of Pharaoh Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti, or perhaps she was Queen Nefertiti herself. She is identified as female based on the titulary Akhet-en-hyes (which translates to 'She who influences her husband'), found on a cartouche. If Neferneferuaten is indeed Nefertiti, Egyptologist Zahi Hawass suggests that her reign marked the collapse of the Amarna period, with a return to the old city of Thebes. The succession of rulers from this time is unclear, as later kings, beginning with Horemheb, erased records.

The brief reign of Smenkhkare and Neferneferuaten, along with scarce and somewhat ambiguous evidence from the transitional period between Akhenaten and Tutankhamun, leaves archaeologists struggling to piece together events from that era. According to Egyptologist Aidan Dodson, Smenkhkare co-reigned with Akhenaten for about a year from the 13th year of Akhenaten’s reign, while James Allen believes Smenkhkare succeeded Neferneferuaten. At a 2011 symposium on Pharaoh Horemheb, it was suggested that Neferneferuaten ruled for at least two years. Manetho, a priest of the 3rd century BCE, mentions in his summary that Acencheres ruled for 2 years and 1 month. Marc Gabolde believes Acencheres was Neferneferuaten. However, this evidence remains inconclusive due to various limitations.

Khentkaus I was an ancient Egyptian queen from the 4th Dynasty. She is believed to have been the daughter of Pharaoh Menkaure. Some sources suggest she was the wife of Shepseskaf and mother to Userkaf. It is widely believed that she was one of the earliest queens to have used the title 'King of Upper and Lower Egypt.' Khentkaus was buried near the Giza pyramids. Her title could be translated as 'Mother of Two Kings of Upper and Lower Egypt' or 'King of Upper and Lower Egypt, and Mother of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt.' The exact meaning remains unclear; she may have had two sons who both became kings, or she may have ruled as a regent for one of them, or even established her own independent dynasty. However, the identities of her children remain uncertain.

Some Egyptologists believe Khentkaus I was the daughter of Pharaoh Menkaure, as her mastaba was located near his pyramid. A name mentioned on the wall of Menkaure’s temple (partially lost) might refer to her, though this is speculative. Silke Roth has questioned this, suggesting the name refers to someone else. The absence of the title 'Daughter of the King' raises doubts that she was a princess. As for her marriage, most Egyptologists agree she married Pharaoh Shepseskaf, possibly her half-brother, as he might have been Menkaure's son with a secondary wife. To legitimize his rule, Shepseskaf may have married Khentkaus. Some scholars, including Borchardt and Grdseloff, speculate that Khentkaus I later remarried to Userkaf after Shepseskaf's death. Her sons were likely too young for kingship, so Userkaf took the throne. Sahure and Neferirkare Kakai are thought to be her children with Shepseskaf, according to Borchardt.

Sobekneferu, also known as Nefrusobek, was the daughter of Pharaoh Amenemhat III and the sister of Pharaoh Amenemhat IV. After the death of Amenemhat IV, Sobekneferu ascended to the throne and ruled Egypt's 12th Dynasty for four years, from around 1806 to 1802 BCE. She was a powerful queen, and her death in 1802 BCE marked the end of the 12th Dynasty and the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. After Sobekneferu's passing, it is believed that Wegaf succeeded her and founded the 13th Dynasty. Her name means 'The Beauty of Sobek.' She was the daughter of Amenemhat III, and Manetho also mentions she was the sister of Amenemhat IV, though this claim remains unproven. Sobekneferu had an older sister named Nefruptah, who was originally expected to inherit the throne. Nefruptah's name appears on a seal (cartouche), and she even had a pyramid of her own at Hawara. However, Nefruptah died young.

Sobekneferu is the first known female pharaoh whose reign is documented by confirmed evidence, although Nitocris may have ruled earlier during the 6th Dynasty. It is believed that Amenemhat IV died without a male heir, leading Sobekneferu, the daughter of Amenemhat III, to inherit the throne. According to the Turin King List, she ruled for 3 years, 10 months, and 24 days during the late 19th century BCE. Sobekneferu passed away without a successor, and her reign marked the end of the prosperous 12th Dynasty and the golden age of the Middle Kingdom. Although few artifacts directly attributed to her have been found, numerous headless statues of Sobekneferu have survived, including a royal daughter pedestal discovered at Gezer bearing her name. Another statue with a head is also known. A bust in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin (Inv. no. 14.476) was lost during World War II, but it is thought to depict her.

Hatshepsut, also known as Hatshepsut, was the fifth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of ancient Egypt. She was the daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose I and Queen Ahmes, and is considered one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs alongside Tutankhamun and Nefertiti. Hatshepsut became regent in 1479 BCE for her young stepson, Thutmose III, who was only 10 years old at the time, and she co-ruled with him. After Hatshepsut's death, Thutmose III sought to erase her legacy by defacing her tomb and monuments, trying to remove her image from Egyptian memory. Her mummy was discovered by Egyptologist Zahi Hawass in June 2007.

Though it was rare for a woman to rule in ancient Egypt, it was not without precedent. As a regent, Hatshepsut was the second woman to hold such power after Merneith of the First Dynasty, who was buried with the highest honors of a pharaoh and may have ruled in her own right. Nimaethap of the Third Dynasty might have inherited the title of Khasekhemwy, but she most likely served as regent for her son, Pharaoh Djoser, and may have ruled as a pharaoh herself. Sobekneferu, a queen of the 12th Dynasty, is known to have officially held power as 'King of Upper and Lower Egypt' three centuries before Hatshepsut. Ahhotep I, celebrated as a warrior queen, may have been a regent for her sons Kamose and Ahmose I, during the end of the 17th Dynasty and the early years of the 18th Dynasty—the same dynasty that Hatshepsut ruled.

Nefertiti was the queen of Pharaoh Akhenaten. She and her husband are renowned for their religious revolution, where they established Aten, the Sun Disk, as the one true god. Nefertiti was celebrated with various titles such as 'The Goddess of Beauty,' 'A masterpiece of creation,' 'The charming woman,' 'The symbol of feminine beauty,' and 'The mistress of Upper and Lower Egypt.' She is often considered the most beautiful queen in ancient Egyptian history. Today, her famous bust is housed at the Neues Museum in Berlin, Germany. Some scholars speculate that Nefertiti may have been Princess Tadukhipa (or Tadukhepa) from the Mitanni kingdom. Historically, Princess Tadukhipa married Pharaoh Amenhotep III to strengthen the ties between their two empires. After Amenhotep III's death, she remarried his son, Amenhotep IV.

The early life of Nefertiti remains largely mysterious, though many scholars believe she was indeed Princess Tadukhipa of Mitanni. Nefertiti is first mentioned in the tomb (TT188) of Parennefer, an advisor to Akhenaten, where she is depicted with him during their religious worship of Aten. In the tomb of the vizier Ramose, Nefertiti is shown standing behind Akhenaten during a ceremony welcoming Ramose. In the early years of Akhenaten's reign, numerous temples were built in Thebes, including one dedicated to Nefertiti, called the Mansion of the Benben (hwt-ben-ben). She is frequently depicted with her daughter Meritaten, and sometimes with Meketaten. In several Talatat (stone blocks used for construction), Nefertiti appears side by side with Akhenaten. This suggests that she not only supported her husband as queen but also took part in situations reserved for a pharaoh.

Cleopatra VII Philopator, more commonly known as Cleopatra, was one of the most famous queens in history. She ruled Egypt as queen from 51 BCE until her death at 39 in 30 BCE. The name Cleopatra comes from the Greek 'Kleopatra,' meaning 'Glory of the Father.' Initially, she co-reigned with her father, Ptolemy XII Auletes, and later with her brothers, Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV, whom she eventually replaced to become the sole ruler. After surviving a coup orchestrated by Ptolemy XIII's advisors, she formed an alliance with Julius Caesar to strengthen her position. Following Caesar's assassination in 44 BCE, Cleopatra allied with Mark Antony against Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus.

After the Battle of Actium, where Mark Antony was defeated by Octavian's forces, Antony took his own life. Cleopatra also chose to end her life on August 12, 30 BCE, using an asp to commit suicide. Her son, Caesarion, was executed by Octavian on August 23, 30 BCE. Cleopatra's legacy lives on as one of the most iconic figures in Western culture, immortalized in countless dramatic works, operas, plays, and films. Her story has been famously depicted in works such as William Shakespeare’s *Antony and Cleopatra*, George Bernard Shaw's *Caesar and Cleopatra*, Jules Massenet's opera *Cléopâtre*, and the 1963 film *Cleopatra*.

Nitocris, also known as Neterkare or Nitiqrty, was the daughter of Pharaoh Pepi II and Queen Neith. She is traditionally considered the last pharaoh of Egypt's 6th Dynasty. According to some accounts, she invited the murderer of her brother to a banquet, only to kill him by flooding a sealed room with water from the Nile. Afterward, to escape further royal intrigue, Nitocris allegedly took her own life. However, modern historians debate her existence, with some suggesting she may have been a male figure or a completely fictional character. Despite the lack of concrete evidence, these theories continue to be discussed.

Nitocris's name appears in the *Histories* of Herodotus and in the works of Manetho, but her historical accuracy is questioned. If she were a real historical figure, she might have been a queen during an interregnum, possibly the sister of Merenre Nemtyemsaf II, daughter of Pepi II and Queen Neith. Additionally, Egyptologist Kim Ryholt and others have argued that Nitocris could be a legendary figure based on a real person, Neitiqerty Siptah, who succeeded Merenre and ruled during the transitional period between the Old Kingdom and the First Intermediate Period.

Queen Twosret, also known as Tausret, bore the royal title of "Sitre Meryamun," meaning "Daughter of Re, Beloved of Amun." She was the last pharaoh of Egypt’s 19th Dynasty. According to ancient Egyptian historian Manetho, she may have ruled for 7 years, although this included the 6 years she served as regent for the young king Siptah, her predecessor. Therefore, her independent reign lasted a mere year. Twosret’s name, along with that of Seti, was found in the golden tomb KV56. Several items in the tomb bear the name of Ramses II, leading some scholars to believe the tomb belonged to Twosret and Seti's daughter, while others consider it to be Twosret’s personal treasure trove.

The identity of Twosret’s parents remains unclear. She may have been the daughter of Pharaoh Merneptah, with her mother possibly being a queen named Takhat. Takhat was titled “Wife of the King” and “Daughter of the King,” suggesting a royal lineage. Some believe Takhat could have been the daughter or granddaughter of Ramses II, and possibly married either Merneptah or Seti II. Takhat is also depicted in statues of Amenmesse, implying she could have been his mother, making Twosret and Amenmesse siblings. Twosret is believed to have married Pharaoh Seti II and succeeded him as queen, though no children from their union are known. KV56 mentions a princess, possibly their daughter. If Siptah was indeed Seti II's son, Twosret would have been his stepmother and acted as regent during his youth.

Merneith, also known as Meritnit, Meryet-Nit, or Meryt-Neith, was a regent queen during Egypt’s First Dynasty. She may have even ruled Egypt on her own according to some records, making her potentially the first female pharaoh and the earliest recorded queen in Egyptian history. She reigned around the 30th century BCE, though the details remain unclear. The name Merneith translates to "Love of Neith," and her stela contains symbols dedicated to this deity. She is believed to be the daughter of Pharaoh Djer and likely the queen consort of Pharaoh Djet. Merneith was also the mother of Pharaoh Den, her successor. Known as Meryet-Nit, she is regarded as the first female pharaoh and the first queen of Egypt's First Dynasty. She was the sister of Pharaoh Djet and the mother of Pharaoh Den, a connection substantiated by seals and inscriptions on the Palermo Stone.

Merneith is thought to have assumed the throne after Djet’s death, but her title is still debated. It’s possible that her son, King Den, was too young to rule upon Djet's passing, and so Merneith may have governed as regent until Den was old enough to take the throne. Similarly, Queen Neithhotep is believed to have ruled in a comparable fashion after her husband Narmer's death, as their son was also too young to lead. The use of a serekh and a seal found in Naqada suggests that Merneith might have ruled as Pharaoh. The strongest evidence of her reign comes from her tomb.