Women of the Two Lands
The role of women in ancient Egypt: everyday life, and the nobility

Board: Women of the Two Lands - In Reach of the Crown
Thread: Powerful Women of Antiquity Random discussion pertaining to powerful women of antiquity. How did powerful Egyptian women compare to those in other ancient cultures? ... more
NEXT: RE: Tewosret - (* Merneith Hatshepsut, - posted: Jan 14, 2003 - 03:59 )
Message: Queen Sobeknofru
no title
Author: * Arianna Junius - 71 Posts
Date: Jan 6, 2003 - 01:25

Well I'm adding another woman to the list. According to Joyce Tyldesley in Daughters of Isis, this woman was the last ruler of the 12th Dynasty. She took the throne around 1798 BC and ruled for nearly four years, according to the Turin Canon. Manetho said that she was a royal princess, the sister of her predecessor, King Amenemhat IV and probably daughter of Amenemhat III. A stone block from his pyramid at Hawara mentions this. It's not clear wether she was married to her brother or not.

Blocks have been recovered which contain the names of Sobeknofru and her father, but it's not likely that they were co-regents. It's also unlikely that she was co-regent with her Amenemhat IV.

It's unknown how Sobeknofru came to power but it's largely accepted that she took over in place of her brother after his death in order to continue the royal line. Some mention a family feud and plots from the Queen in order to obtain power, but Sobeknofru was not regarded in history as a scheming woman.

NEXT: RE: Tewosret - (* Merneith Hatshepsut, - posted: Jan 14, 2003 - 03:59 )
PREV: Ohyes! Ahmose Nefertari! :) - (* Mirjam Nebet, - posted: Mar 8, 2006 - 11:17 )

Copyright 2002 AncientWorlds LLC | Code of Conduct | Contact Us: feedback@ancientworlds.net | The AncientWorlds Staff