The Queens of Ancient Egypt
In today’s age, we know of the great men and kings. We know of Aristotle, Martin Luther King Jr, George Washington, and Alexander the Great; they were the pioneers of philosophy, literature, politics, and the list goes on. Men whose existence remains questionable to this day are even deeply ingrained in our religions and our folklores. We know of Jesus and Zeus, God of the Gods. Dracula and Peter Pan. It is a fact that these men are the first faces and names that come to mind when we think of their respective fields.
Of course, there are great women as well.
Jane Austen, Marie Curie, Rosa Parks, Malala Yousafzai, even Queen Elizabeth I and II, Queen Elizabeth II being the current figurehead of Britain. Nonetheless, I would argue that the great men have been given far more opportunity in the past and in the present. We probably knew of Shakespeare far before any of us heard of Jane Austen, thoughboth were great writers. We probably knew of Martin Luther King Jr before we ever heard of Rosa Parks, yet both were crucial black activists in a time of white supremacy.
More than being an interesting subject, the queens of ancient Egypt are an important aspect of history for me.
The ancient Egyptian civilization is the earliest known human civilization where queen-pharaohs were given equal rights to their male counterparts. Egyptian queens were among the greatest rulers of Ancient Egypt. Even Egyptian women not born with royal blood were respected in general. Much historical evidence supports this narrative, including uncovered inscriptions of past practices and regimes as well as their religion. Women were allowed to own property, businesses, and were even given the option to divorce and remarry (Mark, 2018).
A number of modern countries to this day still have not had their first female leader, and a large majority of courts and senates are male-dominanted. So how was Egypt so socially progressive 3000 years ago? Just as with modern world beliefs, which are often related to the folklore and religions that have been passed down throughout centuries, Egyptian religion and folklore can provide evidence of how women came to assume an almost equal footing to men. Before some periods of drastic change, Egypt was a polytheistic civilization, worshipping and believing in the existence of more than one god. Among these deities, the goddess Neith was thought to be the creator of all, above the sun god Atum (Mark, 2017). As well, Isis, another female deity, is arguably the most well-known and known as the “Mother of the Gods.” When Osiris died, Isis traveled the country to find his body and eventually brought him back to life. After doing so, Osiris, alongside Isis (his sister-wife), brings about generations of prosperity for Egypt where Egyptian culture and ceremonial celebrations are founded. Isis becomes the centre of this story, out shadowing her brother and king, Osiris (Canadian Museum of History, n.d.).
In Egypt’s long and grueling history, starting from the Old Kingdom, to the Ptolemaic Dynasty, there have been more recorded male pharaohs than female (Mark, 2017). Nonetheless, under female leadership, Egypt has maintained or progressed remarkably.
(c. 1807- 1802 BCE)
Sobeknefru was the first confirmed female monarch. During her reign, there was little resistance against her rule, and Sobeknefru made no effort to dress in masculine attire.
(c. 1479-1458 BCE)
Hatshepsut was only second to Cleopatra, but she was often compared with Sobeknefru, who came before her. Unlike Sobeknefru, she chose to dress as a male and ordered many statues of her to resemble the typical male ruler.
However, at the end of her reign, although the reason remains unconfirmed, efforts were made to remove any trace of her rule from Egyptian history. Hatshepsut’s monuments were defaced and torn down. Her name was removed from the list of ‘kings’. However, today we remember Hapshepsut’s reign as one of the most flourishing times in Egypt as she attained incomparable power as she controlled much of Egyptian politics and commerce, established foreign trade routes and led many successful military campaigns. Her reign lasted 21 years, the longest of any other female monarch in Egypt (Egypt Today staff, 2017).
(c. 1370- 1336 BCE)
Neferneferuaten Nefertiti was the royal wife of Akhenaten, who is remembered as a “heretic king”. He was not involved in his role, thus Nefertiti was left to rule behind the scenes, Egypt was wealthier and more prosperous than ever before. Nefertiti is remembered in more artwork than even her husband. She was even said to have been revered as a fertility goddess (Cooney, 2018).
(c. 1255 BCE)
Nefertari did not rule, but she was queen of Ramesses II (c. 1279- 1213 BCE), and he treated her as his equal and his “sun”. She was more than deserving of his praise as she spoke multiple languages and knew how to write (a rare skill at the time). He had many temples and monuments built for her -- the most famous example being the temple of Abu Simbel. She also held the position of God’s Wife of Amun, which was a highly influential position given to a high-ranking Egyptian woman. The God’s Wife of Amun was the equivalent to the position of a high priest, along with the political power that came with the connection to Egyptian religion, and was given tax-exempt land, wealth, servants, and a temple dedicated to herself (Mark, 2017).
(c. 323- 30 BCE)
Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator was better known than Ramesses II, Tutankhamen, and even, the Napoleon of Egypt, Thutmose III. Her tragic love story with Marc Anthony (a Roman politician) was immortalized into one of Shakespeare’s plays. Cleopatra’s time period was chaotic due to fighting between Rome and Egypt, that would lead to the end of Egypt. Despite her tragic ending -- Cleopatra commits suicide to avoid captivity -- Cleopatra was a natural leader and knew how to “manipulate important male figures” to her advantage. She bore four children with Caesar and Marc Anthony in hopes of securing her place in power (Worrall, 2018).
Unlike normal families, Cleopatra’s family was not tied by blood. In fact, bloodshed amongst family members would be a better way to put it. Cleopatra is sometimes seen as a cold-blooded murderer, but her upbringing would’ve caused anyone to become paranoid and cruel. In the end, even her “excessive” precautions were not enough to prevent death.
While I started my article determined that ancient Egypt was exempt from any wrongs, there are some confessions that I have to make…
Even during these times in Egypt, there were some restrictions that even these great women faced, repercussions that are entirely synonymous with what we see today. Egyptian queens are less documentered than Egyptian kings. Like we saw with Hatshepsut, her rule was almost erased from history. Additionally, evidence suggests that various other female monarchs with sabotaged evidence, like Merneith, Nitocris, whose reigns remain a question for historians to ponder.
As well, if we look closer into Egyptian history, we can also see a trend of Egyptian queens coming into power in times of division and instability. In the article “Should women rule the world? ...” by National Geographic, the author claims that the ancient Egyptians knew female rulers were “safe” options. They ruled differently, either by intention or not, the Egyptian queens acted almost as “stopgaps” in times of instability. They were there one day, and then the next, they weren’t.
Biologically, it’s easy to see why any monarch or political system dependent on heirs would prefer males. Women are only able to reproduce a limited amount of children and at the risk of their health while some are physically unable to do so. In terms of reproduction, male leaders are not inconvenienced by childbirth so they are more likely to produce more heirs. Nature is not always fair. Moreover, the following is not my complete opinion, but an article brings up the point that women, in general, are more peace-making and peace-keeping and are less likely to commit mass-murder, start a war, etc... Unlike the stories of British would-be queens murdering their nephews, or sons, Egyptian queens were protective of their nephews and children; they knew their role was to “pass it on” (Cooney, 2018).
I’m not a hard-core feminist, or anyone suggesting that we should overthrow the “unfair world,” but I argue that these queens are evidence that women can run the world. However ancient they may be, Nefertiti was modest, Nefertari was influential, Sobeknefru was courageous, Hatshepsut was successful, and Cleopatra was a mastermind.
Today, there are many women in positions of power. The most recent and memorable example is Kamala Harris, the new Vice President of the United States, and the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has served incredibly well as of yet.
Yes, gender shouldn’t be something to put on your resume, but it shouldn’t be a detraction either.
Works Cited
https://www.ancient.eu/article/1040/great-female-rulers-of-ancient-egypt/
https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/13296/Queens-of-Ancient-Egypt
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2018/11/kara-cooney-queens-of-egypt-women-rule-the-world/
https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcr10e.html
More Resources If You Are Interested:
Who Were the Queens of Egypt: Documentary by Timeline- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3aNbNxKS6s
The Mystery of Queen Nefertiti: Documentary by National Geographic-