Queens of Egypt

The History of Egypt for Kids - The Queens of Egypt

The Civilization, Culture & History of Ancient Egypt and facts about the Queens of Egypt

Ancient Egyptians

Ancient Egyptians - Queens of Egypt
A comprehensive guide and fact sheet about the Queens of Egypt. Discover fascinating facts and information about ancient Egypt and Ancient Egyptian Queens and famous consorts.
 
The names of all the Queens of Egypt
List of famous Queens and consorts of the Kings of Egypt
List of consorts and queens including Nefertiti, Tiy and Nefertari
Interesting facts about the the ancient Egyptian Queens 
The titles of the queens of ancient Egypt - Divine Queenship
Polygamy, Incest and the title "God's Wife of Amun"
The status and names of famous royal Egyptian queens
An overview of the Queens of ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptians - Queens of Egypt
Click a link for additional information and interesting facts about subjects relating to the ancient Egyptian Queens and other aspects of daily life, the people and places of ancient Egypt.

The Queens of Egypt
The most famous of all the Queens of Egypt is Queen Cleopatra, the mistress of Julius Caesar who became the wife of Mark Anthony. However, there were other Queens of Egypt. Some ruled as
Pharaohs in their own right, whilst others made and impact as a consort of the Pharaoh. The ancient Egyptians had no word that was equivalent to "Queen". The title of a female ruler was the same as a man - King or Pharaoh. The Queens of Egypt were formally depicted in the same manner as the Kings, complete with the the tightly curled false beard that hooked behind the ears, which was a symbol of royal authority. The Queens that ruled in their own right  faced considerable opposition, especially from the high court officials and some of the priests.

The Queens of Egypt
There were only a few Egyptian Queens ruled in their own right during the period of the ancient Egyptian Empire. Powerful women faced prejudice in ancient Egypt. Following the decline of the Egyptian Empire, during the Ptolemaic period, it was acceptable for women to rule and there were many Queens of Egypt, including the famous Queen Cleopatra.

The Ptolemaic Queens of Egypt
The Ptolemaic Kingdom was established when the Greeks conquered the ancient Egyptians. The kingdom was ruled by the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty that was founded by Ptolemy I Soter, following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. The rule of the Ptolemaic Dynasty lasted for 275 years and ended with the death of Cleopatra VII and the Roman conquest of ancient Egypt in 30 BC. Many of Egyptian queens of the Ptolemaic dynasty ruled jointly with their male brothers who were also their consorts (royal incest was acceptable to the ancient Egyptians). Queen Cleopatra was one of many Queens of Ptolemaic Egypt who shared the same name. The full title of this famous queen was Cleopatra VII Philopator.

Queens of Egypt: Queen Cleopatra at Philae

Queens of Egypt: Picture depicting Queen Cleopatra at Philae

Different Types of Queens of Egypt
Our list of the Queens of Egypt therefore fall into three categories:
 

The Queens of Egypt who were Pharaohs of the ancient Egyptian Empire
The famous consort Queens of Egypt who were married to Pharaohs
Queens of the Ptolemaic Dynasty of ancient Egypt

List of Queens of Egypt
The following chart provides a list of the ruling Queens of Egypt and the royal women who were famous as the consorts of ruling pharaohs. Merneith was a consort and a regent of Ancient Egypt during the 1st dynasty. She may have been an ancient Egyptian ruler in her own right. Nitocris has been claimed to have been the last pharaoh of the 6th Dynasty but this is also questionable.
 

List of Queens of Egypt

Names of
Pharaoh Queens of Egypt
Names of Queen Consorts Names of Ptolemaic Queens
Queen SobeknefruQueen NefertitiQueen Berenice I
Queen HatshepsutQueen  NefertariQueen Arsinoe I
Queen TwosretQueen TiyeQueen Arsinoe II
Queen NitocrisQueen AnkhesenamunQueen Berenice II
Possible Pharaoh-QueenQueen AhmoseQueen Arsinoe III
Queen MerneithQueen TiyQueen Cleopatra I
  Queen Cleopatra II
 Queens of Egypt:: NefertitiQueen Cleopatra III
 Queen Cleopatra IV
Queens of Egypt:: HatshepsutQueen Berenice III Philopator
Queen Cleopatra V Tryphaena
Queen Berenice IV Epiphaneia
Queen Cleopatra VI Tryphaena
Queen Arsinoe IV
Queen Cleopatra VII Philopator
 
Queen HatshepsutNefertitiNames of Ptolemaic Queens

List of Queens and Consorts

Queens of Egypt
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about the Queens of Egypt for kids with some amazing, cool and quick information about ancient Egypt and Egyptians. Ideal for children, homework, schools, teachers and kids of all ages! Find fascinating fun facts about the Queens of Egypt for kids and the history, culture and civilisation of the ancient Egyptians and ancient Egypt. Interesting, fun facts about the Queens of Egypt for research, schools, students and kids of all ages.

 

The Ancient Egyptians

 

Queens of Egypt - Polygamy
The kings of Egypt practised Polygamy, meaning having more than one wife at the same time. Having multiple wives and concubines enabled the pharaohs to establish their dynasty and ensure the line of succession. The chief wife was accorded the status of "King's Principal Wife", all others were the "King's wife" or the "King's wife of non-royal birth" making the 'pecking order very clear in the royal harem. The main wife, aka the "Great Royal Wife", enjoyed a special and higher status compared to any of the other wives.

Queens of Egypt - Incest and 'Divine Queenship'
The ancient Egyptians also saw incest seen as an acceptable practise amongst the kings of Egypt in order to retain the sacred and divine bloodline. Incestuous marriages only occurred within the royal family and involved the king who was believed to be a god. Kings of Egypt adopted the divine status, claiming ancestry from the gods and were therefore fit to undertake the role as mediator with the gods. A precedent for incest had been established by the gods themselves such as Osiris marrying his sister Isis. Kings of Egypt therefore might chose their sister, cousin or even their daughter as a wife. Through the practise of incest the concept of 'Divine Kingship' was extended, by means of the incestuous marriage, to include the notion of 'Divine Queenship'.

New Kingdom Queen wearing Royal Vulture crown

New Kingdom Queen wearing Royal Vulture crown

Titles of the Queens of Egypt
The titles of the important women of the royal family and queens of Egypt were included in their Cartouches. The titles described their status and included "King's Daughter", "King's Principal Wife" or "Great Royal Wife",  "King's wife", "King's wife of non-royal birth" and "King's Mother". The most important royal women were the King's Principal Wife and the King's Mother and were accorded special titles, symbols and dress. The most revered royal women were allowed to wear the Royal Vulture Crown that consisted of a falcon feather headdress with its wings spread round her head in the act of protection. The Royal Vulture Crown was  adorned by a Uraeus, the rearing cobra emblem and symbol of the Pharaohs of Lower Egypt. In tomb paintings these royal women were often depicted holding the 'Ankh'. The Ankh was was one of the most potent symbols of the ancient Egyptians symbolizing physical life, eternal life, immortality and reincarnation. This linked the highest ranked royal women with the gods and emphasized the concept of divine queenship.

Nefertari wearing the Royal Vulture Crown

Nefertari wearing the Royal Vulture Crown

The Queens of Egypt - Rules of Succession
The rules of succession of ancient Egypt were that the next pharaoh would be the eldest son by the "King's Great Wife". Should the principal queen be childless the next pharaoh would be a son by a lesser wife. If the pharaoh did not have any sons the of Egypt throne went to another male relative. If the new pharaoh was a child, under 14 years of age, his mother could become regent. As 'Queen Regent' she would perform all of the ceremonial and political requirements on behalf of her son. Hatshepsut was originally a queen regent.

Queens of Egypt - God's Wife of Amun
The title "God's Wife of Amun" first appeared during the 10th dynasty when the title and position was held by non-royal priestesses who served the Amun-Ra. Over time the cult of Amun rose to supreme importance and it was deemed of vital political importance in the 18th Dynasty to associate the royal queens of Egypt with the god Amun by according them this ancient title. The role of "God's Wife of Amun" required the queens to participate in the sacred temple ceremonies and rituals. The title "God's Wife of Amun" referred to the myth of the divine birth of the king, according to which his mother was impregnated by the god Amun." The new title was used in preference to the title "Great Royal Wife" and stressed to the ancient Egyptians that the king had been born a god. Queen Hatshepsut used the title, which was hereditary, and the title was passed on to her daughter Neferure.  The position of the "God's Wife of Amun" also held the title of "Chieftainess of the Harem". The concept of 'Divine Queenship' was intended to make the Queen's position within the harem as sacred and therefore unassailable. By the 25th Dynasty the royal women with the title title "God's Wife of Amun" were symbolically married to the god Atum in highly elaborate ceremonies and were subsequently deified after their death. The status of the Egyptian Queens was elevated to a highly prominent, divine, position and extensive powers. The hereditary title "God's Wife of Amun" was later used by foreign rulers to extend their position and status in ancient Egypt. During the 24th dynasty a Nubian King called Kashta had extended Nubia's influence when he compelled the ruling Theban royal family to adopt his own daughter Amenirdis, in order for her to become the "Wife of Amun" thus symbolizing the ritual marriage of women in the ruling dynasty with Amun-Ra, the "king of the gods" and linked Nubia with the Egyptian royal family.

 

Queens of Egypt

Facts and Information about the Ancient Egyptian Queens

Consorts & Queens of Egypt

The queens, consorts, pharaohs, culture and civilization of the Egyptians

Facts and information about the Egyptian Queens and consorts

Queens of Egypt for kids and schools

Ancient Egyptian Queens for kids, schools, homework and research

Ancient Egyptian Queens

 

Queens of Egypt: Egyptian Queen in Harem

Queens of Egypt: Picture of an Egyptian Queen in the Harem

Queens of Egypt - Queen Tiy (Consort of Amenhotep III)
Egyptian Queens: Queen Tiy was the beautiful Chief Queen of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and the mother of Akhenaten, grandmother of Tutankhamun.

Queens of Egypt - Queen Tiye (Consort of Ramses III - The Harem Plot)
Egyptian Queens: Queen Tiye was a consort of Ramses III a king of the 20th dynasty of the New Kingdom and involved in the infamous harem plot.

Queens of Egypt - Queen Nitocris
Queen Nitocris ruled during the 6th dynasty of ancient Egyptian kings and the period in history known as the Old Kingdom.

Queens of Egypt - Queen Sobeknefru
Egyptian Queens: Queen Sobeknefru reigned from 1785 - 1782 BC. She was a queen of the 12th dynasty during the period in ancient Egyptian history known as the Middle Kingdom.

Queens of Egypt - Queen Hatshepsut
Egyptian Queens: Queen Hatshepsut reigned from c. 1479–1458 BC She was the fifth pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Ancient Egypt during the period in ancient Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom.

Queens of Egypt - Queen Nefertiti (Consort of Akhenaten)
Egyptian Queens: Queen Nefertiti r1351 – 1337 BC was the chief wife and consort of Akhenaten during the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom.

Queens of Egypt - Ankhesenamun (Consort of Tutankhamun)
Egyptian Queens: Queen Ankhesenamun was queen in the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom. She was the wife and half sister of Tutankhamun and the third daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti.

Queens of Egypt - Queen Nefertari (Consort of Ramses the Great)
Egyptian Queens: Queen Nefertari ruled as queen to Ramses the Great in the 19th Dynasty of the New Kingdom.

Queens of Egypt - Queen Twosret
Egyptian Queens: Queen Twosret
reigned from 1187 BC - 1186BC during the 19th dynasty of the New Kingdom.

Queens of Egypt - Queen Cleopatra
Egyptian Queens: Queen Cleopatra VII, the most famous of all the Queens of Egypt, she was the mistress of Julius Caesar and the wife of Mark Anthony. The death of Cleopatra saw ancient Egypt becoming a province of the Roman Empire.

The End of the Queens of Egypt
Egyptian Queens: Cleopatra VII was the last Queen of Egypt and the last pharaoh. Following her death, and after the Ancient Egyptian civilisation had survived for over 3000 years, Egypt became a Roman province. There were no more Egyptian Queens.

Ancient Egypt

Queens of Egypt
Learning about the ancient Egyptians and Queens of Egypt inspires everyone to visit historical sites and undertake Egypt Travel and Tours to experience the wonders of this magical land at first hand. Many people choose to experience a tour of Egypt on a Nile Cruise stopping at the famous destinations and sites of Egypt such as the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. The information and facts about the Queens of Egypt will provide you with a great insight into Egypt and the legacy of the ancient Egyptians.

Queens of Egypt

 

Queens of Egypt - Ancient Egyptian Queens - Pictures - Eygptians - Ancient Egypt - Ancient Egyptians - Egyptian Queens - Kids - Children - Egyptian Queens - Research - Schools - Homework - Eygptians - Egyption - Egyptian Queens - Egypt - History - Queens of Egypt - Ancient - Pictures - Images - Kids - Egyptian Queens - Children - Kids - Facts - Eygptians - Interesting - Information - Kids - Egyptian Queens - Children - Kids - Research - Ancient Egypt - Egyptology - Egyptian Queens - Old Egypt - Egyptology - Egypten - Egyption - Egipt - Queens of Egypt - Travel - Tours - Egyptian Queens - Nile Cruise - Holiday - Vacation - Queens of Egypt - Eygpt - Written By Linda Alchin