EGYPT’S MOST POWERFUL WOMEN

SOBEKNEFERU

ruled 1777–1773 BC

Though it has been proposed that women did rule Egypt before the 12th Dynasty, Sobekneferu was the first female pharaoh of ancient Egypt to be confirmed by archaeological evidence.

Among a small collection of surviving sources to bear her name and royal titles is a cylindrical seal made of steatite, now housed in the British Museum. She acceded to rule at the end of the 12th Dynasty, after the death of her brother, Amenemhat IV, who died without a suitable male heir.

Unlike Hatshepsut – a woman) – Sobekneferu alternated traditional female clothing with royal attire and regalia, creating a composite gender image that can be seen in her few surviving statues. It has been suggested that the pharaoh may have used this deliberate ambiguity as a way to combat critics of her position based on her sex.