What is a female pharaoh called?

Female pharaohs did not have a different title from male counterparts, but were simply called pharaohs.

Who were the only female pharaohs?

Sobekneferu (r. Sobekneferu was the first female pharaoh of ancient Egypt confirmed by evidence. She was the last ruler of the 12th Dynasty, following the death of her brother Amenemhat IV.

Who is the most famous female pharaoh of ancient Egypt?

Hatshepsut
Depicted (at her own orders) as a male in many contemporary images and sculptures, Hatshepsut remained largely unknown to scholars until the 19th century. She is one of the few and most famous female pharaohs of Egypt.

How many female pharaohs are there?

Fletcher recognizes 12 female pharaohs, a higher number than most Egyptologists, including not only Cleopatra (both the one immortalized in Shakespeare’s play and her identically named predecessors) and Nefertiti, but also several lesser-known women pharaohs who paved the way for their more famous successors.

Could a woman be a pharaoh?

Women in ancient Egypt were ahead of their time. They could not only rule the country, but also had many of the same basic human rights as men. One of the first women to hold the rank of pharaoh was Hatshepsut, who began her rule in about 1,500 B.C.E.

Are pharaohs only male?

Pharaohs were typically male, although there were some noteworthy female leaders, like Hatshepsut and Cleopatra. Hatshepsut, in particular, was a successful ruler, but many inscriptions and monuments about her were destroyed after her death—perhaps to stop future women from becoming pharaohs.

What do female pharaohs do?

These women in ancient Egypt were serving a patriarchy, in a context of social inequality. They were stepping in to support their husbands, brothers, or sons. The reason Egypt had women rulers again and again is because Egypt was very risk-averse and wanted a divine kingship to survive no matter what.