The Queen Merneith
What was Queen Merneith known for?
Keeping her family line of men in power was Merneith's responsibility. While historians and scientists have been able to draw informed conclusions about Merneith's power based on tombs and artifacts, it is extremely difficult to prove exactly what she did because she belonged to Egypt's first dynasty.
Queen Merneith lived during the Archaic Period of Egypt, between 3100 and 2686 BC. This confirms that she may have been the mother of King Den, one of the first pharaohs of unified Egypt, you will discover their history during Egypt tours. King Den used the title "King of Lower and Upper Egypt" and ruled from -approximately- 2970 BC. Furthermore, the claim is supported by a seal discovered in the tomb of Pharaoh Den himself, which was engraved with the text, "The King's Mother, Merytneit." However, determining the identity of her father or that of her husband is more complicated. I encourage you now to choose from our Egypt travel packages, the historical journeys to discover the history of great Egyptian pharaohs. If you are interested in discovering the History of Queen Merneith, check out our Egypt day tours to Abydos city, There you will find a temple belonging to Queen Merneith.
It is possible, although it has never been certified, that she was the daughter of Dyer, the third pharaoh of the First Dynasty, although other researchers consider the possibility that Dyer was her husband. Some Egyptologists argue that she was also the mother of Pharaoh King Djet, the fourth of the First Dynasty. However, since King Den was the son of Djet, it makes more sense that the Queen was the wife of Pharaoh Djet. Queen Merytneit's name is mentioned in the famous Palermo Stone which sets out the list of kings of early Egypt.
Info about Queen Mertineit
This suggests that she eventually became a ruler in her own right. If this were the case, then she may have been the first female pharaoh. Her rule would have been fixed around 2950 BC for an undetermined period depending on the age of her son. It is believed that Merytneit probably ruled as regent when her son and successor, Den, was still very young. If you want to discover the tomb of Queen Merneith, Head to Saqqara which is included in our Cairo day tours. There you will travel through a time machine to the pharaonic era to discover the greatness of Egyptian pharaohs. You can use your time in Cairo and take a day tour of the pyramids and Egyptian museums. There you will discover one of the great seven wonders in the world, and complete your historical tour in an Egyptian museum.
At Umm el-Qaab, the necropolis of the kings of the First and Second Dynasties, archaeologists located the tomb of Queen Merytneit with the help of two stelae. On these two stelae, her name is not inscribed in 'Serekh', as they did with the names of the pharaohs at that time, even though she was included in the list of kings. If you want to complete your historical tour, I advise you to check out our Luxor day tours.
This was because she had been a regent, ruling in place of her younger son, Den. There is also no Horus falcon on the pharaoh's stelae, which could prove that Merneith was a woman. However, it does not explain why her name appeared in both male and female forms on other artifacts. It could be because a ruler, as we know from studies of Hatshepsut, the queen-pharaoh of Egypt's 18th dynasty, should have "male attributes". As we know queen Hatshepsut herself is depicted with a false beard that indicates her status as pharaoh.
Queen Meryneit lived so many millennia ago that there are hardly any details left about her life and piecing her story together from a few inscriptions and miscellaneous objects is extremely difficult.
