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Merneith

File:Merneith_stele.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Merneith (also written Merit-neith and Meryt-Neith; died 2950 BC) was a consort and a regent of Ancient Egypt during the First Dynasty.

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Key facts

Royalty.name
Merneith
Royalty.image
Merneith stele.jpg150px
Royalty.caption
Tomb stela of Merneith from the Umm el-Qa'ab
Royalty.succession
Regent of Egypt
Royalty.reign
2965 BC
Royalty.reign type
Regency
Royalty.predecessor
Djet
Royalty.dynasty
1st Dynasty
Royalty.spouse
Djet
Royalty.issue
Den
Royalty.successor
Den
Royalty.death_date
2950 BC
Royalty.burial_place
Tomb Y, Umm El Qa'ab, Sohag, Egypt

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Wikidata facts

Show 3 more facts
date of birth
3000-00-00
Commons category
Merneith
date of death
3000-00-00
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Article

7 sections
Contents
  • Family
  • Biography
  • Tombs
  • Abydos
  • Saqqara
  • References
  • External links

Merneith (also written Merit-neith and Meryt-Neith; died 2950 BC) was a consort and a regent of Ancient Egypt during the First Dynasty.

She may have been a ruler of Egypt in her own right, based on several official records. If this was the case and the earlier royal wife Neithhotep never ruled as an independent regent, Merneith may have been the first female pharaoh and the earliest queen regnant in recorded history. Her rule occurred around 2950 BC for an undetermined period. Merneith's name means "Beloved by Neith" and her stele contains symbols of that ancient Egyptian deity. She may have been Djer's daughter and was probably Djet's senior royal wife. The former meant that she would have been the great-granddaughter of unified Egypt's first pharaoh, Narmer. She was also the mother of Den, her successor.

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