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Rule:6th Dynasty: 2152-2150 BC
Predecessor:husband Merenre 2
Father:Pepi 2
Praenomen:Throne name: Menkaura - Eternal is the soul of Ra
Consorts:Merenre 2
Capital City:Memphis
Reign: - Her name is found in the History of Herodotus, but she is not mentioned, in any native Egyptian inscriptions and she probably did not exist
- Her fame grew in the Ptolemaic Period in the guise of the mythical Rhodopis,

Herodotus Account
- According to Herodotus she was the first female known queen to exercise political power over Egypt

  • She came into power when her brother and husband Merenre 2 was murdered.
  • She invited his murders to a banquet and then flooded the sealed banquet room with the Nile, all the traitors were drowned
  • Then she committed suicide by running into a room of burning embers and flinging herself into the flames

Manetho Account
- Her Praenomen "throne name" is Menkaura, led to a historical confusion since Manetho thought she was the same person as Menkaura, and attributed her with the construction of the third pyramid of Giza
Manetho described her physical appearance as "the most beautiful woman of her time with blond hair and fair complexion"

Burial:Unknown
Successor:End of Old Kingdom
Wikipedia:Nitocris

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Poll: Which Egyptian queen was the most successful, and inspires human imagination?

Answers:
56%
813 votes

22%
329 votes

10%
152 votes

1%
20 votes

5%
80 votes

3%
57 votes

Total votes:
1451

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Last updated 21 November 2012 , By Ayman Fadl - Copyright © 2001-2012