Old Kingdom
Nitiqret (Nitocris)
6th Dynasty · 2345-2181 BCE
Open full-size illustration →Background
Nitiqret, better known through the Greek form Nitocris, is a problematic figure near the end of Dynasty 6. Classical authors described a queen who avenged her brother and then died by suicide, but no contemporary Egyptian evidence securely confirms that story. Modern scholarship often links the name to a corrupted reading in king lists, possibly connected with the male king Neitiqerty Siptah, rather than an independently attested female pharaoh. The entry therefore preserves an influential tradition but must be clearly labelled uncertain. It should not be used as evidence for a documented historical reign. Research: UCL Digital Egypt; Egyptian king-list studies.
Chronology: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Full profile
The legendary queen
Nitiqret (often known by the Greek name Nitocris) is an incredibly controversial historical figure. According to Manetho, she was the final ruler of the Sixth Dynasty, describing her as "braver than all the men of her time" and the most beautiful woman in the world.
A historical fiction?
Despite these legendary descriptions, there is absolutely no contemporary archaeological evidence to prove she existed. Furthermore, modern linguistic analysis suggests the name "Nitiqret" is actually a masculine name. Whether Nitiqret was a powerful queen, a male ruler, or an entirely fabricated legend, the end of this reign marked the definitive collapse of the monarchy. Egypt dissolved into civil war, officially ending the Old Kingdom period.