Akademik

    With the death of the aged king *Pepy II, it is probable that there were problems over the succession, and Nitocris briefly took the throne. She was one of only a very few women to become queen regnant, the most famous example being Queen *Hatshepsut. According to *Manetho, Nitocris was the last ruler of the Sixth Dynasty and her name is also given in the Turin Canon. *Herodotus (ii. 100) relates a time of conflict and tells the story of the queen's suicide, after she had taken revenge on her brother's murderers, who had tried to make her ruler in place of him.

    The title of 'God's Wife' was originally held by the king's spouse, but from the Twenty-first Dynasty, it was the king's daughter who became 'Divine Wife of Amun' (the chief state god). The princess was installed at Thebes, the cult centre of Amun, where she had extensive powers, endowments and possessions which equalled those of her father in many respects except that her influence was limited to the Theban area. Also, as the god's wife, she was fobidden to take a human husband, and her role at Thebes was to prevent any other ruler from seizing power there and threatening her father's supremacy as king.

    In the Twenty-fifth Dynasty, this role was extended further and each king's daughter who became God's Wife was obliged to adopt the next king's choice as her female successor at Thebes.

    Nitocris, who was the daughter of *Psammetichus I, succeeded Shepenopet II (the sister of King *Taharka) as Divine Wife of Amun and was endowed with great wealth at Thebes. She ruled there for sixty years and, as her successor, she adopted the daughter of *Psammetichus II.

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   1. (reigned c. 2183–81 BC)

   The Greek form of the name of a legendary queen. She is alleged by Herodotus to have succeeded her assassinated brother and husband and to have executed his murderers before committing suicide. If the legend is correct, she might have been the wife of Nemtyemsaf II. The Egyptian name Neithikert, from whom the Greek Nitocris may be derived, appears as the last ruler of Dynasty 6 in the Turin Royal Canon, but nothing historical is known of the ruler, who may well have been a man.

   See also FIRST INTERMEDIATE PERIOD.

   2. (fl. 665–586 BC)

   Daughter of Psamtik I and Mehitenweskhet, daughter of the priest Harsiese. She was appointed in 656 BC as eventual heiress to the title of God’s wife of Amun and was thereby ensured the recognition of her father as pharaoh by the authorities in Thebes headed by Mentuemhat. She later adopted her great-niece, Ankhnesneferibre, in 595 BC, and she died on 16 December 586 BC. Asecond Nitocris, daughter of Ahmose II, was destined to be the successor of Ankhnesneferibre, but her fate is unknown after the Persian conquest of Egypt.