173) Arsinoë IV Egyptian Queen and Cleopatra VII’s Younger Sister Born: c.68 BC, Alexandria, Ancient Egypt Died: c.41 BC The Temple of Artemis, Ephesus, Ancient Roman Empire (Present-day Ephesus, Turkey) Arsinoë may have been Ptolemy XIII’s twin sister. In 48 BC, Arsinoë’s siblings Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XIII started a civil war over who would be…
172) Cleopatra VII Philopater Yes, That Cleopatra Born: 69 BC, Alexandria, Egypt Died: 30 BC, Alexandria, Egypt Cleopatra was an Egyptian Pharaoh who first ruled as co-regent with her two younger brothers (Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV respectively) and then her oldest son Caesarion (Ptolemy Caesar/ Ptolemy XV). Cleopatra is widely seen as the last…
171) Nefertiti Neferneferuaten Egyptian Queen and Great Royal Wife of Akhenaten Born: c. 1370 BC, Thebes, Egypt Died: c. 1331 BC, Egypt Her name means “Beautiful of the Beauties of Aten, a Beautiful Woman has Come.” Nefertiti is one of the most iconic figures from Ancient Egypt thanks to her alluring bust (and by that,…
“Now my heart turns to and fro, In thinking what will people say, They who shall see my monument in after years, And shall speak of what I have done.” -Inscription on one of Hatshepsut’s mortuary obelisks at Karnak 170) Hatshepsut Egyptian Pharaoh who Has Been Falsely Identified by Many as the First Woman in…
169) Sobekneferu The First Confirmed Female Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt Birth Date Unknown: Ancient Egypt Died: c.1802 BC, Ancient Egypt Alternate Name: Nefrusobek Sobekneferu’s name means “She Who Shows the Beauty of Sobek.” Sobek is one of the most powerful pharaohs the Egyptian Pantheon. He is most known as being the Crocodile god. Nefrusobek’s father…
168) Khentkaus III Egyptian Queen from the 5th Dynasty Lived Around 2450 BC, Ancient Egypt Alternate Spelling: Khentakawess III Her tomb was uncovered in 2015. She was either the mother or wife of Pharaoh Neferefre. The location of the tomb points to her more likely being his wife but that still isn’t certain. The confusion…
167) Justa Grata Honoria Roman Princess and sister of Roman Emperor Valentinian III who was literally responsible for the collapse of Western Civilization Born: c.416 CE, Ravenna, Roman Empire (Modern Day Italy) Died: c.455 CE, Rome, Roman Empire (Modern Day Italy) Her brother was crowned at the age of six while she was pushed aside…
166) Nefertari Merytmut Egyptian Queen and wife of Ramses II Died: c.1255 BC Her name means “The Beautiful Companion, Beloved of Mut” One source says Nefertari was thirteen and her husband fifteen when they married. Not much is known of her past, but she was most likely a noblewoman not of the royal family—we know…
165) Neferure Daughter of the Pharaohs Hatshepsut and Thutmose II Birth and Death Dates Unknown for Certain Her name means The Beauty of Re (or Ra). Neferure was given a very good education by her mother’s top advisors. Senenmut was particularly proud of the role he played in her education—eight statues of the two of…
164) Rose Valland The Real Monument’s Woman Born: 1 November 1898, Saint-Étienne-de-Saint-Geoirs, France Died: 18 September 1980, Ris-Orangis, France She held two degrees in art history and had extensive knowledge of European art and culture. Starting in July 1941, Rose took over the job of curator (though without the title) of the Jeu de Paume…