Wonder Woman of the Week: Neith-Hotep

This week I wanted to cite history to find our Wonder Woman. I thought with all the recent women showcased, I needed to go back pretty far. This week’s leading lady might just be the oldest woman history remembers. Let’s travel five THOUSAND years into the past as we look at the Wonder Woman of the Week; Neith-Hotep.

In 3200 BC, King Narmer of Upper Egypt invaded Lower Egypt (named so due to differences in elevation) in a turf war that makes the Bloods and Crips look like kids playing with an easy-bake oven. Narmer united the two kingdoms as a certified bachelor and began his search for a queen. The first pharaoh of the First Dynasty married the daughter of the defeated king; a priestess named Neithhotep. She became the first Queen-Consort in history. Her influence as the first queen of a united Egypt laid an obvious foundation because most queens of the First Dynasty changed their name to include the prefix “Neith.” [1]

Because of the lack of available data (can you blame people five thousand years ago for not writing everything down?) there is a lot of confusion about Neithhotep. First, it doesn’t help that Narmer had more names than Beyonce. In Greek records alone, there are three different names for the first king of the First Dynasty. The confusion comes however because there’s only one name for the first queen-consort; our wonderful woman Neith-Hotep. [2]

To make things more difficult- and possibly more interesting- is that the Egyptian symbols for queen-consort and queen-mother are never used to describe Neithhotep. Instead, her name is written in a way that king’s names are written- suggestion Neithhotep may have held the “reigns” to the kingdom. Neithhotep is also named after an obscure war goddess “Neith” and Neithhotep’s name is written with arrows above her serekh (a box surrounding pharaoh’s names). [3]

What we do know about Neith-Hotep is that she was likely a priest of the patron goddess of Lower Egypt- Nekhbet. The crowns worn by the pharaohs of the First Dynasty combined the images of Nekbet and Wadjet (patron goddess of Upper Egypt) to represent the united kingdoms. In what might be the only document describing her son Horus Aha, Neith-Hotep is depicted performing the ceremony celebrating the uniting of the two kingdoms- showing Neith-Hotep was still performing her priestess duties well into her reign. [4]

Neith-Hotep was buried at Naqada in the tomb of Menes- a Greek name for either Narmer or Horus Aha (There’s that confusion I’ve been talking about.) somewhere along the border of Lower and Upper Egypt. The majority of artifacts from the tomb were looted long before archaeologists could examine it, and the only artifact recovered that discusses Neithhotep is a single shard of fired clay featuring Neith-Hotep’s name among trees and buildings. [5]

While there is a lot of confusion about Neith-Hotep’s husband and offspring, Neithhotep herself is pretty straightforward. After her kingdom was invaded, this priestess married the enemy king, became the first recorded queen consort in history, raised the first heir to the throne of the First Dynasty to ever rule Egypt, and held a name which would become the oldest woman’s name history remembers. While there is a tremendous amount of missing information about her life, there is one thing for certain when it comes to Neith-Hotep; that she is your Wonder Woman of the Week.

"THE 20 MOST POWERFUL BLACK WOMEN IN HISTORY." POMEGRANATE PUBLISHING. Accessed February 4, 2015. http://www.pome-granate.org/20mostpowerful.html.

"The Ancient Egypt Site." Neithhotep. Accessed February 4, 2015. http://www.ancient-egypt.org/who-is-who/n/neithhotep.html.

"Ancient Egyptian Queen Neithhotep." Ancient Egypt 101 by Mummific. Accessed February 4, 2015. http://www.ancientegypt101.com/ancient-egyptian-queen.html.

"Aha." Rulers of Ancient Egypt:. Accessed February 4, 2015. http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/Hor-aha.html.

Garstang, John. “Fired clay jar sealing.” Oxford University Expedition to Nubia by the Museum, 1920. Metropolitan Museum of Art:. Accessed February 4, 2015. http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/551832.