User:Humanity'sHistorian/sandbox

Thea Neferure I
Neferure the Great, Mistress of the Two Lands, King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Beloved of Re, Daughter of Re, King of Kings, Empress of Empresses
Statue of Neferure now in TNEM
Pharaoh
Reign	c. 32 BC - 11 AD
Coregency	Rahotep II (disputed)
Predecessor	Cleopatra VII
Successor	Sehetepkare
Royal titulary Horus name Weseret kau wsrt-kꜢw Powerful of kas Nebty name sꜣt-sḫm-nbt-tꜣwy Sat-sekhem-nebet-tawy The daughter of the powerful one is, Mistress of the Two Lands Golden Horus Netjeret khau nṯrt-ḫꜤw Divine of appearances Prenomen  (Praenomen) Maat ka re mꜢꜤt kꜢ rꜤ The true one of the ka of Re Truth (Ma'at) is the Ka of Re Nomen Khenemet imun, hat shepsut imn ẖnmt ḥꜢt špswt United with Amun, foremost of noble women
Consort	Lysander of Alexandria, Rahotep II
Children	Sehetepkare, Meritamun, Ahhotep, Menkheperre
Father	Alexander of Alexandria
Mother	Lysandra Iset
Born	77BC Alexandria, Egypt
Died	11AD Alexandria, Egypt
Burial	Valley of the Kings
Dynasty	Thirty-Third

Thea Neferure (/θi:ja nɛfɛruːrɑːʕ/) also Thiya Neferura; Egyptian: Nfrw-Rꜥ, “The Beauty of Re” c. 77–74 BC – 11AD) was the first Pharaoh of the Thirty-Third Dynasty of Egypt, ruling from c. 32 BC until her death in 11AD. Thea Neferure was the daughter of a wealthy Egyptian merchant named Alexander and his wife, Lysandra Iset, a Priestess of Isis. She re-established the Egyptian empire by usurping the throne from the foreign-born Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony, returning Egypt to native hands. Her reign was marked by military conquests, cultural achievements, and a return to traditional Egyptian ways. One of the most prolific builders in Late Egypt, she oversaw large-scale construction projects such as the Nephthys Temple Complex, the Pantheon Chapel, the Temple of Ra and most notably, the Thean Temple of Neferure in Alexandria. Her incredibly well-preserved journals have given historians a rare look into her personal life and motives.

Attempts to tyrannize her rule were made after her reign to possibly depict her as a ruthless usurper by several Roman figureheads, much like Octavian (known as Augustus) had done with her predecessor, Cleopatra VII. These attempts were not successful.

Early life and family

Thea Neferure I was born to Alexander and Lysandra Iset in Alexandria, Egypt. Her exact date of birth is unknown due to the dates of her siblings' births not being specified, but it is speculated to be 77 BC. Her father was a wealthy Egyptian merchant that, according to Thea, sold exotic goods.

“Silks from far east and incense of... (kyphi?) Colourful dyes, pleasant oils, and perfumes.”

Her mother was an Egyptian priestess of Isis. Growing up in a Hellenized Egyptian household, Thea was exposed mainly to Greek culture and lamented the fact that her father wouldn’t let her use her Egyptian name with the upper class, in fear that their position and status would lessen in the eyes of the upper class.

“Father scolded me for asking to use my name (in) Egyptian. He warned of judgment from our Greek friends.”

Thea had two siblings, possibly younger than her, named Alexios Rahotep and Isadora Tiye(?). These double names were not uncommon during the Greco-Egyptian period; however, it seems Thea’s father was not keen on having his children use their native names, as in all his surviving letters to his children, he refers to them by their Greek names. Alexander himself does not have an Egyptian name.

Historians generally agree that Thea met her first husband, Lysander, at an early age. The then adolescent girl wrote, “Father’s friend came to his store with his son, Lysander... (It is a special occasion, and...) He has come to buy silks for his mother.” an entry written only two pages later reads, “Father told me Lysander called for me... Asked where I was.”

Her first journal is not as well preserved as her future ones; however, many of her entries show that she became incredibly good friends with Lysander, which may have led to their marriage.