Nitocris

Nitocris became pharaoh after the death of Merenre Nemtyemsaf II, according to later Egyptian tradition. She is considered the first female pharaoh of Egypt, though her historicity is debated and she may be a legendary figure.

Herodotus and other ancient writers attributed the construction of the third pyramid at Giza to Nitocris, though modern scholarship assigns it to Menkaure. This attribution reflects her legendary status as a builder-pharaoh.

According to the historian Manetho, Nitocris committed suicide by flooding a room to avoid capture by her enemies. This story, likely apocryphal, symbolizes the end of the Old Kingdom and the chaos of the First Intermediate Period.