Statue of Queen Neferusobek

Neferousobek was one of the few women to ascend to the Egyptian throne. Her reign marked the end of the 12th Dynasty. The queen is identified here by a cartouche on the buckle of her belt. She wears the royal headdress known as némès (which is identical to that of the Sphinx of Giza, for example); its flaps are still visible on her shoulders. Like her grandfather, Sesostris III, she is also wearing a pendant in the shape of a shell. It is worth noting that her royal attire reflects her womanhood, dressed as she is in a sheath dress with two wide straps that pass over her breasts, in accordance with the fashion of the time. She is wearing the loincloth of kings over her dress, reflecting her status as such. According to Egyptian myth, kingship was reserved for men, since Horus had inherited the throne from his father, Osiris.