▁A men em het ▁IV ▁was ▁succeeded ▁by ▁Sob ek ne fer u , ▁the ▁first ▁histor ically ▁att ested ▁female ▁king ▁of ▁Egypt . ▁Sob ek ne fer u ▁ruled ▁no ▁more ▁than ▁four ▁years , ▁and ▁as ▁she ▁apparently ▁had ▁no ▁he irs , ▁when ▁she ▁died ▁the ▁Tw elf th ▁D ynast y ▁came ▁to ▁a ▁sudden ▁end ▁as ▁did ▁the ▁Golden ▁Age ▁of ▁the ▁Middle ▁Kingdom . ▁ ▁Dec line ▁into ▁the ▁Second ▁Inter mediate ▁Period ▁ ▁After ▁the ▁death ▁of ▁Sob ek ne f ru , ▁the ▁throne ▁may ▁have ▁passed ▁to ▁Se k hem re ▁Kh ut aw y ▁Sob ek h ote p , ▁though ▁in ▁older ▁studies ▁Weg af , ▁who ▁had ▁previously ▁been ▁the ▁Great ▁O verse er ▁of ▁Tro ops , ▁was ▁thought ▁to ▁have ▁re igned ▁next . ▁Begin ning ▁with ▁this ▁reign , ▁Egypt ▁was ▁ruled ▁by ▁a ▁series ▁of ▁e ph em eral ▁k ings ▁for ▁about ▁ten ▁to ▁fifteen ▁years . ▁An cient ▁Egypt ian ▁sources ▁regard ▁these ▁as ▁the ▁first ▁k ings ▁of ▁the ▁Th ir teenth ▁D ynast y , ▁though ▁the ▁term ▁dynast y ▁is ▁mis leading , ▁as ▁most ▁k ings ▁of ▁the ▁Th ir teenth ▁D ynast y ▁were ▁not ▁related . ▁The ▁names ▁of ▁these ▁short - l ived ▁k ings ▁are ▁att ested ▁on ▁a ▁few ▁monuments ▁and ▁gra ff iti , ▁and ▁their ▁succession ▁order ▁is ▁only ▁known ▁from ▁the ▁Tur in ▁Can on , ▁although ▁even ▁this ▁is ▁not ▁fully