An interregnum regent is a person who rules in the place of the rightful heir until he or she reaches the age of maturity. In ancient Egypt, the tradition was established during the First Dynasty, during the reign of Merneith, who acted as interregnum regent for her son, Den, who later ruled as pharaoh. That this queen ruled for a period of time is confirmed from the Palermo Stone, on which the early dynastic kings are named.