Allthatsinteresting Com Nefertiti

The Mystery Of Nefertiti, The
Ancient Egyptian Queen Who

Suddenly Vanished
By Marco Margarito | Edited By Leah Silverman
Published April 22, 2023 | Updated May 29, 2023
After presiding over ancient Egypt with unprecedented power,

Queen Nefertiti mysteriously vanished from the historical record
in 1336 B.C.E. But some believe she secretly took her husband's
place as pharaoh after he died.
T he bust of Nefertiti is perhaps one of the most iconic and copied

works of ancient Egyptian art in the world — and with good reason.
Convert web pages and HTML files to PDF in your applications with the Pdfcrowd HTML to PDF API Printed with Pdfcrowd.com
The renowned queen reigned over ancient Egypt during a time of
enormous cultural upheaval, as she and her husband Pharaoh Akhenaten
restructured Egypt’s political and religious focus. She also held
unprecedented clout as a woman in Egyptian court.
But then in the 12th year of her husband’s 17-year rule, Nefertiti suddenly
vanished from the historical record.
The disappearance of Queen Nefertiti has ba ed historians for centuries,

turning her life and legacy into an object of supreme fascination.
Who Was Nefertiti?
Met Museum
Nefertiti translates to “the beautiful one has come.”
While little is known about her origins, it is believed that Nefertiti was born
around 1370 B.C. and was perhaps raised in the town of Akhmim where she
was also the niece or daughter of an o cial named Ay.
Ay was a top advisor who eventually became pharaoh when King

Tutankhamun later died in 1323 B.C. Other historians, however, posit that
Nefertiti was actually a princess who hailed from the Mittani Kingdom in
northern Syria. It was common for ancient Egyptians to favor one god over
the other, and Nefertiti was said to favor the Egyptian sun god Aten.
Regardless of her origins, Nefertiti married Amenhotep IV, the son of

Amenhotep III, when she was 15. Amenhotep III, otherwise known as
Amenhotep the Magni cent, was the ninth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty.
Throughout this dynasty, Egyptians who favored the god of the Sun and air,
Amun, had grown quite powerful and had garnered as much wealth and
prestige as to challenge the power of the pharaoh by the time Amenhotep
IV took the throne.
When he ascended to the throne in Thebes around 1353 B.C., Amenhotep

IV and Nefertiti began to make great changes to Egyptian society. He
discontinued the religious practices as they were in Egypt, closed the
temples, and removed power from the cult of Amun in favor of his and
Nefertiti’s preferred god, Aten.
Met Museum
A relief shows Akhenaten sacri cing a duck, from circa 1353 B.C. The couple also had six daughters
ogether, two of whom Akhenaten is said to have married and perhaps had children with.
Amenhotep IV made Aten the central focus of religious life and desecrated
the names and imagery of Amun. He built a series of temples to Aten in
the temple complex of Karnak near Luxor in his rst year.
Egyptologist James Allen observed that Amenhotep even worked to

change the plural “gods” to the singular “god.” Historians believe this
change signi ed his desire to consolidate power under himself and
Nefertiti alone.
Then, in the fth year of his reign, Amenhotep IV changed his name to
Akhenaten, which translates to the “Living Spirit of Aten.”
Nefertiti added “Neferneferuaten” onto her name, which in full translated

to “Beautiful are the beauties of Aten, a Beautiful Woman has come.”
The couple then moved the capitol northward, closer to the sun, in
Amarna. They ruled with such unprecedented power that it’s even believed
Nefertiti may have been a Pharaoh herself.
She May Have Reigned As Pharaoh
Wikimedia Common
Akhenaten and Nefertiti were depicted together with such frequency that many believe the two
held equal power over Egypt.
The idealized imagery of earlier pharaohs was done away with. Depictions
of Akhenaten included rather feminine hips and highly exaggerated
features, while the imagery of Nefertiti slowly progressed into being
virtually indistinguishable from Akhenaten.
This was a clear departure from her earlier imagery as a stereotypical

young woman. Her nal depictions during Akhenaten’s reign returned to a
more realistic version, albeit far more regal than her pre-royal depictions,
which suggested that she held equal power over Egypt.
The walls of temples and tombs constructed during Akhenaten’s rule

showed Nefertiti alongside the pharaoh with such frequency that
Egyptologists and historians believe they ruled side by side. No other
Egyptian queen has been depicted alongside her pharaoh as frequently as
Nefertiti.
Flick
n 1912, this bust of Queen Nefertiti was discovered in Amarna, Egypt, by German archaeologist
Ludwig Borchardt.
Numerous depictions showed Queen Nefertiti in positions of power, from

defeating an enemy in battle, to leading the worship of Aten, to
commanding a chariot. She was even explicitly depicted in numerous
reliefs wearing the crown of a pharaoh.
After she gave birth to six daughters, Akhenaten took other wives —
including his own sister, with whom he fathered King Tutankhamen. King
Tut would eventually take Nefertiti’s third daughter, Ankhesenamun, as his
wife.
But despite a ecting such substantial changes in religious and cultural

worship and potentially co-ruling Egypt, Nefertiti suddenly vanished.
The Mysterious Death Of Queen Nefertiti
Neues Museum
The busts of Akhenaten and Nefertiti at the Neues Museum in Berlin.
After 12 years of presiding over Egypt with her husband, Queen Nefertiti
disappeared from any and all depictions. To this day, no consensus among
historians exists as to what became of her, though most scholars have
concluded that she simply died.
A more tantalizing theory shared by other experts is that she fooled the
public — and dressed herself as a man. This would have occurred after
Akhenaten elevated her status from queen to co-regent, with equal power
to the pharaoh, for which there is no clear evidence.
Another thesis proposes that Nefertiti was driven out of Egypt when
worship of Amen-Ra was reintroduced following Akhenaten’s reign. Yet
another set of scholars suggest that Nefertiti ruled as pharaoh by herself.
These historians argue that it was Akhenaten who died, and that his
successor Pharaoh Smenkhkare was actually Nefertiti in disguise.
Unfortunately, there’s a lack of primary evidence to support any of these

assertions.
Wikimedia Common
Some scholars believe that Akhenaten banished Nefertiti after she produced six daughters and no
male heir.
If Akhenaten did die, it is possible that as the new pharaoh, Nefertiti

reversed her husband’s religious policies. It is known that during
Akhenaten’s reign, Nefertiti ordered a scribe to make divine o erings to
Amun, desperately pleading for the god to return in was an attempt to
control the upheaval caused by her husband’s religious conversion.
The notion that she disguised herself as a man, too, is not without
precedent. Female pharaoh Hatshepsut ruled Egypt under such pretenses
herself, during the 15th century B.C.; she even used a ceremonial false
beard.
Lastly, some believe that Akhenaten had Nefertiti banished as she was
incapable of producing a male heir and still others believe Nefertiti
committed suicide when her daughter Mekitaten died during childbirth at
age 13. None of these can be substantiated, either.
Wikimedia Common
A limestone piece depicts Nefertiti’s head displayed at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology
n London.
But in 2015, Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves and archaeologist Mamdouh

Eldamaty found what they believe to be a hidden doorway within
Tutankhamoun’s tomb. Inside it contains structural anomalies that hint at a
secret room which may hold the sarcophagus of Nefertiti.
Nefertiti’s Tomb May Have Been Found

In February 2020, a study published in the journal Nature detailed a
promising ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey around King
Tutankhamun’s tomb. The ndings lent credence to Reeves’s theory that
the king’s burial palace contained a larger, hidden tomb within.
Egyptologist Ray Johnson of the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute in

Luxor, Egypt called Eldamaty’s ground-penetrating radar data
“tremendously exciting.”
“Clearly there is something on the other side of the north wall of the burial
chamber,” he said.
Zawi Hawass explores the KV35 tomb potentially hiding Nefertiti’s body.
While the potential for additional, hidden chambers beyond King Tut’s
tomb has been debated among scholars for decades, some have
dismissed the idea entirely while others have hired private companies to
investigate. So far, nobody has either opened or entered the hidden room
in question.
In addition to Eldamaty’s data, the fact that Nefertiti’s daughter was

married to King Tut lends circumstantial credibility to the notion her body
was placed in his burial palace.
As of now, however, what is left of Nefertiti are the ancient depictions,

theories, and relics such as the revered limestone bust on display at
Berlin’s Neues Museum. Discovered in 1912 by the German Oriental
Company in Amarna — the capitol during Akhenaten’s reign — the bust
was found in the workshop of an ancient Egyptian sculptor, Thutmose.
Wikimedia Common
Some believe the bust of Nefertiti in Berlin is a fake or that the absence of her left iris meant that
she su ered from an ophthalmic infection. Nonetheless, it’s the most copied ancient Egyptian
work in the world.
Lead archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt recounted the discovery in his diary,

“Suddenly we had in our hands the most alive Egyptian artwork. You
cannot describe it with words. You must see it.”
The world’s response to the sculpture has since been as profound as

Borchardt’s — it remains one of the most popular attractions at the
museum in Berlin.
Not only is the sculpture world-famous, but the bust of Nefertiti is one of
the most copied works from ancient Egypt. Millennia after her mysterious
demise, Nefertiti continues to e ect art and our perspective of the past.
Her legacy of power and beauty is truly one to behold.
After learning about the life and mysterious death of Queen Nefertiti, see
how archaeologists think that the pyramids were built. Then, check out
stunning photos of Egypt before the British took over.
Marco Margarito
 
A former sta writer for All That’s Interesting, Marco Margarito holds dual
Bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a Master's in journalism from New
York University. He has published work at People, VICE, Complex, and serves as a
sta reporter at Hu Post.
Existential Crisis Duck Night Light
Promoted by Sad and Useless Humor
How American Legend Davy Crockett Went From Frontiersman To Politician To
Hero Of The Alamo
Trending on ATI
Should Your Hair Be Clean or Dirty Before Coloring It?
Promoted by Makeup.com by L'Oreal

Allthatsinteresting Com Nefertiti

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Allthatsinteresting Com Nefertiti

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Mystery Of Nefertiti, The

Ancient Egyptian Queen Who

Published April 22, 2023 | Updated May 29, 2023

After presiding over ancient Egypt with unprecedented power,

T he bust of Nefertiti is perhaps one of the most iconic and copied

The disappearance of Queen Nefertiti has ba ed historians for centuries,

Who Was Nefertiti?

Ay was a top advisor who eventually became pharaoh when King

Regardless of her origins, Nefertiti married Amenhotep IV, the son of

When he ascended to the throne in Thebes around 1353 B.C., Amenhotep

Egyptologist James Allen observed that Amenhotep even worked to

Nefertiti added “Neferneferuaten” onto her name, which in full translated

She May Have Reigned As Pharaoh

This was a clear departure from her earlier imagery as a stereotypical

The walls of temples and tombs constructed during Akhenaten’s rule

Numerous depictions showed Queen Nefertiti in positions of power, from

But despite a ecting such substantial changes in religious and cultural

Unfortunately, there’s a lack of primary evidence to support any of these

If Akhenaten did die, it is possible that as the new pharaoh, Nefertiti

But in 2015, Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves and archaeologist Mamdouh

Nefertiti’s Tomb May Have Been Found

Egyptologist Ray Johnson of the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute in

In addition to Eldamaty’s data, the fact that Nefertiti’s daughter was

As of now, however, what is left of Nefertiti are the ancient depictions,

Lead archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt recounted the discovery in his diary,

The world’s response to the sculpture has since been as profound as

You might also like