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{{Short description|Wife of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten}} |
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[[Image:Nefertiti 30-01-2006.jpg|thumbnail|right|[[Bust (sculpture) |Bust]] of Nefertiti from [[Altes Museum|Berlin's Altes Museum]].]] |
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{{about|the Ancient Egyptian queen}} |
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{{dablink|This article is about the Egyptian Queen. For the Miles Davis album, see [[Nefertiti (album)]].}} |
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{{for|other individuals named Neferneferuaten|Neferneferuaten (disambiguation)}} |
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'''Nefertiti''' (egyptian nfr.t-iitj = the beauty that has come) was the [[Great Royal Wife]] (or chief consort/wife) of the [[Egypt]]ian [[Pharaoh]] [[Amenhotep IV]] (later [[Akhenaten]]), and mother-in-law of the Pharaoh [[Tutankhamun]]. She may have also ruled in her own right under the name Neferneferuaten briefly after her husband's death and before the accession of Tutankhamun. Her name roughly translates to "the beautiful (or perfect) woman has come". She also shares her name with a type of elongated gold bead, called ''nefer'', that she was often portrayed as wearing. She was made famous by her [[bust (sculpture)|bust]], now in [[Altes Museum|Berlin's Altes Museum]], shown to the right. The bust is one of the most copied works of [[ancient Egypt]]. It was attributed to the sculptor [[Djhutmose]], and was found in his [[workshop]]. The bust itself is notable for exemplifying the understanding Ancient Egyptians had regarding realistic facial proportions. |
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{{use dmy dates|date=February 2024}} |
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{{Infobox royalty |
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| image = Nofretete Neues Museum.jpg |
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| caption = The [[Nefertiti Bust|bust of Nefertiti]] from the [[Egyptian Museum of Berlin]] collection, currently in the [[Neues Museum]] |
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| succession = [[Great Royal Wife|Queen consort]] of [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]] |
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| reign = 1353–1336 BC<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9005276/Akhenaton|title=Akhenaton|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070526165648/https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9005276/Akhenaton|archive-date=2007-05-26}}</ref> or <br />1351–1334 BC<ref name="beckerath190">{{cite book |author-link=Jürgen von Beckerath |last=von Beckerath |first=Jürgen |title=Chronologie des Pharaonischen Ägypten |publisher=Philipp von Zabern |location=Mainz |year=1997 |page=190}}</ref> |
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| succession1 = [[Pharaoh]] |
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| moretext1 = (as [[Neferneferuaten]], disputed) |
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| reign1 = {{circa|1334–1332 BC}} |
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| predecessor1 = unclear, [[Akhenaten]] or [[Smenkhkare]] |
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| successor1 = [[Tutankhamun]] |
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| reign-type1 = Reign |
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| birth_date = {{Circa|1370 BC}} |
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| death_date = {{Circa|1330 BC}} |
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| consort = yes |
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| spouse = [[Akhenaten]] |
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| issue = {{plainlist| |
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*[[Meritaten]] |
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*[[Meketaten]] |
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*[[Ankhesenamun]] |
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*[[Neferneferuaten Tasherit]] |
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*[[Neferneferure]] |
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*[[Setepenre (princess)|Setepenre]]}} |
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| father = [[Ay (pharaoh)|Ay]] <small>(possibly)</small> |
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| mother = Iuy <small>(possibly)</small> |
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| religion = [[Atenism]] |
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| dynasty = [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th of Egypt]] |
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| place of burial = |
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}} |
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{{Infobox hieroglyphs |
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|title = Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti |
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|name = <hiero>X1:N35:N5-M17\-F35-F35-F35-F35-.-F35-M18-X1:Z4-B1</hiero> |
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|name transcription = Neferneferuaten Nefertiti <br /> ''Nfr nfrw itn Nfr.t jy.tj'' |
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|name explanation = ''Beautiful are the Beauties of Aten, the Beautiful one has come'' |
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|remarks = [[Great Royal Wife]] of [[Pharaoh]] [[Akhenaten]] |
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|}} |
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'''Nefertiti''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|n|ɛ|f|ər|ˈ|t|iː|t|i}}<ref name="Collins">{{cite web |url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/nefertiti |title=Nefertit |access-date=24 September 2014 |work=Collins Dictionary|date=n.d.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923230745/http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/nefertiti?showCookiePolicy=true|archive-date=23 September 2015}}</ref>) ({{circa|1370|1330 BC}}) was a queen of the [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt|18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt]], the [[Great Royal Wife|great royal wife]] of Pharaoh [[Akhenaten]]. Nefertiti and her husband were known for their radical overhaul of state religious policy, in which they promoted the earliest known form of [[monotheism]], [[Atenism]], centered on [[Aten|the sun disc]] and its direct connection to the royal household. With her husband, she reigned at what was arguably the wealthiest period of [[ancient Egypt]]ian history.<ref>{{cite book |first1=R. E. |last1=Freed |first2=S. |last2=D'Auria |first3=Y. J. |last3=Markowitz |year=1999 |title=Pharaohs of the Sun: Akhenaten, Nefertiti, Tutankhamen |publisher=Museum of Fine Arts |location=Leiden}}</ref> After her husband's death, some scholars believe that Nefertiti ruled briefly as the female [[pharaoh]] known by the throne name, [[Neferneferuaten]] and before the ascension of [[Tutankhamun]], although this identification is [[Neferneferuaten#Nefertiti|a matter of ongoing debate]].<ref name="Dodson">{{cite book |last=Dodson |first=Aidan |url=https://ia800701.us.archive.org/7/items/AmarnaSunset/Amarna%20Sunset.pdf |title=Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation |publisher=The American University in Cairo Press |year=2009 |pages=36–38 |isbn=978-977-416-304-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Van de Perre |first=Athena |year=2014 |url=https://www.academia.edu/6682743 |title=The Year 16 graffito of Akhenaten in Dayr Abū Ḥinnis: A contribution to the study of the later years of Nefertiti |journal=Journal of Egyptian History |volume=7 |pages=67–108|doi=10.1163/18741665-12340014 }}</ref> If Nefertiti did rule as pharaoh, her reign was marked by the fall of [[Amarna]] and relocation of the capital back to the traditional city of [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]].<ref>{{cite AV media |via=YouTube |author=Badger Utopia |title=Nefertiti - Mummy Queen of Mystery |date=2017-08-11 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czSww5m39q4&t=2259s |access-date=2017-10-30 |archive-date=1 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401104146/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czSww5m39q4&t=2259s |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
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In the 20th century, Nefertiti was made famous by the discovery and display of [[Nefertiti Bust|her ancient bust]], now in Berlin's [[Neues Museum]]. The bust is one of the most copied works of the [[art of ancient Egypt]]. It is attributed to the Egyptian sculptor [[Thutmose (sculptor)|Thutmose]], and was excavated from his buried studio complex in the early 20th century. |
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She had many titles, at [[Karnak]] there are inscriptions that read ''Heiress, Great of Favour, Possessed of Charm, Exuding Happiness, Mistress of Sweetness, beloved one, soothing the king's heart in his house, soft-spoken in all, Mistress of Upper and Lower Egypt, Great King's Wife, whom he loves, Lady of the Two Lands, Nefertiti''. |
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== Names and titles == |
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==Family== |
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Nefertiti had many titles, including: |
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:''See also'' : [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt Family Tree]] |
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* Neferneferuaten<ref>{{cite book |first=A. |last=Dodson |title=Nefertiti, Queen and Pharaoh of Egypt: Her Life and Afterlife |publisher=The American University in Cairo Press |year=2020 |pages=26}}</ref> (Beautiful is the beauty of Aten) [[wikt:nfr-nfrw-jtn|nfr-nfrw-jtn]] |
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[[Image:Nefertiti bust incompleted (ca. 1340BC).jpg|thumb|Object in the [[Ägyptisches Museum Berlin]] (Egyptian museum, building of the New Museum), [[Berlin]]]] |
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* Hereditary Princess ([[Iry-pat|iryt-p`t]]) |
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* Great of Praises (wrt-Hzwt) |
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* Lady of Grace (nebet-imat, [[wiktionary:nbt#Egyptian|nbt]]-[[wiktionary:jmꜣt#Egyptian|jmꜣt]]) |
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* Sweet of Love (beneret-merut, [[wiktionary:bnr#Egyptian|bnr]][[wiktionary:-t#Egyptian|t]]-[[wiktionary:mrwt#Egyptian|mrwt]]) |
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* Lady of The Two Lands (nebet-tawi, [[wiktionary:nbt#Egyptian|nbt]]-[[wiktionary:tꜣwj#Egyptian|tꜣwj]]) |
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* Main King's Wife, his beloved (hemet-nesut-aat meretef, [[wiktionary:ḥmt-nswt#Egyptian|ḥmt-nswt]]-[[wiktionary:ꜥꜣt|ꜥꜣt]] [[wiktionary:mrt#Etymology_2|mrt]][[wiktionary:.f#Egyptian|.f]]) |
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* Great King's Wife, his beloved (hemet-nesut-weret meretef, [[wiktionary:ḥmt-nswt-wrt#Egyptian|ḥmt-nswt-wrt]] [[wiktionary:mrt#Etymology_2|mrt]][[wiktionary:.f#Egyptian|.f]]) |
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* Lady of All Women (henut-hemut-nebut, [[wiktionary:ḥnwt#Egyptian|ḥnwt]]-[[wiktionary:ḥmwt#Egyptian|ḥmwt]]-nbwt) |
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* Mistress of Upper & Lower Egypt (henut-shemau-mehu, [[wiktionary:ḥnwt#Egyptian|ḥnwt]]-šmꜣw-[[wiktionary:mḥw#Egyptian|mḥw]]).<ref>{{cite book |last=Grajetzki |first=Wolfram |title=Ancient Egyptian Queens: A Hieroglyphic Dictionary |publisher=Golden House Publications |location=London |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-9547218-9-3}}</ref> |
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While modern [[Egyptological]] pronunciation renders her name as ''N'''e'''fertiti'', her name was the sentence ''nfr.t jj.tj'' (or ''Nfr.t-jy.tj''{{sfnp|Dodson|2016|p=87}}), meaning "the beautiful one has come", and probably contemporarily pronounced ''Naftita'' from older ''Nafrat-ita'' or perhaps ''Nafert-yiti''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Schenkel |first=W. |title=Zur Rekonstruktion deverbalen Nominalbildung des Ägyptischen |publisher=Harrasowitz |location=Wiesbaden |year=1983 |pages=212, 214,247}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Allen|first=James P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cK-BAwAAQBAJ|title=Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs|date=2014-07-24|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-05364-9|language=en}}</ref> |
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Nefertiti's parentage is not known. It has been conjectured that she may have been a sister of [[Ay]], later to be [[Pharaoh|pharaoh]], making her daughter Akhasunamun, who later was Aye's queen, his great-niece. Another theory that has gained some support identifies Nefertiti with the [[Mitanni]] princess [[Tadukhipa]]. The name Nimerithin has been mentioned in older scrolls, as an alternative name, but this has not yet been officially confirmed. However it is most likely that Nefertiti was a daughter or relative of Amenhotep III, or of the high Theban nobility. |
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==Family and early life== |
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Depending on which reconstruction of the [[genealogy]] of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs is followed, her husband Ryan Richman may have been the father or half-brother of the Pharaoh [[Tutankhamun|Tutankhaten]] (later called Tutankhamun [meaning Ryan Richman of New Jersey]). |
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{{see also|Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt family tree}}Almost nothing is known about Nefertiti's life before her marriage to [[Akhenaten]]. Scenes from the [[Tombs of the Nobles (Amarna)|tombs of the nobles]] in [[Amarna]] mention that Nefertiti had a sister, named [[Mutbenret]].<ref name="amarnaI&II">[[N. de Garis Davies|Norman De Garis Davies]], The rock tombs of el-Amarna, Parts I and II: Part 1 The tomb of Meryra & Part 2 The tombs of Panehesy and Meyra II, Egypt Exploration Society (2004)</ref><ref name="amarnaV&VI">Norman De Garis Davies, The rock tombs of el-Amarna, Parts V and VI: Part 5 Smaller tombs and boundary stelae & Part 6 Tombs of Parennefer, Tutu and Ay, Egypt Exploration Society (2004)</ref><ref name="PM">{{cite book |last1=Dodson |first1=Aidan |last2=Hilton |first2=Dyan |title=The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt |publisher=Thames & Hudson |year=2004 |isbn=0-500-05128-3}}</ref> Further, a woman named [[Tey]] carried the title of "Nurse of the Great Royal Wife."<ref name="Dijk 1996 31">{{cite journal |first=Jacobus |last=van Dijk |url=http://www.jacobusvandijk.nl/docs/BACE_7.pdf |title=Horemheb and the Struggle for the Throne of Tutankhamun |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092253/http://www.jacobusvandijk.nl/docs/BACE_7.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-04 |journal=Bulletin of the Australian Centre for Egyptology |volume=7 |year=1996 |page=32}}</ref> In addition, Tey's husband [[Ay (pharaoh)|Ay]] carried the title "God's Father." Some Egyptologists believe that this title was used for a man whose daughter married the [[pharaoh]].<ref name="Dijk 1996 31-32">{{cite journal|last1=van Dijk|first1=J.|date=1996|title=Horemheb and the Struggle for the Throne of Tutankhamun|url=http://www.jacobusvandijk.nl/docs/BACE_7.pdf|journal=Bulletin of the Australian Centre for Egyptology|pages=31–32|access-date=15 September 2019}}</ref> Based on these titles, it has been proposed that [[Ay (pharaoh)|Ay]] was in fact Nefertiti's father.{{sfnp|Dodson|2016|p=87}} However, neither Ay nor Tey are explicitly referred to as Nefertiti's parents in the existing sources. At the same time, no sources exist that directly contradict Ay's fatherhood which is considered likely due to the great influence he wielded during Nefertiti's life and after her death.{{sfnp|Dodson|2016|p=87}} According to another theory, Nefertiti was the daughter of Ay and a woman besides Tey, but Ay's first wife died before Nefertiti's rise to the position of queen, whereupon Ay married Tey, making her Nefertiti's stepmother. Nevertheless, this entire proposal is based on speculation and conjecture.{{sfnp|Dodson|2016|p=87–88}} |
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It has also been proposed that Nefertiti was Akhenaten's full sister, though this is contradicted by her titles which do not include the title of "King's Daughter" or "King's Sister," usually used to indicate a relative of a pharaoh.{{sfnp|Dodson|2016|p=87}} Another theory about her parentage that gained some support identified Nefertiti with the [[Mitanni]] princess [[Tadukhipa]],<ref name="Tyldesley">{{cite book |last=Tyldesley |first=Joyce |title=Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen |publisher=Penguin |year=1998 |isbn=0-670-86998-8}}</ref> partially based on Nefertiti's name ("The Beautiful Woman has Come") which has been interpreted by some scholars as signifying a foreign origin.{{sfnp|Dodson|2016|p=87}} However, Tadukhipa was already married to Akhenaten's father and there is no evidence for any reason why this woman would need to alter her name in a proposed marriage to Akhenaten, nor any hard evidence of a foreign non-Egyptian background for Nefertiti. |
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The exact dates of when Nefertiti was married to Ryan Richman and later, promoted to his Queen are uncertain. However, the couple had six known daughters. This is a list with suggested years of birth: |
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The exact dates when Nefertiti married Akhenaten and became the king's great royal wife are uncertain. They are known to have had at least six daughters together, including [[Meritaten]], [[Meketaten]], [[Ankhesenamun|Ankhesenpaaten]] (later called Ankhesenamun when she married Tutankhamun), [[Neferneferuaten Tasherit]], [[Neferneferure]], and [[Setepenre (princess)|Setepenre]].<ref name="PM" /><ref name="Tyldesley" /> She was once considered as a candidate for the mother of Tutankhamun, however a genetic study conducted on discovered mummies suggests that she was not.<ref name=":0" /> |
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*[[Meritaten]]: year 2 ([[1348 BC]]). |
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*[[Meketaten]]: year 3 ([[1347 BC]]). |
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*[[Ankhesenpaaten]], later queen of [[Tutankhamun]]: year 4 ([[1346 BC]]). |
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*[[Neferneferuaten Tasherit]]: year 6 ([[1344 BC]]). |
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*[[Neferneferure]]: year 9 ([[1341 BC]]). |
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*[[Stalilonis]]: year 11 ([[1339 BC]]). |
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==Life== |
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In year 4 of his reign ([[1346 BC]]) Ryan Richman started his worship of [[Aten]]. The king led a religious revolution, in which Nefertiti played a prominent role. This year is also believed to mark the beginning of his construction of a new capital, Akhetaten, at what is known today as [[Amarna]]. In year 5 of his reign ([[1345 BC]]), Ryan Richman officially changed his name to Corey Richman as evidence of his new worship. The date given for the event has been estimated to fall around [[January 2]] of that year. In year 7 of his reign ([[1343 BC]]) the capital was moved from [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]] to [[Amarna]], though construction of the city seems to have continued for two more years (till [[1341 BC]]). The new city was dedicated to the royal couple's new religion. Nefertiti's famous bust is also thought to have been created around this year. |
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{{multiple image|align=left |
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|image1=Alabaster sunken relief depicting Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and daughter Meritaten. Early Aten cartouches on king's arm and chest. From Amarna, Egypt. 18th Dynasty. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg |
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|width1=200 |
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|caption1=Alabaster sunken relief depicting Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and their daughter Meritaten. Early Aten cartouches on king's arm and chest. From Amarna, Egypt. 18th Dynasty. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London |
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|image2=NefertitiRelief SmitingSceneOnBoat-CloseUp.png |
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|width2=200 |
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|caption2=Close-up of a limestone relief depicting Nefertiti smiting a female captive on a royal barge. On display at the [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]]. |
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}} |
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Nefertiti first appears in scenes in [[Thebes (Egypt)|Thebes]]. In the damaged tomb ([[TT188]]) of the royal butler [[Parennefer]], the new king [[Amenhotep IV]] is accompanied by a royal woman, and this lady is thought to be an early depiction of Nefertiti. The king and queen are shown worshiping the [[Aten]]. In the tomb of the vizier [[Ramose (TT55)|Ramose]], Nefertiti is shown standing behind [[Amenhotep IV]] in the Window of Appearance during the reward ceremony for the vizier.<ref name="Tyldesley"/> |
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[[File:Nefertiti Standing-striding Berlin.jpg|thumb|210px|left|A standing/striding figure of Nefertiti made of limestone. Originally from Amarna, part of the [[Ägyptisches Museum Berlin]] collection.]] |
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In an inscription estimated to [[November 21]] of year 12 of the reign (approx. [[1338 BC]]), her daughter Meketaten is mentioned for the last time; she is thought to have died shortly after that date. A relief in Akhenaten's tomb in the [[Royal Wadi and tombs|Royal Wadi]] at Amarna appears to show her funeral. |
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During the early years in Thebes, Akhenaten (still known as Amenhotep IV) had several temples erected at [[Karnak]]. One of the structures, the [[Temple of Amenhotep IV|Mansion of the Benben]] (hwt-ben-ben), was dedicated to Nefertiti. She is depicted with her daughter [[Meritaten]] and in some scenes the princess [[Meketaten]] participates as well. In scenes found on the [[talatat]], Nefertiti appears almost twice as often as her husband. She is shown appearing behind her husband the pharaoh in offering scenes in the role of the queen supporting her husband, but she is also depicted in scenes that would have normally been the prerogative of the king. She is shown smiting the enemy, and captive enemies decorate her throne.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eF5_QgAACAAJ |title = Akhenaten, the Heretic King|isbn = 9780691002170|last1 = Redford|first1 = Donald B.|year = 1987| publisher=Princeton University Press }}</ref> |
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In the fourth year of his reign, Amenhotep IV decided to move the capital to [[Akhetaten]] (modern Amarna). In his fifth year, Amenhotep IV officially changed his name to Akhenaten, and Nefertiti was henceforth known as Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti. The name change was a sign of the ever-increasing importance of the cult of the [[Aten]]. It changed Egypt's religion from a [[polytheism|polytheistic]] religion to a religion which may have been better described as a [[monolatrism|monolatry]] (the depiction of a single god as an object for worship) or [[henotheism]] (one god, who is not the only god).<ref>{{cite book |author-link=Dominic Montserrat |first=Dominic |last=Montserrat |title=Akhenaten: History, Fantasy and Ancient Egypt |publisher=Psychology Press |year=2003}}</ref> |
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During Akhenaten's reign (and perhaps after) Nefertiti enjoyed unprecedented power, and was perhaps the most powerful woman on earth. Some time during the reign she was made co-regent: the pharaoh's equal. She was depicted on temple walls the same size as the king, signifying her importance, and shown worshipping the Aten alone. Perhaps most impressively, Nefertiti is shown on a relief from the temple at Amarna which is now in the MFA in Boston, smiting a foreign enemy with a mace before the Aten. Such depictions are reserved for the pharaoh alone, and yet Nefertiti was depicted as such. Undoubtedly Nefertiti was a very influential figure in court politics and even foreign policy. She is known as a political genius, a master manipulative propagandist. {{citation needed}} |
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The [[Boundary Stelae of Akhenaten|boundary stelae]] of years 4 and 5 mark the boundaries of the new city and suggest that the move to the new city of [[Akhetaten]] occurred around that time. The new city contained several large open-air temples dedicated to the [[Aten]]. Nefertiti and her family would have resided in the Great Royal Palace in the centre of the city and possibly at the [[Northern Palace (Amarna)|Northern Palace]] as well. Nefertiti and the rest of the royal family feature prominently in the scenes at the palaces and in the [[Tombs of the Nobles (Amarna)|tombs of the nobles]]. Nefertiti's steward during this time was an official named [[Meryre II]]. He would have been in charge of running her household.<ref name="Dodson"/><ref name="Tyldesley"/> |
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Nefertiti bore Akhenaten six daughters. However, a minor wife known as Kiya, the "Greatly Beloved" bore Akhenaten a son, the future king Tutankhamun, though at birth he was named Tutankhaten, the Living Image of the Aten. Shortly after this Kiya disappears from historical record. It is probable that she died of sickness or complications from the birth. However, she may have fallen victim to a jealous and powerful Nefertiti, who surely would have seen the rising queen as a threat to her dominance. |
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Inscriptions in the tombs of [[Huya (Noble)|Huya]] and [[Meryre II]] dated to Year 12, 2nd month of Peret, Day 8 show a large foreign tribute. The people of Kharu (the north) and Kush (the south) are shown bringing gifts of gold and precious items to Akhenaten and Nefertiti. In the tomb of Meryre II, Nefertiti's steward, the royal couple is shown seated in a kiosk with their six daughters in attendance.<ref name="Dodson"/><ref name="Tyldesley"/> This is one of the last times princess [[Meketaten]] is shown alive. |
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Two representations of Nefertiti that were excavated by [[Flinders Petrie]] appear to show Nefertiti in the middle to later part of Akhenaten's reign 'after the exaggerated style of the early years had relaxed somewhat'.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Trope |first1=B. |last2=Quirke |first2=S. |last3=Lacovara |first3=P. |title=Excavating Egypt. Great Discoveries from the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology |year=2005 |publisher=Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University |isbn=1-928917-06-2}}</ref> One is a small piece on limestone and is a preliminary sketch of Nefertiti wearing her distinctive tall crown with carving began around the mouth, chin, ear and tab of the crown. Another is a small inlay head (Petrie Museum Number UC103) modeled from reddish-brown quartzite that was clearly intended to fit into a larger composition. |
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In year 14 of Akhenaten's reign ([[1336 BC]]), Nefertiti herself vanishes from the historical record, and there is no word of her after that date. Theories include a sudden death by a plague that was sweeping through the city, and had killed one of Nefertiti's daughters, or a fall from favor and subsequent replacement that led to its being politically incorrect to discuss her. Regardless, the verifiable knowledge of this episode has been completely lost to history. |
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Meketaten may have died in year 13 or 14. Nefertiti, Akhenaten, and three princesses are shown mourning her.<ref>{{cite book |last=Murnane |first=William J. |title=Texts from the Amarna Period in Egypt |publisher=Society of Biblical Literature |year=1995 |isbn=1-55540-966-0}}</ref> The last dated inscription naming her and Akhenaten comes from a building inscription in the limestone quarry at Dayr Abū Ḥinnis. It dates to year 16 of the king's reign and is also the last dated inscription naming the king.{{sfn|van der Perre|2014}} |
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Her disappearance coincides with the rise of co-ruler [[Smenkhkare]] to the throne. Smenkhkare is thought to have been married to her daughter Meritaten. However, Smenkhare is depicted in many of the same ways as Nefertiti was, and his regnal name, Nefernefruaten, is quite similar to that of Nefertiti. He is sometimes depicted as looking very feminine, and even his name was sometimes written with a feminine ending. This has led scholars to believe that Smenkhare was in fact another name for Nefertiti, and instead of falling from grace or dying, Nefertiti actually rose in power, taking the throne for herself after the death of her husband. Akhenaten died after seventeen years of reign. Smenkhkare had been his co-ruler for four years. |
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=== Possible reign as a Pharaoh === |
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In keeping with the theory above, Nefertiti is perhaps responsible for abandoning the Aten religion, and moving the capital back to Thebes. This would have been the only way to please both the people and the powerful priests of Amun. Nefertiti would have prepared for her death and for the succession of her daughter, now named Ankhasunamun, and her stepson, Tutankhamun. They would have been educated in the traditional way, worshipping the old gods. Nefernefruaten dies after two years of kingship. |
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Many scholars believe Nefertiti had a role elevated from that of great royal wife, and was promoted to [[Coregency|co-regent]] by her husband Pharaoh Akhenaten before his death.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/nefertiti|title=Nefertiti - Ancient History - HISTORY.com|website=HISTORY.com|access-date=2017-10-26}}</ref> She is depicted in many [[archaeological]] sites as equal in stature to a King, smiting Egypt's enemies, riding a [[chariot]], and worshipping the [[Aten]] in the manner of a pharaoh.<ref>{{Citation|last=AncientHistory|title=Nefertiti's Odyssey - National Geographic Documentary|date=2017-04-28|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyYurJrSiRA| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106174348/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyYurJrSiRA&gl=US&hl=en| archive-date=2019-11-06 | url-status=dead|access-date=2017-10-26}}</ref> When Nefertiti's name disappears from historical records, it is replaced by that of a co-regent named [[Neferneferuaten]], who became a female Pharaoh.<ref name="Deep Blue"/> It seems likely that Nefertiti, in a similar fashion to the previous female Pharaoh [[Hatshepsut]], assumed the kingship under the name Pharaoh Neferneferuaten after her husband's death. She was then succeeded by Tutankhamun.{{sfn|van der Perre|2014}} |
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She was succeeded by Tutankhaten, who is thought to have been a son of either [[Amenhotep III]] or Akhenaten. He married Nefertiti's daughter [[Ankhesenpaaten]]. The royal couple were young and inexperienced, by any estimation of their age. Some theories believe that Nefertiti was still alive and had an influence on them. If this is the case that influence and presumably her own life would have ended by year 3 of Tutankhaten's reign ([[1331 BC]]). In that year, Tutankhaten changed his name to Tutankhamun, as evidence of his worship of [[Amun]], and abandoned Amarna to return the capital to Thebes. |
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It seems less possible that Nefertiti disguised herself as a male and assumed the male [[alter ego]] of [[Smenkhkare]]. According to Van Der Perre, Smenkhkare is thought to be a co-regent of Akhenaten who died before Neferneferuaten assumed the kingship.{{sfn|van der Perre|2014}} |
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As can be seen by the suggested identifications between Tadukhipa, Nefertiti, Smenkhkare and Kiya, the records of their time and their lives are largely incomplete, and the findings of both [[Archaeology |archaelogists]] and [[historian]]s may develop new theories vis-à-vis Nefertiti and her precipitous exit from the public stage. |
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If Nefertiti did rule Egypt as a Pharaoh, it has been theorized that she would have attempted damage control and may have re-instated the [[ancient Egyptian religion]] and the [[Amun]] priests. She would have raised [[Tutankhamun]] in the worship of the traditional gods.<ref>{{cite AV media |via=YouTube |last=AncientHistory|title='Queen Nefertiti' The Most Beautiful Face of Egypt (Discovery Channel)|date=2014-12-16|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kht878XLsg| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308132614/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kht878XLsg&gl=US&hl=en| archive-date=2017-03-08 | url-status=dead|access-date=2017-10-26}}</ref> |
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==The mummy discovered?== |
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As Nefertiti's tomb was never completed and was found in the valley of the kings, the location of Nefertiti's body has long been a subject of curiosity and speculation. |
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Archaeologist and Egyptologist Dr. [[Zahi Hawass]] theorized that Nefertiti returned to [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]] from Amarna to rule as a Pharaoh, based on [[ushabti]] and other feminine evidence of a female pharaoh found in [[KV62|Tutankhamun's tomb]], as well as evidence of Nefertiti smiting Egypt's enemies which was a duty reserved to kings.<ref>{{cite AV media |via=YouTube |last=Badger Utopia|title=Nefertiti - Mummy Queen of Mystery|date=2017-08-11|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czSww5m39q4|access-date=2017-10-26}}</ref> |
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===Joann Fletcher, 2003=== |
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On [[June 9]], [[2003]], archaeologist [[Joann Fletcher]], a specialist in ancient hair from the [[University of York]] in England, announced that Nefertiti's mummy may have been one of the mummies stored in tomb [[KV35]] in the [[Valley of the Kings]]. Furthermore, she suggested that Nefertiti was in fact the Pharaoh [[Smenkhkare]]. Dr. Fletcher led an expedition funded by the [[Discovery Channel]] that examined what they believed to have been Nefertiti's mummy. |
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==Death== |
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The team claimed that the mummy they examined was damaged in a way suggesting the body had been deliberately desecrated in antiquity. Mummification techniques, such as the use of embalming fluid and the presence of an intact [[brain]], suggested an eighteenth dynasty royal mummy. Other features the team used to support their claims were the age of the body, the presence of embedded nefer beads, and a wig of a rare style worn by Nefertiti. They further claimed that the mummy's arm was originally bent in the position reserved for pharaohs, but was later snapped off and replaced with another arm in a normal position. |
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{{Further|Amarna succession}} |
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[[File:Queen Nefertiti, Limestone relief.jpg|thumb|right|160px|Nefertiti worshipping the Aten. She is given the title of ''Mistress of the Two Lands''. On display at the [[Ashmolean Museum]], Oxford.]] |
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===Old theories=== |
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However most Egyptologists, among them [[Kent Weeks]], [[Peter Locavara]] and [[Jimmy Dunn]], generally dismiss Fletcher's claims as unsubstantiated. They claim that ancient mummies are almost impossible to identify with a particular person without DNA; and as bodies of Nefertiti's parents or children have never been identified, her conclusive identification is impossible. Any circumstantial evidence, such as hairstyles and facial features, is not reliable enough to pinpoint a single, specific historical persona. |
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[[File:Fragment with cartouche of Akhenaten, which is followed by epithet Great in his Lifespan and the title of Nefertiti Great King's Wife. Reign of Akhenaten. From Amarna, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg|thumb|Fragment with cartouche of Akhenaten, which is followed by epithet Great in his Lifespan and the title of Nefertiti Great King's Wife. Reign of Akhenaten. From Amarna, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London]] |
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Pre-2012 Egyptological theories thought that Nefertiti vanished from the historical record around Year 12 of Akhenaten's reign, with no word of her thereafter. Conjectured causes included injury, a plague that was sweeping through the city, and a natural cause. This theory was based on the discovery of several [[ushabti]] fragments inscribed for Nefertiti (now located in the Louvre and the Brooklyn Museum). |
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A previous theory that she fell into disgrace was discredited when deliberate erasures of monuments belonging to a queen of Akhenaten were shown to refer to [[Kiya]] instead.<ref name="PM" /> |
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The opponents of Fletcher's theory also claim that Fletcher failed to prove the mummy was that of a female. Furthermore, the mummy's age is believed to be at most 30 years old, and more likely mid- to late-twenties, which runs counter to Akhenaten's 17-year reign, and Smenkhare's further four years on the throne. Some scientists examining the mummy's x-rays believe the person may have been as young as 16 years old. The sceptics further claim that the cause of damage to the mummy can only be speculated upon, and the alleged revenge is an unsubstantiated theory. Bent arms, contrary to Fletcher's claims, were not reserved exclusively to pharaohs; this was also used for other members of the royal family. The wig found near to the mummy is of unknown origin, and cannot be conclusively linked to that specific body. Finally, the 18th dynasty was one of the largest and most prosperous dynasties of ancient Egypt, and a female royal mummy could be any of a hundred royal wives or daughters from 18th dynasty's more than 200 years on the throne. |
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During Akhenaten's reign (and perhaps after), Nefertiti enjoyed unprecedented power. By the twelfth year of his reign, there is evidence she may have been elevated to the status of co-regent:<ref>Reeves, Nicholas. <cite>''Akhenaten: Egypt's False Prophet''</cite>. p.172 Thames & Hudson. 2005. {{ISBN|0-500-28552-7}}</ref> equal in status to the pharaoh, as may be depicted on the [[Coregency Stela]]. |
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On [[June 12]], [[2003]], [[Zahi Hawass]], head of Egypt's [[Supreme Council for Antiquities]], also dismissed the claim, citing insufficient evidence. On [[August 30]], [[2003]], [[Reuters]] further quoted Dr. Hawass as saying, "I'm sure that this mummy is not a female", and "Dr Fletcher has broken the rules and therefore, at least until we have reviewed the situation with her university, she must be banned from working in Egypt." [http://www.zahihawass.com/wc_no_discrimination.htm] |
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It is possible that Nefertiti is the ruler named Neferneferuaten. Some theorists believe that Nefertiti was still alive and held influence on the younger royals. If this is the case, that influence and presumably Nefertiti's own life would have ended by year 3 of Tutankhaten's reign (1331 BC). In that year, Tutankhaten changed his name to Tutankhamun. This is evidence of his return to the official worship of [[Amun]], and abandonment of Amarna to return the capital to Thebes.<ref name="Dodson"/> |
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===2006=== |
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More in hope than expectation, when a [[KV63|new tomb]] with sarcophagi was found near the entrance to [[Tutankhamun]]'s tomb in [[February 2006]], the UK papers jumped on the possibility that one of them might contain the mummy of Nefertiti.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4700032.stm] The coffins were discovered to be empty. |
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== |
===New theories=== |
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In 2012, the discovery of an inscription dated to Year 16, month 3 of [[Season of the Inundation|Akhet]], day 15 of the reign of Akhenaten was announced.<ref name="Van der Perre 2012">{{cite book |last=Van der Perre |first=Athena |editor-last=Seyfried |editor-first=Friederike| title=In the Light of Amarna: 100 Years of the Nefertiti discovery |publisher=Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin |date=2012 |isbn=978-3-86568-848-4}}</ref>{{rp|196–197}} It was discovered within Quarry 320 in the largest wadi of the limestone quarry at Dayr Abū Ḥinnis.{{sfn|van der Perre|2014|p=68}} The five-line inscription, written in red ochre, mentions the presence of the "Great Royal Wife, His Beloved, Mistress of the Two Lands, Neferneferuaten Nefertiti".<ref name="Van der Perre 2012"/>{{rp|197}}{{sfn|van der Perre|2014|p=73}} The final line of the inscription refers to ongoing building work being carried out under the authority of the king's scribe [[Penthu]] on the [[Small Aten Temple]] in Amarna.{{sfn|van der Perre|2014|p=76}} Van der Perre stresses that: |
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Nefertiti's place as an [[icon]] in popular culture is secure: she has become a celebrity, the second most famous "Queen" of [[Egypt in the European imagination]] and influenced through photographs the changed standards of feminine beauty of the 20th century. |
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{{Quote|This inscription offers incontrovertible evidence that both Akhenaten and Nefertiti were still alive in the 16th year of his [Akhenaten's] reign and, more importantly, that they were still holding the same positions as at the start of their reign. This makes it necessary to rethink the final years of the Amarna Period.{{sfn|van der Perre|2014|p=77}}}} |
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{{Ancient Egyptians}} |
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This means that Nefertiti was alive in the second to last year of Akhenaten's reign, and demonstrates that Akhenaten still ruled alone, with his wife by his side. Therefore, the rule of the female Amarna pharaoh known as [[Neferneferuaten]] must be placed between the death of Akhenaten and the accession of Tutankhamun. Neferneferuaten, this female pharaoh, specifically used the epithet 'Effective for her husband' in one of her cartouches,<ref name="Deep Blue">{{cite book |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012051415/http://cassian.memphis.edu/history/murnane/M_Gabolde.pdf |chapter-url=http://cassian.memphis.edu/history/murnane/M_Gabolde.pdf |chapter=Under a Deep Blue Starry Sky |editor-first=P. |editor-last=Brand |title=Causing His Name to Live: Studies in Egyptian Epigraphy and History in Memory of William J. Murnane |pages=17–21 |archive-date=12 October 2013 |access-date=11 August 2022 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> which means she was either Nefertiti or her daughter Meritaten (who was married to king [[Smenkhkare]]). |
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==Further reading== |
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* Cyril Aldred, <cite>Akhenaten: King of Egypt</cite> (Thames and Hudson, 1988) contains much material on her |
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==Burial== |
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* Rita E. Freed, Yvonne J. Markowitz, Sue H. D'Auria, <cite>Pharaohs of the Sun: Akhenaten – Nefertiti – Tutankhamen</cite> (Museum of Fine Arts, 1999) |
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[[File:Unfinished portrait head of queen Nefertiti with sketches 01.jpg|left|thumb|Limestone trial piece showing head of Nefertiti.]] |
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* Joyce Tyldesley, <cite>Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen</cite> (Viking, 1999) |
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[[File:Heads of Akhenaten and Nefertiti.jpg|left|thumb|370x370px|Heads of Akhenaten and Nefertiti 18th Dynasty Egypt]] |
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* Donald Redford <cite>Akhenaten : The Heretic King</cite>, Princeton, 1984 |
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Nefertiti's burial was intended to be made within the [[Royal Tomb of Akhenaten|Royal Tomb]] as laid out in the [[Boundary Stelae of Akhenaten|Boundary Stelae]].<ref name="Murnane 1995 p.78">{{cite book |last1=Murnane |first1=William J. |title=Texts from the Amarna period in Egypt |date=1995 |publisher=Scholars Press |location=United States of America |isbn=1-55540-966-0 |page=78}}</ref> It is possible that the unfinished annex of the Royal Tomb was intended for her use.<ref name="Dodson 2018 p.18">{{cite book |last1=Dodson |first1=Aidan |title=Amarna sunset : Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian counter-reformation |date=2018 |publisher=The American University in Cairo Press |location=Cairo |isbn=978-977-416-859-8 |page=18 |edition=Revised}}</ref> However, given that Akhenaten appears to have predeceased her it is highly unlikely she was ever buried there. One [[Ushabti|shabti]] is known to have been made for her.<ref name="Kemp 2014 p.255">{{cite book |last1=Kemp |first1=Barry |title=The city of Akhenaten and Nefertiti : Amarna and its people |date=2014 |publisher=Thames & Hudson |location=New York |isbn=978-0-500-29120-7 |page=255}}</ref> The unfinished Tomb 29, which would have been of very similar dimensions to the Royal Tomb had it been finished, is the most likely candidate for a tomb begun for Nefertiti's exclusive use.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kemp |first1=Barry |title=The Amarna Royal Tombs at Amarna |page=6 |url=http://amarnaproject.com/documents/pdf/Amarna-Royal-Tombs.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://amarnaproject.com/documents/pdf/Amarna-Royal-Tombs.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |access-date=1 July 2019}}</ref> Given that it lacks a burial chamber, she was not interred there either. |
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In 2015, English archaeologist [[Nicholas Reeves]] announced that high resolution scans revealed voids behind the walls of [[KV62|Tutankhamun's tomb]] which he proposed to be the burial chamber of Nefertiti,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/archaeologist-believes-hidden-passageway-tomb-tutankhamun-leads-resting-place-nefertiti-1514990 |title=Archaeologist believes hidden passageway in tomb of Tutankhamun leads to resting place of Nefertiti |first=Sean |last=Martin |work=International Business Times |date=August 11, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Radar Scans in King Tut's Tomb Suggest Hidden Chambers |url=https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/11/151128-tut-tomb-scans-hidden-chambers/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151130100141/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/11/151128-tut-tomb-scans-hidden-chambers/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 30, 2015 |website=National Geographic News |access-date=30 June 2019 |date=28 November 2015}}</ref> but subsequent radar scans showed that there are no hidden chambers.<ref name="Sambuelli et al 2019 p.8">{{cite journal |last1=Sambuelli |first1=Luigi |last2=Comina |first2=Cesare |last3=Catanzariti |first3=Gianluca |last4=Barsuglia |first4=Filippo |last5=Morelli |first5=Gianfranco |last6=Porcelli |first6=Francesco |title=The third KV62 radar scan: Searching for hidden chambers adjacent to Tutankhamun's tomb |journal=Journal of Cultural Heritage |volume=39 |date=May 2019 |page=8 |doi=10.1016/j.culher.2019.04.001 |s2cid=164859865 }}</ref><ref name="Sambuelli et al 2019 p.9">{{cite journal |last1=Sambuelli |first1=Luigi |last2=Comina |first2=Cesare |last3=Catanzariti |first3=Gianluca |last4=Barsuglia |first4=Filippo |last5=Morelli |first5=Gianfranco |last6=Porcelli |first6=Francesco |title=The third KV62 radar scan: Searching for hidden chambers adjacent to Tutankhamun's tomb |journal=Journal of Cultural Heritage |volume=39 |date=May 2019 |page=9 |doi=10.1016/j.culher.2019.04.001 |s2cid=164859865 }}</ref> |
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In 1898, French archeologist [[Victor Loret]] found two female mummies among those cached inside the tomb of [[Amenhotep II]] in [[KV35]] in the [[Valley of the Kings]]. These two mummies, known as '[[The Elder Lady]]' and '[[The Younger Lady (mummy)|The Younger Lady]]', were identified as likely candidates of her remains. |
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An article in ''[[Kmt (magazine)|KMT]]'' magazine in 2001 suggested that the Elder Lady might be Nefertiti.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Susan E. |last=James |title=Who is Mummy Elder Lady? |magazine=KMT |volume=12 |number=2 |date=Summer 2001 }}</ref> However, it was subsequently shown that the 'Elder Lady' is in fact [[Tiye]], mother of Akhenaten. A lock of hair found in a coffinette bearing an inscription naming Queen Tiye proved a near perfect match to the hair of the 'Elder Lady'.<ref name="Harris et al 1978 p.1151">{{cite journal |last1=Harris |first1=James E. |last2=Wente |first2=Edward F. |last3=Cox |first3=Charles F. |last4=El Nawaway |first4=Ibrahim |last5=Kowalski |first5=Charles J. |last6=Storey |first6=Arthur T. |last7=Russell |first7=William R. |last8=Ponitz |first8=Paul V. |last9=Walker |first9=Geoffrey F. |title=Mummy of the "Elder Lady" in the Tomb of Amenhotep II: Egyptian Museum Catalog Number 61070 |journal=Science |date=1978 |volume=200 |issue=4346 |pages=1149–51 |jstor=1746491 |bibcode=1978Sci...200.1149H |doi=10.1126/science.349693 |pmid=349693 }}</ref> DNA analysis confirmed that she was the daughter of Tiye's parents [[Yuya]] and [[Thuya]].<ref name="640-641">{{cite journal |pmid = 20159872|year = 2010|last1 = Hawass|first1 = Z.|title = Ancestry and pathology in King Tutankhamun's family|journal = JAMA|volume = 303|issue = 7|pages = 638–47|last2 = Gad|first2 = Y. Z.|last3 = Ismail|first3 = S.|last4 = Khairat|first4 = R.|last5 = Fathalla|first5 = D.|last6 = Hasan|first6 = N.|last7 = Ahmed|first7 = A.|last8 = Elleithy|first8 = H.|last9 = Ball|first9 = M.|last10 = Gaballah|first10 = F.|last11 = Wasef|first11 = S.|last12 = Fateen|first12 = M.|last13 = Amer|first13 = H.|last14 = Gostner|first14 = P.|last15 = Selim|first15 = A.|last16 = Zink|first16 = A.|last17 = Pusch|first17 = C. M.|doi = 10.1001/jama.2010.121|doi-access = }}</ref> |
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On 9 June 2003 archaeologist [[Joann Fletcher]], a specialist in ancient hair from the [[University of York]] in England, announced that Nefertiti's mummy may have been the Younger Lady. This theory was criticised by [[Zahi Hawass]] and several other Egyptologists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zahihawass.com/wc_no_discrimination.htm |title=Weekly Column - Dr. Zahi Hawass |date=27 September 2007 |access-date=8 June 2016 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927131223/http://www.zahihawass.com/wc_no_discrimination.htm |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref> In a subsequent research project led by Hawass, the mummy was put through [[CT scan]] analysis and [[DNA]] analysis. Researchers concluded that she is Tutankhamun's biological mother, an unnamed daughter of [[Amenhotep III]] and Tiye, not Nefertiti.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last1=Hawas |first1=Zahi |last2=Saleem |first2=Sahar N. |title=Scanning the Pharaohs: CT Imaging of the New Kingdom Royal Mummies |date=2016 |publisher=The American University in Cairo Press |location=New York |isbn=978-977-416-673-0 |page=123}}</ref> |
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===KV21B mummy=== |
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{{Main|KV21#KV21B}} |
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One of the two female mummies found in [[KV21]] has been suggested as the body of Nefertiti. DNA analysis did not yield enough data to make a definitive identification but confirmed she was a member of the [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt|Eighteenth Dynasty royal line]].<ref name="Hawass et al">{{cite journal |last1=Hawass |first1=Zahi |author-link1=Zahi Hawass |last2=Gad |first2=Yehia Z. |last3=Somaia |first3=Ismail |last4=Khairat |first4=Rabab |last5=Fathalla |first5=Dina |last6=Hasan |first6=Naglaa |last7=Ahmed |first7=Amal |last8=Elleithy |first8=Hisham |last9=Ball |first9=Markus |last10=Gaballah |first10=Fawzi |last11=Wasef |first11=Sally |last12=Fateen |first12=Mohamed |last13=Amer |first13=Hany |last14=Gostner |first14=Paul |last15=Selim |first15=Ashraf |last16=Zink |first16=Albert |last17=Pusch |first17=Carsten M. |date=February 17, 2010 |title=Ancestry and Pathology in King Tutankhamun's Family |url=https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/185393 |access-date=May 24, 2020 |url-access=limited |journal=Journal of the American Medical Association |publisher=American Medical Association |location=Chicago, Illinois |volume=303 |issue=7 |pages=638–647 |doi=10.1001/jama.2010.121 |issn=1538-3598 |pmid=20159872|doi-access= }}</ref> CT-scanning revealed she was about 45 at the time of her death; her left arm had been bent over her chest in the 'queenly' pose. The possible identification is based on her association with the mummy tentatively identified as Ankhesenamun. It is suggested that just as a mother and daughter (Tiye and the Younger Lady) were found lying together in KV35, the same was true of these mummies.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hawass |first1=Zahi |last2=Saleem |first2=Sahar N. |title=Scanning the Pharaohs: CT Imaging of the New Kingdom Royal Mummies |date=2016 |publisher=American University in Cairo Press |location=New York |isbn=978-977-416-673-0 |pages=132–142}}</ref> |
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==Hittite letters== |
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A document was found in the ancient Hittite capital of [[Hattusa]] which dates to the Amarna period. The document is part of the so-called ''Deeds'' of [[Suppiluliuma I]]. While laying siege to [[Karkemish]], the Hittite ruler receives a letter from the Egyptian queen. The letter reads:<ref name="Guterbock 1956">{{cite journal |last1=Güterbock |first1=Hans Gustav |title=The Deeds of Suppiluliuma as Told by His Son, Mursili II (Continued) |journal=Journal of Cuneiform Studies |date=June 1956 |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=75–98 |doi=10.2307/1359312|jstor=1359312 |s2cid=163670780 }}</ref> |
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{{quote|My husband has died and I have no son. They say about you that you have many sons. You might give me one of your sons to become my husband. I would not wish to take one of my subjects as a husband... I am afraid.}} |
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This proposal is considered extraordinary as New Kingdom royal women never married foreign royalty.<ref name="Schulman 1979 p.179-180">{{cite journal |last1=Schulman |first1=Alan R. |title=Diplomatic Marriage in the Egyptian New Kingdom |journal=Journal of Near Eastern Studies |date=1979 |volume=38 |issue=3 |pages=179–180 |doi=10.1086/372739 |jstor=544713 |s2cid=161228521 }}</ref> [[Šuppiluliuma I|Suppiluliuma I]] was understandably surprised and exclaimed to his courtiers:<ref name="Guterbock 1956"/> |
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{{Quote|Nothing like this has happened to me in my entire life!}} |
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Understandably, he was wary, and had an envoy investigate the situation, but by so doing, he missed his chance to bring Egypt into his empire.<ref name="Guterbock 1956"/> He eventually did send one of his sons, [[Zannanza]], but the prince died, perhaps murdered, en route.<ref name="Guterbock 1956 107">{{cite journal |last1=Güterbock |first1=Hans Gustav |title=The Deeds of Suppiluliuma as Told by His Son, Mursili II |journal=Journal of Cuneiform Studies |date=September 1956 |volume=10 |issue=4 |pages=107–130 |doi=10.2307/1359585|jstor=1359585 |s2cid=224824543 }}</ref><ref name="kuhrt252">{{cite book|pages=254|author=Amelie Kuhrt|title=The Ancient Middle East c. 3000 – 330 BC|volume=1|year=1997|publisher=Routledge|location=London}}</ref> |
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The identity of the queen who wrote the letter is uncertain. She is called [[Dakhamunzu]] in the Hittite annals, a translation of the Egyptian title ''Ta hemet nesu'' (The King's Wife).<ref name="Lloyd">{{cite book |last1=Lloyd |first1=Alan B. |title=A Companion to Ancient Egypt |date=6 May 2010 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-4443-2006-0 |page=14 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RK2pLin2sPAC&dq=Dakhamunzu&pg=PA114 |access-date=19 April 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Darnell">{{cite book |last1=Darnell |first1=John Coleman |author1-link=John Coleman Darnell |last2=Manassa |first2=Colleen| author2-link= Colleen Darnell |title=Tutankhamun's Armies: Battle and Conquest During Ancient Egypt's Late Eighteenth Dynasty |date=3 August 2007 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-471-74358-3 |page=186 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7MvtJ2LbKgwC&dq=Dakhamunzu&pg=PA185 |access-date=19 April 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="APE">{{cite book |editor1-last=Matthews |editor1-first=Roger |editor2-last=Roemer |editor2-first=Cornelia |title=Ancient Perspectives on Egypt |date=16 September 2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-315-43491-9 |page=98 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I7AYDQAAQBAJ&dq=Dakhamunzu&pg=PT163 |access-date=19 April 2022 |language=en}}</ref> The possible candidates are Nefertiti, [[Meritaten]],<ref name="Grajetzki64">{{cite book|title=Ancient Egyptian Queens; a hieroglyphic dictionary|first=Wolfram|last=Grajetzki|year=2000|location=London|publisher=Golden House|pages=64}}</ref> and [[Ankhesenamun]]. Ankhesenamun once seemed the likeliest, since there were no candidates for the throne on the death of her husband, Tutankhamun, whereas Akhenaten had at least two legitimate successors. But this was based on the assumption of a 27-year reign for the last 18th Dynasty pharaoh, [[Horemheb]], who is now accepted to have had a shorter reign of only 14 years. This makes the deceased Egyptian king appear to be Akhenaten instead, rather than Tutankhamun.{{Citation needed|date=December 2019}} Furthermore, the phrase regarding marriage to 'one of my subjects' (translated by some as 'servants') is possibly either a reference to the Grand Vizier [[Ay (pharaoh)|Ay]] or a secondary member of the Egyptian royal family line. Since Nefertiti was depicted as being as powerful as her husband in official monuments smiting Egypt's enemies, she might be the [[Dakhamunzu]] in the Amarna correspondence, as [[Nicholas Reeves]] believes.<ref>Nicholas Reeves,[https://www.academia.edu/7415055/Tutankhamuns_Mask_Reconsidered_in_press_corrected_proof_2015_ Tutankhamun's Mask Reconsidered] BES 19 (2014), pp.523</ref> |
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==Gallery== |
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<gallery> |
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File:Headless bust of Akhenaten or Nefertiti. Part of a composite red quartzite statue. Intentional damage. Four pairs of early Aten cartouches. Reign of Akhenaten. From Amarna, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg|Headless bust of Akhenaten or Nefertiti. Part of a composite red quartzite statue. Intentional damage. Four pairs of early Aten cartouches. Reign of Akhenaten. From [[Amarna|Amarna, Egypt]]. The [[Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology]], London |
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File:Limestone statuette of Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and a princess. Reign of Akhenaten. From Amarna, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg|Limestone statuette of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, or Amenhotep III and Tiye,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Johnson |first1=W. Raymond |title=Amenhotep III and Amarna: Some New Considerations |journal=The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology |date=1996 |volume=82 |page=76 |doi=10.1177/030751339608200112 |jstor=3822115 |s2cid=193461821 }}</ref> and a princess. Reign of Akhenaten. From Amarna, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London |
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File:Limestone relief fragment. A princess holding sistrum behind Nefertiti, who is partially seen. Reign of Akhenaten. From Amarna, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg|Limestone relief fragment. A princess holding sistrum behind Nefertiti, who is partially seen. Reign of Akhenaten. From Amarna, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London |
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File:Siliceous limestone fragment relief of Nefertiti. Extreme style of portrait. Reign of Akhenaten, probably early Amarna Period. From Amarna, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg|Siliceous limestone fragment relief of Nefertiti. Extreme style of portrait. Reign of Akhenaten, probably early Amarna Period. From Amarna, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London |
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File:StatueHeadOfNefertiti01.png|Granite head statue of Nefertiti. The securing post at head apex allows for different hairstyles to adorn the head. [[Altes Museum]], Berlin. |
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File:Portraitkopf der Nofretete (Berlin 21352).JPG|Head statue of Nefertiti, [[Altes Museum]], Berlin. |
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File:GD-EG-Caire-Musée066.JPG|[[Akhenaten]], Nefertiti and their daughters before the [[Aten]]. [[Stela of Akhenaten and his family]], [[Egyptian Museum]], Cairo. |
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File:WLA brooklynmuseum Nefertiti ca 1352-1336 BCE.jpg|Nefertiti offering oil to the [[Aten]]. [[Brooklyn Museum]]. |
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File:ReliefFragmentOfNefertitiWithSunDiskOfAten.png|[[Talatat]] showing Nefertiti worshipping the [[Aten]]. [[Altes Museum]]. |
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File:WLA brooklynmuseum sandstone Nefertiti.jpg|Relief fragment with Nefertiti, [[Brooklyn Museum]]. |
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File:Akhenathon and Nefertiti E15593 mp3h8771.jpg|[[Akhenaten]] and Nefertiti. [[Louvre|Louvre Museum]], Paris. |
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File:ParapetFragment-NefertitiPresentsMaatToAten BrooklynMuseum.png|Nefertiti presenting an image of the goddess [[Maat]] to the [[Aten]]. [[Brooklyn Museum]]. |
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File:AmarnaEra-NefertitAndAkhenatenWorshippingAten-ROM.png|[[Talatat]] representing Nefertiti and Akhenaten worshipping the [[Aten]]. [[Royal Ontario Museum]]. |
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File:Queen Nefert-iti and Princess Meket-Aten on boundary stela, Tell el-Amarna, 18th Dynasty, 1353-1336 BCE - Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art - DSC08150.JPG|Boundary stele of [[Amarna]] with Nefertiti and her daughter, princess [[Meketaten]], [[Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art]]. |
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File:WLA brooklynmuseum Relief of Nefertiti Kissing one of her daughters.jpg|Limestone relief of Nefertiti kissing one of her daughters, [[Brooklyn Museum]]. |
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File:AmarnaRelief-Nefertiti-LateReliefImage BrooklynMuseum.png|[[Talatat]] with an aged Nefertiti, [[Brooklyn Museum]]. |
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</gallery> |
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==Cultural depictions== |
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* Nefertiti was portrayed by [[Geraldine Chaplin]] in ''[[Nefertiti y Aquenatos|Nefertiti and Akhenaton]]'' (1973), Mexican short film by [[Raúl Araiza (director)|Raul Araiza.]] |
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* Nefertiti was portrayed again by [[Riann Steele]] in ''[[Doctor Who]]'' (2012), in the episode [[Dinosaurs on a Spaceship]]. |
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* Nefertiti (presented as the same person as [[Neferneferuaten]]) is a key part of the archaeological topics in Jacqueline Benson's 2024 historical fantasy novel, ''Tomb of the Sun King''. |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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=== Works cited === |
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*{{cite book |
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|last= Dodson |
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|first= Aidan |
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|author-link=Aidan Dodson |
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|orig-year=2014 |
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|year= 2016 |
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|title= Amarna Sunrise: Egypt from Golden Age to Age of Heresy |
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|publisher= [[American University in Cairo Press]] |
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|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=hOPfBgAAQBAJ |
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|isbn=9781617975608 |
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}} |
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* {{cite journal |first=Athena |last=van der Perre |url=https://www.academia.edu/6682743 |title=The Year 16 graffito of Akhenaten in Dayr Abū Ḥinnis. A Contribution to the Study of the Later Years of Nefertiti |journal=Journal of Egyptian History |volume=7 |issue=1 |year=2014 |pages=67–106|doi=10.1163/18741665-12340014 }} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{Sister project links|auto=yes}} |
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{{commonscat|Nefertiti}} |
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* [http://www.smb.spk-berlin.de/smb/sammlungen/details.php?lang=en&objectId=2 Staatliche Museen zu Berlin: Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100702044305/http://www.smb.spk-berlin.de/smb/sammlungen/details.php?lang=en&objectId=2 |date=2010-07-02 }} |
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*[http://www.geocities.com/scribelist/do_we_have_.htm Do We Have the Mummy of Nefertiti?] by Marianne Luban, 1999 (predates Joann Fletcher's work). |
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* [https://www.academia.edu/14406398/The_Burial_of_Nefertiti_2015_ C. Nicholas Reeves: The Burial of Nefertiti?] |
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* J. Kluger, A. Dorfman, ''Nefertiti found?'', Time, June 16, 2003; [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101030616-457370,00.html online edition] |
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* [https://www.academia.edu/16769699/Who_else_might_be_in_Pharaoh_Tutankhamun_s_tomb_KV_62_c._1325_BC_ Habicht M. et al: Who else might be in Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb (KV 62, c. 1325 BC)?] |
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*[http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/nefertiti/story/story.html Tracking Nefertiti] Discovery article on Joann Fletcher's work. |
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*[ |
* [https://sketchfab.com/models/0de77041bfb74f259b313cf9ed81fbaa A 3D model of a bust of Nefertiti] |
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*[http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/653/eg8.htm Spinning Nefertiti] |
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{{Queens of Ancient Egypt}} |
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*[http://www.thehallofmaat.com/maat/read.php?f=1&i=144802&t=144802 Discussion on the ''Nefertiti found?'' program] |
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{{Amarna Period Navigator}} |
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*[http://touregypt.net/featurestories/nefertiti.htm A more detailed profile of Nefertiti] |
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{{Authority control}} |
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*[http://www.specialtyinterests.net/eae.html The Encyclopedia of El Amarna, examining her time and connections] |
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*[http://www.nefertitithemusical.com ''Nefertiti'', a musical based on the Egyptian queen.] |
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*[http://www.smb.spk-berlin.de/smb/de/standorte/index.php?n=2&r=2&objID=24&p=2 Altes Museum, Berlin] |
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*[http://www.smcc-canossian.org/%7Ewp/drama06/ St. Mary's Canossian College Drama 05-06 ''Nefertiti''] |
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[[Category:Ancient Egyptian queen consorts]] |
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Latest revision as of 20:02, 1 January 2025
Nefertiti | |
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Queen consort of Egypt | |
Tenure | 1353–1336 BC[1] or 1351–1334 BC[2] |
Pharaoh | |
Reign | c. 1334–1332 BC |
Predecessor | unclear, Akhenaten or Smenkhkare |
Successor | Tutankhamun |
Born | c. 1370 BC |
Died | c. 1330 BC |
Spouse | Akhenaten |
Issue | |
Dynasty | 18th of Egypt |
Father | Ay (possibly) |
Mother | Iuy (possibly) |
Religion | Atenism |
Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti in hieroglyphs | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Neferneferuaten Nefertiti Nfr nfrw itn Nfr.t jy.tj Beautiful are the Beauties of Aten, the Beautiful one has come | ||||||||||||||
Nefertiti (/ˌnɛfərˈtiːti/[3]) (c. 1370 – c. 1330 BC) was a queen of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, the great royal wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband were known for their radical overhaul of state religious policy, in which they promoted the earliest known form of monotheism, Atenism, centered on the sun disc and its direct connection to the royal household. With her husband, she reigned at what was arguably the wealthiest period of ancient Egyptian history.[4] After her husband's death, some scholars believe that Nefertiti ruled briefly as the female pharaoh known by the throne name, Neferneferuaten and before the ascension of Tutankhamun, although this identification is a matter of ongoing debate.[5][6] If Nefertiti did rule as pharaoh, her reign was marked by the fall of Amarna and relocation of the capital back to the traditional city of Thebes.[7]
In the 20th century, Nefertiti was made famous by the discovery and display of her ancient bust, now in Berlin's Neues Museum. The bust is one of the most copied works of the art of ancient Egypt. It is attributed to the Egyptian sculptor Thutmose, and was excavated from his buried studio complex in the early 20th century.
Names and titles
[edit]Nefertiti had many titles, including:
- Neferneferuaten[8] (Beautiful is the beauty of Aten) nfr-nfrw-jtn
- Hereditary Princess (iryt-p`t)
- Great of Praises (wrt-Hzwt)
- Lady of Grace (nebet-imat, nbt-jmꜣt)
- Sweet of Love (beneret-merut, bnrt-mrwt)
- Lady of The Two Lands (nebet-tawi, nbt-tꜣwj)
- Main King's Wife, his beloved (hemet-nesut-aat meretef, ḥmt-nswt-ꜥꜣt mrt.f)
- Great King's Wife, his beloved (hemet-nesut-weret meretef, ḥmt-nswt-wrt mrt.f)
- Lady of All Women (henut-hemut-nebut, ḥnwt-ḥmwt-nbwt)
- Mistress of Upper & Lower Egypt (henut-shemau-mehu, ḥnwt-šmꜣw-mḥw).[9]
While modern Egyptological pronunciation renders her name as Nefertiti, her name was the sentence nfr.t jj.tj (or Nfr.t-jy.tj[10]), meaning "the beautiful one has come", and probably contemporarily pronounced Naftita from older Nafrat-ita or perhaps Nafert-yiti.[11][12]
Family and early life
[edit]Almost nothing is known about Nefertiti's life before her marriage to Akhenaten. Scenes from the tombs of the nobles in Amarna mention that Nefertiti had a sister, named Mutbenret.[13][14][15] Further, a woman named Tey carried the title of "Nurse of the Great Royal Wife."[16] In addition, Tey's husband Ay carried the title "God's Father." Some Egyptologists believe that this title was used for a man whose daughter married the pharaoh.[17] Based on these titles, it has been proposed that Ay was in fact Nefertiti's father.[10] However, neither Ay nor Tey are explicitly referred to as Nefertiti's parents in the existing sources. At the same time, no sources exist that directly contradict Ay's fatherhood which is considered likely due to the great influence he wielded during Nefertiti's life and after her death.[10] According to another theory, Nefertiti was the daughter of Ay and a woman besides Tey, but Ay's first wife died before Nefertiti's rise to the position of queen, whereupon Ay married Tey, making her Nefertiti's stepmother. Nevertheless, this entire proposal is based on speculation and conjecture.[18]
It has also been proposed that Nefertiti was Akhenaten's full sister, though this is contradicted by her titles which do not include the title of "King's Daughter" or "King's Sister," usually used to indicate a relative of a pharaoh.[10] Another theory about her parentage that gained some support identified Nefertiti with the Mitanni princess Tadukhipa,[19] partially based on Nefertiti's name ("The Beautiful Woman has Come") which has been interpreted by some scholars as signifying a foreign origin.[10] However, Tadukhipa was already married to Akhenaten's father and there is no evidence for any reason why this woman would need to alter her name in a proposed marriage to Akhenaten, nor any hard evidence of a foreign non-Egyptian background for Nefertiti.
The exact dates when Nefertiti married Akhenaten and became the king's great royal wife are uncertain. They are known to have had at least six daughters together, including Meritaten, Meketaten, Ankhesenpaaten (later called Ankhesenamun when she married Tutankhamun), Neferneferuaten Tasherit, Neferneferure, and Setepenre.[15][19] She was once considered as a candidate for the mother of Tutankhamun, however a genetic study conducted on discovered mummies suggests that she was not.[20]
Life
[edit]Nefertiti first appears in scenes in Thebes. In the damaged tomb (TT188) of the royal butler Parennefer, the new king Amenhotep IV is accompanied by a royal woman, and this lady is thought to be an early depiction of Nefertiti. The king and queen are shown worshiping the Aten. In the tomb of the vizier Ramose, Nefertiti is shown standing behind Amenhotep IV in the Window of Appearance during the reward ceremony for the vizier.[19]
During the early years in Thebes, Akhenaten (still known as Amenhotep IV) had several temples erected at Karnak. One of the structures, the Mansion of the Benben (hwt-ben-ben), was dedicated to Nefertiti. She is depicted with her daughter Meritaten and in some scenes the princess Meketaten participates as well. In scenes found on the talatat, Nefertiti appears almost twice as often as her husband. She is shown appearing behind her husband the pharaoh in offering scenes in the role of the queen supporting her husband, but she is also depicted in scenes that would have normally been the prerogative of the king. She is shown smiting the enemy, and captive enemies decorate her throne.[21]
In the fourth year of his reign, Amenhotep IV decided to move the capital to Akhetaten (modern Amarna). In his fifth year, Amenhotep IV officially changed his name to Akhenaten, and Nefertiti was henceforth known as Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti. The name change was a sign of the ever-increasing importance of the cult of the Aten. It changed Egypt's religion from a polytheistic religion to a religion which may have been better described as a monolatry (the depiction of a single god as an object for worship) or henotheism (one god, who is not the only god).[22]
The boundary stelae of years 4 and 5 mark the boundaries of the new city and suggest that the move to the new city of Akhetaten occurred around that time. The new city contained several large open-air temples dedicated to the Aten. Nefertiti and her family would have resided in the Great Royal Palace in the centre of the city and possibly at the Northern Palace as well. Nefertiti and the rest of the royal family feature prominently in the scenes at the palaces and in the tombs of the nobles. Nefertiti's steward during this time was an official named Meryre II. He would have been in charge of running her household.[5][19]
Inscriptions in the tombs of Huya and Meryre II dated to Year 12, 2nd month of Peret, Day 8 show a large foreign tribute. The people of Kharu (the north) and Kush (the south) are shown bringing gifts of gold and precious items to Akhenaten and Nefertiti. In the tomb of Meryre II, Nefertiti's steward, the royal couple is shown seated in a kiosk with their six daughters in attendance.[5][19] This is one of the last times princess Meketaten is shown alive.
Two representations of Nefertiti that were excavated by Flinders Petrie appear to show Nefertiti in the middle to later part of Akhenaten's reign 'after the exaggerated style of the early years had relaxed somewhat'.[23] One is a small piece on limestone and is a preliminary sketch of Nefertiti wearing her distinctive tall crown with carving began around the mouth, chin, ear and tab of the crown. Another is a small inlay head (Petrie Museum Number UC103) modeled from reddish-brown quartzite that was clearly intended to fit into a larger composition.
Meketaten may have died in year 13 or 14. Nefertiti, Akhenaten, and three princesses are shown mourning her.[24] The last dated inscription naming her and Akhenaten comes from a building inscription in the limestone quarry at Dayr Abū Ḥinnis. It dates to year 16 of the king's reign and is also the last dated inscription naming the king.[25]
Possible reign as a Pharaoh
[edit]Many scholars believe Nefertiti had a role elevated from that of great royal wife, and was promoted to co-regent by her husband Pharaoh Akhenaten before his death.[26] She is depicted in many archaeological sites as equal in stature to a King, smiting Egypt's enemies, riding a chariot, and worshipping the Aten in the manner of a pharaoh.[27] When Nefertiti's name disappears from historical records, it is replaced by that of a co-regent named Neferneferuaten, who became a female Pharaoh.[28] It seems likely that Nefertiti, in a similar fashion to the previous female Pharaoh Hatshepsut, assumed the kingship under the name Pharaoh Neferneferuaten after her husband's death. She was then succeeded by Tutankhamun.[25]
It seems less possible that Nefertiti disguised herself as a male and assumed the male alter ego of Smenkhkare. According to Van Der Perre, Smenkhkare is thought to be a co-regent of Akhenaten who died before Neferneferuaten assumed the kingship.[25]
If Nefertiti did rule Egypt as a Pharaoh, it has been theorized that she would have attempted damage control and may have re-instated the ancient Egyptian religion and the Amun priests. She would have raised Tutankhamun in the worship of the traditional gods.[29]
Archaeologist and Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass theorized that Nefertiti returned to Thebes from Amarna to rule as a Pharaoh, based on ushabti and other feminine evidence of a female pharaoh found in Tutankhamun's tomb, as well as evidence of Nefertiti smiting Egypt's enemies which was a duty reserved to kings.[30]
Death
[edit]Old theories
[edit]Pre-2012 Egyptological theories thought that Nefertiti vanished from the historical record around Year 12 of Akhenaten's reign, with no word of her thereafter. Conjectured causes included injury, a plague that was sweeping through the city, and a natural cause. This theory was based on the discovery of several ushabti fragments inscribed for Nefertiti (now located in the Louvre and the Brooklyn Museum).
A previous theory that she fell into disgrace was discredited when deliberate erasures of monuments belonging to a queen of Akhenaten were shown to refer to Kiya instead.[15]
During Akhenaten's reign (and perhaps after), Nefertiti enjoyed unprecedented power. By the twelfth year of his reign, there is evidence she may have been elevated to the status of co-regent:[31] equal in status to the pharaoh, as may be depicted on the Coregency Stela.
It is possible that Nefertiti is the ruler named Neferneferuaten. Some theorists believe that Nefertiti was still alive and held influence on the younger royals. If this is the case, that influence and presumably Nefertiti's own life would have ended by year 3 of Tutankhaten's reign (1331 BC). In that year, Tutankhaten changed his name to Tutankhamun. This is evidence of his return to the official worship of Amun, and abandonment of Amarna to return the capital to Thebes.[5]
New theories
[edit]In 2012, the discovery of an inscription dated to Year 16, month 3 of Akhet, day 15 of the reign of Akhenaten was announced.[32]: 196–197 It was discovered within Quarry 320 in the largest wadi of the limestone quarry at Dayr Abū Ḥinnis.[33] The five-line inscription, written in red ochre, mentions the presence of the "Great Royal Wife, His Beloved, Mistress of the Two Lands, Neferneferuaten Nefertiti".[32]: 197 [34] The final line of the inscription refers to ongoing building work being carried out under the authority of the king's scribe Penthu on the Small Aten Temple in Amarna.[35] Van der Perre stresses that:
This inscription offers incontrovertible evidence that both Akhenaten and Nefertiti were still alive in the 16th year of his [Akhenaten's] reign and, more importantly, that they were still holding the same positions as at the start of their reign. This makes it necessary to rethink the final years of the Amarna Period.[36]
This means that Nefertiti was alive in the second to last year of Akhenaten's reign, and demonstrates that Akhenaten still ruled alone, with his wife by his side. Therefore, the rule of the female Amarna pharaoh known as Neferneferuaten must be placed between the death of Akhenaten and the accession of Tutankhamun. Neferneferuaten, this female pharaoh, specifically used the epithet 'Effective for her husband' in one of her cartouches,[28] which means she was either Nefertiti or her daughter Meritaten (who was married to king Smenkhkare).
Burial
[edit]Nefertiti's burial was intended to be made within the Royal Tomb as laid out in the Boundary Stelae.[37] It is possible that the unfinished annex of the Royal Tomb was intended for her use.[38] However, given that Akhenaten appears to have predeceased her it is highly unlikely she was ever buried there. One shabti is known to have been made for her.[39] The unfinished Tomb 29, which would have been of very similar dimensions to the Royal Tomb had it been finished, is the most likely candidate for a tomb begun for Nefertiti's exclusive use.[40] Given that it lacks a burial chamber, she was not interred there either.
In 2015, English archaeologist Nicholas Reeves announced that high resolution scans revealed voids behind the walls of Tutankhamun's tomb which he proposed to be the burial chamber of Nefertiti,[41][42] but subsequent radar scans showed that there are no hidden chambers.[43][44]
In 1898, French archeologist Victor Loret found two female mummies among those cached inside the tomb of Amenhotep II in KV35 in the Valley of the Kings. These two mummies, known as 'The Elder Lady' and 'The Younger Lady', were identified as likely candidates of her remains.
An article in KMT magazine in 2001 suggested that the Elder Lady might be Nefertiti.[45] However, it was subsequently shown that the 'Elder Lady' is in fact Tiye, mother of Akhenaten. A lock of hair found in a coffinette bearing an inscription naming Queen Tiye proved a near perfect match to the hair of the 'Elder Lady'.[46] DNA analysis confirmed that she was the daughter of Tiye's parents Yuya and Thuya.[47]
On 9 June 2003 archaeologist Joann Fletcher, a specialist in ancient hair from the University of York in England, announced that Nefertiti's mummy may have been the Younger Lady. This theory was criticised by Zahi Hawass and several other Egyptologists.[48] In a subsequent research project led by Hawass, the mummy was put through CT scan analysis and DNA analysis. Researchers concluded that she is Tutankhamun's biological mother, an unnamed daughter of Amenhotep III and Tiye, not Nefertiti.[20]
KV21B mummy
[edit]One of the two female mummies found in KV21 has been suggested as the body of Nefertiti. DNA analysis did not yield enough data to make a definitive identification but confirmed she was a member of the Eighteenth Dynasty royal line.[49] CT-scanning revealed she was about 45 at the time of her death; her left arm had been bent over her chest in the 'queenly' pose. The possible identification is based on her association with the mummy tentatively identified as Ankhesenamun. It is suggested that just as a mother and daughter (Tiye and the Younger Lady) were found lying together in KV35, the same was true of these mummies.[50]
Hittite letters
[edit]A document was found in the ancient Hittite capital of Hattusa which dates to the Amarna period. The document is part of the so-called Deeds of Suppiluliuma I. While laying siege to Karkemish, the Hittite ruler receives a letter from the Egyptian queen. The letter reads:[51]
My husband has died and I have no son. They say about you that you have many sons. You might give me one of your sons to become my husband. I would not wish to take one of my subjects as a husband... I am afraid.
This proposal is considered extraordinary as New Kingdom royal women never married foreign royalty.[52] Suppiluliuma I was understandably surprised and exclaimed to his courtiers:[51]
Nothing like this has happened to me in my entire life!
Understandably, he was wary, and had an envoy investigate the situation, but by so doing, he missed his chance to bring Egypt into his empire.[51] He eventually did send one of his sons, Zannanza, but the prince died, perhaps murdered, en route.[53][54]
The identity of the queen who wrote the letter is uncertain. She is called Dakhamunzu in the Hittite annals, a translation of the Egyptian title Ta hemet nesu (The King's Wife).[55][56][57] The possible candidates are Nefertiti, Meritaten,[58] and Ankhesenamun. Ankhesenamun once seemed the likeliest, since there were no candidates for the throne on the death of her husband, Tutankhamun, whereas Akhenaten had at least two legitimate successors. But this was based on the assumption of a 27-year reign for the last 18th Dynasty pharaoh, Horemheb, who is now accepted to have had a shorter reign of only 14 years. This makes the deceased Egyptian king appear to be Akhenaten instead, rather than Tutankhamun.[citation needed] Furthermore, the phrase regarding marriage to 'one of my subjects' (translated by some as 'servants') is possibly either a reference to the Grand Vizier Ay or a secondary member of the Egyptian royal family line. Since Nefertiti was depicted as being as powerful as her husband in official monuments smiting Egypt's enemies, she might be the Dakhamunzu in the Amarna correspondence, as Nicholas Reeves believes.[59]
Gallery
[edit]-
Headless bust of Akhenaten or Nefertiti. Part of a composite red quartzite statue. Intentional damage. Four pairs of early Aten cartouches. Reign of Akhenaten. From Amarna, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London
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Limestone statuette of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, or Amenhotep III and Tiye,[60] and a princess. Reign of Akhenaten. From Amarna, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London
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Limestone relief fragment. A princess holding sistrum behind Nefertiti, who is partially seen. Reign of Akhenaten. From Amarna, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London
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Siliceous limestone fragment relief of Nefertiti. Extreme style of portrait. Reign of Akhenaten, probably early Amarna Period. From Amarna, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London
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Granite head statue of Nefertiti. The securing post at head apex allows for different hairstyles to adorn the head. Altes Museum, Berlin.
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Head statue of Nefertiti, Altes Museum, Berlin.
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Akhenaten, Nefertiti and their daughters before the Aten. Stela of Akhenaten and his family, Egyptian Museum, Cairo.
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Nefertiti offering oil to the Aten. Brooklyn Museum.
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Relief fragment with Nefertiti, Brooklyn Museum.
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Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Louvre Museum, Paris.
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Boundary stele of Amarna with Nefertiti and her daughter, princess Meketaten, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
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Limestone relief of Nefertiti kissing one of her daughters, Brooklyn Museum.
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Talatat with an aged Nefertiti, Brooklyn Museum.
Cultural depictions
[edit]- Nefertiti was portrayed by Geraldine Chaplin in Nefertiti and Akhenaton (1973), Mexican short film by Raul Araiza.
- Nefertiti was portrayed again by Riann Steele in Doctor Who (2012), in the episode Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.
- Nefertiti (presented as the same person as Neferneferuaten) is a key part of the archaeological topics in Jacqueline Benson's 2024 historical fantasy novel, Tomb of the Sun King.
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Works cited
[edit]- Dodson, Aidan (2016) [2014]. Amarna Sunrise: Egypt from Golden Age to Age of Heresy. American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 9781617975608.
- van der Perre, Athena (2014). "The Year 16 graffito of Akhenaten in Dayr Abū Ḥinnis. A Contribution to the Study of the Later Years of Nefertiti". Journal of Egyptian History. 7 (1): 67–106. doi:10.1163/18741665-12340014.