Nefertiti: Queen of Egypt

Today, Nefertiti is one of the most well known queens of Egypt, famed throughout the ancient world for her beauty. There is little known about the background of Nefertiti but many believe that she was not of royal bloodline. Her father was believed to be a high official of Amenhotep III and Akhenaten. It is said that Nefertiti was chosen by her Father and her Aunt, the Pharaoh’s mother, because of her strong personality that it was believed she could reign in the Pharaoh so her family would hold the real power behind the throne. She was not rivaled only by her power but also by her beauty. Her face has become one of the most recognizable images in the world since the founding of her bust in 1912. She was an independent woman and thinker centuries before her time (Fletcher, 2004). But the question that many people wonder is “Who was Queen Nefertiti and how much power did she have?” Nefertiti first rose to prominence in Egyptology in 1912, when a three-thousand-year-old bust of the queen was unearthed and quickly became a recognizable artifact around the world. But pieces of Nefertiti 's life remained missing (Fletcher, 2004). The beginning of her existence starts with her breaking through the sex barrier to rule as a co-Pharaoh alongside her husband, Akhenaten. Nefertiti parents are not known and she was probably of non-royal birth, most historians say. Most believe she was 12 years old when she became queen and that Amenhotep IV was around the same age (Englar, 2009). Nefertiti married Amenhotep IV who took the name “Akhenaten”, who ruled over Egypt for approximately 17 years during the 18th Dynasty around 1357 B.C.E. She had six daughters but no sons with Akhenaten, who also had other wives. But neither of them were carved into the sculptures except Nefertiti, so many people believed he loved her most. She appeared with her husband Akhenaten on all major monuments. She even assisted in offerings. There has been no other queen who appears so

References: Dunn, Jimmy. (2003). Smenkhkare: An obscure pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. Englar, Mary. (2009). Nefertiti of Egypt. Capstone Publishing Company. Fletcher, Joann. (2004). Search for Nefertiti: The true story of an amazing discovery. Moran, Michelle. (2007). Nefertiti. New York: Crown Pub. Tyldesley, Joyce A. (1999). Nefertiti: Egypt’s sun queen. Viking Adult. Weller, Doug. (2008). Nefertiti. New world encyclopedia. Retrieved (2010, February 25) from http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org