Nefertiti, the primary wife of Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten (previously known as Amenhotep IV), who governed from around 1353 to 1336 BC, has been a source of fascination and intrigue. Often hailed as the Sovereign of the Nile and Offspring of Deities, Nefertiti was endowed with extraordinary power, even possibly equalling the pharaoh himself in stature. Nevertheless, the details surrounding Nefertiti become contentious post the twelfth year of Akhenaten’s reign, as her traces disappear from historical records.
In the reformed religious structure under Akhenaten, which worshiped the sun god, Nefertiti and the pharaoh were represented as the initial primal pair. Besides, Nefertiti was renowned for her captivating beauty across Egypt. She took pride in her elegant, swan-like neck and created her own cosmetics using the Galena plant. Interestingly, an elongated gold bead, named nefer, which she frequently wore, also shares her name.
Nefertiti, who was once lost in the annals of history, regained fame when her bust was unearthed in an artist’s workshop ruins in Amarna in 1912, now exhibited in the Altes Museum in Berlin. This bust is among the most replicated artifacts of ancient Egypt.
Nefertiti’s significant status is displayed through images and statues where her representation is magnified. Numerous depictions feature her in intimate family moments with her husband and children. She is also recognized as the mother-in-law and stepmother of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
While there is uncertainty surrounding Nefertiti’s parentage, it is widely accepted that she was Ay’s daughter, who later ascended the throne following Tutankhamun. She also had a younger sister named Moutnemendjet. Alternatively, another hypothesis proposes that Nefertiti might have been the Mitanni princess Tadukhipa.
Nefertiti wedded Amenhotep IV around 1357 BC, and was later promoted to the position of his queen. Existing images portray Nefertiti and the king in intimate poses like riding together on a chariot, kissing publicly, and Nefertiti seated on the king’s lap, leading researchers to deduce that their bond was genuine. Akhenaton’s legendary affection is immortalized in the hieroglyphs at Amarna, where he even dedicated a love poem to Nefertiti.
…And the Heiress, Great in the Palace, Fair of Face, Adorned with the Double Plumes, Mistress of Happiness, Endowed with Favors, at hearing whose voice the King rejoices, the Chief Wife of the King, his beloved, the Lady of the Two Lands, Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti, May she live for Ever and Always…
The royal pair had six known daughters, two of whom ascended to become queens of Egypt: Meritaten (presumed to have served as her father’s queen), Meketaten, Ankhesenpaaten/Ankhesenamen (later queen to Tutankhamun), Neferneferuaten Tasherit, Neferneferure, and Setepenre.
New Religion
In the fourth year of Amenhotep IV’s rule, the sun god Aten emerged as the primary national deity. The pharaoh initiated a religious upheaval, shutting down the older temples and emphasizing Aten’s central role. Nefertiti had a significant part in the previous religion, which she continued to play in the new system. She worshipped Aten alongside her husband and held the unique royal position of Aten’s priest. In this new religion, approaching monotheism, the king and queen were seen as “a primeval first pair”, and together with Aten, they formed a royal triad dispensing Aten’s “light” to the entire populace.
During Akhenaten’s reign (and possibly after), Nefertiti wielded unparalleled power, and by his twelfth year, there are indications that she might have been promoted to the rank of co-regent, equal to the pharaoh himself. She is frequently depicted on temple walls, matching the pharaoh’s size, signifying her importance, and is portrayed alone worshipping the god Aten.
Notably, a relief from the Amarna temple depicts Nefertiti striking a foreign enemy with a mace before Aten. Such portrayals were traditionally reserved for the pharaoh alone, making Nefertiti’s depiction unique.
Akhenaten ordered Nefertiti’s figure to be carved on the four corners of his granite sarcophagus, where she is depicted providing protection to his mummy, a role traditionally assigned to the female deities of Egypt: Isis, Nephthys, Selket, and Neith.
Nefertiti’s Disappearance
In the twelfth regal year, Nefertiti’s name abruptly stops appearing. Theories suggest she either succumbed to a plague that ravaged the area or fell from grace, though recent hypotheses challenge this notion.
After her historical disappearance, Akhenaten shared his Egyptian throne with a co-regent. This situation spurred considerable conjecture about the co-regent’s identity. One theory posits that Nefertiti assumed a new identity as a female king, reminiscent of past women leaders like Sobkneferu and Hatshepsut. Another hypothesis proposes the presence of two co-regents: a male son, Smenkhkare, and Nefertiti, under the name Neferneferuaten.
Several scholars stand firm on the belief that Nefertiti became a co-regent during or after Akhenaten’s demise. Jacobus Van Dijk, who authored the Amarna section of the Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, posits that Nefertiti became a co-regent with her husband and her eldest daughter, Meryetaten (Meritaten), took over her role as queen consort. Nefertiti’s four images adorn Akhenaten’s sarcophagus, which refutes the idea that she lost favor and further suggests her ongoing role as a deity or semi-deity with Akhenaten.
Contrarily, Cyril Aldred, who wrote Akhenaten: King of Egypt, suggests that a funerary shawabti found in Akhenaten’s tomb indicates that Nefertiti was a queen regnant, not a co-regent, and that she died in the fourteenth regal year of Akhenaten’s reign, a year after her daughter’s death.
Certain theories propose that Nefertiti lived on and influenced the younger royals who wed in their teens. Nefertiti would have planned for her demise and for her daughter Ankhesenpaaten’s succession, who was then renamed Ankhsenamun, and her stepson and son-in-law, Tutankhamun. This hypothesis posits Neferneferuaten’s death after two years of rule, succeeded by Tutankhamun, believed to be Akhenaten’s son. Nefertiti’s life would have ended by Year 3 of Tutankhaten’s reign, during which he reverted his name to Tutankhamun, abandoned Amarna, and reinstated the capital to Thebes, signaling his return to the official worship of Amun.
Given the incomplete records, future archaeological and historical discoveries may shed new light on Nefertiti and her abrupt exit from public life. As of now, the mummy of Nefertiti, the renowned and symbolic Egyptian queen, remains undiscovered.
Top image: The disappearance of Nefertit has never been adequately explained. Source: Negro Elkha / Adobe Stock.
The article ‘The Mysterious Disappearance of Nefertiti, Ruler of the Nile’ is adapted from the article: Nefertiti. (2008, December 2). New World Encyclopedia .
