Content1. Introduction2 -3 2. Life2.1. Early Days4 2.2. As a
Queen.. 5-6 3. Death.7
4. The Artifacts8 5. Her Influence5.1. How Powerful Was
Nefertiti9 5.2. Egyptian Religios Changes..9-11
6. The Bust6.1. Discovery.12 6.2. Locations In Germany...12-13
6.3. Description.13-14 6.4. Cultural Segnificance..15 7.
Conclusion..16
Introduction
This paper is about Ancient Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, the woman
who posed for the artist thousands of years ago. The little
knowledge we do possess about her, but yet she still continues to
captivate the world with her beauty. Once a queen of immense beauty
ruled alongside Akhenaten during the Amarna Period and helped her
beloved Akhenaten promote his new religion. She had a short reign
of twelve years and vanished into time. Who was this lady? What
exactly is known about her? What comes to mind when we think about
Egypt? We picture the vast Sahara Desert that covers much of
northern Africa, where Egypt is located. We can see the Nile
Riverthe longest in the worldthat divides the country nearly in
half, north to south. We think of people with a history that is
long, mysterious, and beautiful. When we think of Ancient Egypt, we
think of the pyramids, the Sphinx, and, of course, mummies. Yet,
another item has come to symbolize the beauty of that mysterious
landthe brightly painted bust of the lovely Queen Nefertiti.
Leadership, it may be said, is really what makes the world go
round. Love no doubt smoothes the passage; but love is a private
transaction between consenting adults. Leadership is a public
transaction with history. The idea of leadership affirms the
capacity of individuals to move, inspire, and mobilize masses of
people so that they act together in pursuit of an end. Sometimes
leadership serves good purposes, sometimes bad; but whether the end
is benign or evil, great leaders are those men and women who leave
their personal stamp on history.
Life Early daysNefertiti, original pronunciation approximately
Nafteta, means, "The beautiful one has arrived." She lived in Tell
El Amarna, located nearly 300 hundred miles south of Cairo.
Nefertiti's parentage is not known with certainty, but one often
cited theory is that she was the daughter of Ay, later to be
pharaoh. Her long neck and full lips may suggest a different
ethnicity. Some believe that she was a commoner by birththe
daughter of a court officialand her beauty caught the kings eye.
Some think that she was of royal blood. Still others believed that
Nefertiti was probably a distant relative to Akhenaten and a
favorite queen to the pharaoh. Nothing is known about the queen's
childhood, but first appears in history as Akhenaten's wife. It's
believed Akhenaten and his queen brought forth such dramatic
changes, that they were unloved by their subjects. Nefertiti
remains very much an object of mystery, even though she is one of
the icons of Egyptian history.
A standing/striding figure of Nefertiti made of limestone.
Originally from Amarna, part of the gyptisches Museum Berlin
collection
As a queenWe separate Ancient Egypt into three separate
kingdoms, with three intermediate periods between each kingdom.
During this time, 30 dynastiesor familiesruled the country. The New
Kingdomthe era that includes the Amarna Periodlasted from about
1570 to 1070 b.c., and it included the eighteenth through twentieth
dynasties. This time period was host to some of the most well-known
pharaohs, including Nefertiti, who ruled with her husband during
the eighteenth dynasty. . It was rare for women to hold much power
in Ancient Egypt,
but a few females were great influences on the pharaohs (whether
their husbands or sons); in these cases, the women were the power
behind the throne. Several women were pharaohs in their own right.
Nefertiti may have been one of the rarest of Egyptian women: one
who first had great influence over the king, and who then ruled as
pharaoh following the kings death. The exact dates of when
Nefertiti was married to Akhenaten and later promoted to his Queen
are uncertain. And we do know that she was Akhenatens primary wife,
and as such wielded great power at court. Most Egyptian men married
only one woman at a time, but polygamy (marriage to more than one
spouse at a time) was common among royalty. It is believed that
Akhenaten had three or four wives and at least eight childrensix
girls with Nefertiti - Meritaten, Meketaten, Ankhesenpaaten,
Neferneferuaten Tasherit, Neferneferure, and Setepenre, and two
boys by two other wives.
When Akhenaten took the throne, the new pharaoh rescinded some
of the power given to Egyptian priests and declared Aten, the sun
god, the only deity worthy of worship. Aten was symbolized as a sun
disk, with his rays beaming over people, as in this painted
limestone depicting Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and three of their
daughters sitting beneath Aten. ( "house altar" ) New Kingdom,
Amarna period, 18th dynasty; c. 1350 BC - Collection: gyptisches
Museum Berlin
DeathTwelve years into the Amarna Period she disappears. Little
is known about her disappearance as well. We can only speculate
what happened to her. There are many theories to what happened to
her. She might have died with an illness or simply became
unfavorable to Akhenaten. These may be true, but one ending stands
out even stronger then the others. Sometime during the end of the
Amarna Period a stone tablet, indicated the death of the king, was
sent to the Hittites. She asked the king to send a son to Egypt to
wed. She refused to marry any servants. The king of the Hittites
sent a son, but was assonated on his journey to marry the queen.
Could this be what brought down Nefertiti and the Amarna Period?
Although the stone tablets reveal a cry for help, they could have
been from Ankhesenamun after the murder of King Tut. Another more
new theory is that she could've been appointed co-regent of Egypt
as well. Her body was never found. After Akhenaten's death
everything in the Amarna Period was destroyed; including the tombs
and mummies left behind. In fear of the destruction by Egyptian
priests, Nefertiti's mummy could have been brought to The Valley of
the Kings. Somewhere she might be buried in a tomb that was created
to hide her last remains.
Portrait study of Nefertiti
The artifactsThe artifacts including many images of Nefertiti
and her familyuncovered at this site added greatly to the worlds
treasure trove of knowledge. In fact, it is considered one of the
most valuable finds of Ancient Egypt because it has educated us
about a period in Egyptian history that was previously shrouded in
mystery. Its treasures were remarkably well preserved, in part
because soon after Akhenatens deathAmarna was abandoned, partially
destroyed, and left to be buried under the desert sands. It was
never resettled, so everything found there came from the
approximately 20-year period it was inhabited by the Pharaoh
Akhenaten, his Queen Nefertiti, and about 20,000 subjects. Drawings
and sculptures found at Amarna, along with writings of ancient
scribes, provide the extent of our knowledge. Some Egyptologists
theorize that Nefertiti came to Egypt from another country, because
her name means the beautiful woman has come.
Nefertiti worshipping the Aten. She is given the title of
Lordess of the Two Lands. On display at the Ashmolean Museum,
Oxford
Her Influence How Powerful Was Nefertiti?There is a lot of
speculation about exactly how much influence Nefertiti actually
had. Because so many paintings, sculptures, and reliefs show her in
a position of powerincluding making offerings to Aten, the sun-disk
godit is presumed that she was actually quite influential. Because
Nefertitis tomb has never been identified conclusively, we may
never really know whose theories are correct. Akhenaten reigned for
17 years in the latter part of the eighteenth dynasty, from 1350 to
1334. Early in his reign, he moved the capital city northfrom
Thebes to Amarnaand built a new capitol there. The next two decades
are commonly known as the Amarna Period, after this new city. This
period became one of the most controversial times in Ancient
Egyptian history because of the changes in religion and art that
Akhenaten and Nefertiti instituted. New findings are proving that
Nefertiti was probably one of Egypt'smost powerful queens to ever
rule. She was shown with the crown of a pharaoh and was depicted in
scenes of battle. Also a large tomb was constructed for her,
thought to be a tomb fit for a pharaoh. Although depicted gallantly
and heroically, queen Nefertiti loved and cared for her deformed
and sickly husband.
Egyptian Religious changesThe Ancient Egyptians practiced
polytheism, or the worship of more than one god. In fact, they had
hundreds of gods. Soon after he was crowned, Akhenaten ordered the
people to worship only one god, Aten. In pictures, Aten is depicted
as a round sun disk, with long rays ending in hands that hold an
ankh, the hieroglyphic symbol for life. Previously, all gods had
been depicted as animals, or as half animal, half human. In the old
religion, several priests were required to care for each deity.
Under Akhenatens worship of Aten, however, there were no priests to
intervene, and the priests were not happy about their loss of
power. Akhenaten was the only connection to the god, making him
somewhat of a god himself. Aten was not a new god, though.
Akhenaten and Nefertiti did not just revolutionize the way the
people worshiped. They also demanded that artists and sculptors
take a new view of the world. Artists of the Amarna Period were
encouraged to portray their surroundings realistically instead of
in the highly stylized and impressionistic manner of previous
artists. Kings and queens always had been pictured in paintings and
other works of art as regal and godlike. Yet Akhenaten and
Nefertiti were portrayed as an affectionate and very human couple,
holding hands and playing with their children.
N e f e r t i t i a n d her husband Akhenaten ruled Egypt during
the New Kingdom, in a period known as Amarna. Although her husband
was the all--powerful pharaoh, fascination over Nefertiti has made
her the better-- known monarch. These limestone figures of
Nefertiti and Akhenaten date from the Amarna period. Louvre Museum,
Paris
The paintings, sculptures, and reliefs that survived from the
time of the eighteenth dynasty are quite distinctive and easily
recognizable, because the subjects in them have features that are
much more human. Some of Akhenatens subjects remained loyal and
went along with all of these changes unquestioningly, perhaps to
remain in the kings good favor. Others, however, refused to change
what they had always believed and how they had always lived just
because the pharaoh said to do so. Changes are not always welcome,
and apparently many of the changes demanded by the royal couple
were unpopular and only confused and angered many Egyptian people.
In Amarna, Akhenaten and Nefertiti built palaces and a temple to
Aten; there, they were joined there by family and those people who
worshiped Aten along with them. Yet, Amarna did not last long: It
rose, thrived, and fell within about 20 to 25 years. Egyptologists
also think Akhenaten was born with many deformities that made him
handicapped. Akhenaten might have had bad vision, allowing Queen
Nefertiti to control and decide many events and situations. Not
only did she live as royalty, but next to Akhenaten's name in a
cartouche was hers. This cartouche symbolized her status as a
pharaoh and great
importance.WLA_brooklynmuseum_sandstone_Nefertiti
The Bust Discovery
The bust of Nefertiti is believed to have been crafted in
1345 BC by the sculptor Thutmose. The bust does not have any
inscriptions, but was identified as Nefertiti as it wears the
characteristic crown that Nefertiti was known to wear. It was found
on 6 December 1912 at Amarna by the German Oriental Company
(Deutsche OrientGesellschaft DOG), led by German archaeologist
Ludwig Borchardt. It was found in what had been the sculptor
Thutmose's workshop, along with other unfinished busts of
Nefertiti.
Locations in GermanyThe Nefertiti bust has been in Germany since
1913, when it was shipped to Berlin and presented to James Simon, a
wholesale merchant and the sponsor of the Amarna excavation. It was
displayed at Simon's residence until 1913, when Simon loaned the
bust and other artifacts from the Amarna dig to the Berlin Museum.
It was permanently donated to the Berlin Museum in 1920. Finally,
in 1923, the bust was first unveiled to the public in Borchardt's
writing and later in 1924, displayed to the public as part of the
Egyptian Museum of Berlin. The bust created a sensation, swiftly
becoming a world-renowned icon of feminine beauty. The collection
was moved from Charlottenburg to the Altes Museum in 2005 and was
rehoused within the newly reconstructed Neues Museum on Berlin's
Museum Island in October 2009. Today is the most famous piece on
display. It has become nearly as familiar as the painting of the
Mona Lisa, and both share the same sort of mystique. Nefertiti is
widely regarded as one of the most beautiful women in antiquity,
even though the left eye is missing from the bust.
Description
This bust is exceptionally well preserved, vividly coloured, and
extremely realistic; it contains fine detail, including tiny lines
around the eyes, mouth, and neck. Its 47 centimetres (19 in) tall
and weighs about 20 kilograms (44 lb). It is made of a limestone
core covered with paintedstucco layers. The face is completely
symmetrical and almost intact, but the left eye lacks the inlay
present in the right. The pupil of the right eye is of inserted
quartz with black paint and is fixed with beeswax. The background
of the eye-socket is unadorned limestone. Nefertiti wears her
characteristic blue crown known as "Nefertiti cap crown" with a
golden diadem band, that is looped around like horizontal ribbons
and joining at the back, and an Uraeus (cobra) over her brow which
is now broken. She also wears a broad collar with a floral pattern
on it. The ears also have suffered some damage. She holds her head
with a royal grace, and her swanlike neck, high cheekbones, and
full red lips remind of us of todays most beautiful supermodels.
Gardner's Art Through the Ages suggests that "With this elegant
bust, Thutmose may have been alluding to a heavy flower on its
slender sleek stalk by exaggerating the weight of the crowned head
and the length of the almost serpentine neck.". Scientists believe
that the bust originally was meant as a sculptors model for his
students, which is why one eye was missing to demonstrate the
sculpting of the eye socket. More likely, it was the model for the
official royal portrait of the queen. Both of these explanations
are plausible, because the bust was found in the ruins of the
official court sculptor, Thutmose. The limestone retained the
bright hues used to color her skin, lips, headdress, and elaborate
necklace, and its burial in the dry desert sands preserved this
beautiful woman for posterity.
Cultural significanceNefertitis image has been reproduced
countless times and has come to represent the ancient land and its
people. According to David Silverman, the Nefertiti bust reflects
the classical Egyptian art style, deviating from the
"eccentricities" of the Amarna artstyle, which was developed in
Akhenaten's reign. Nefertiti has become an icon of Berlin's
culture. Some 500,000 visitors see Nefertiti every year. The bust
is described as "the best-known work of art from ancient Egypt,
arguably from all antiquity". Her face is on postcards of Berlin
and 1989 German postage stamps. In 1930, the German press described
the Nefertiti bust as their new monarch, personifying it as a
queen. As the "most precious ... stone in the setting of the
diadem' from the art treasures of 'Prussia Germany'", Nefertiti
would re-establish the imperial German national identity after
1918. Hitler described the bust as "a unique masterpiece, an
ornament, a true treasure", and pledged to build a museum to house
it. By the 1970s, the bust had become an issue of national identity
to both the German states East Germany and West Germany which were
created after World War II. In 1999, Nefertiti appeared on an
election poster for the green political party Bndis 90/Die Grnen as
a promise for cosmopolitan and multi-cultural environment with the
slogan "Strong Women for Berlin!" According to Claudia Breger,
another reason that the Nefertiti bust became associated with a
German national identity was its place as a rival to the
Tutankhamun find by the British, who then ruled Egypt.
Stamps of Germany (Berlin) 1988
ConclusionThere is much that we may never know about Nefertiti
and her origins, her controversial husband, their relatively brief
reign, and her death. Theories and possibilities abound but will
likely remain unproven. Yet, thanks to the first discoveries at
Amarnaand the ongoing excavations there and elsewhere in Egyptwe
can construct a fairly accurate picture of what life was like in
the late eighteenth dynasty, during the rule of Akhenaten and
Nefertiti in the land of the kings.