Queen Nefertiti – The Enigmatic Beauty
Although her ancestry was not recorded, and very little is known about her, most believe that she is the daughter of the chief minister Ay (who later became king). Ay was an old man by the time he became the king of Egypt, his daughter had passed away by then. He succeeded King Tut, and only reigned for about 4 years before passing away himself. Our mysterious queen was married to King Akhenaten (whose original name is Amenhotep IV) before he was crowned. He married her when he was quite young, and they had a total of 6 daughters together; no sons to take over the throne. King Akhenaten was a revolutionary thinker and philosopher at the time, and he shocked Egypt with the radical changes he made to the country's religion... but his wife supported him all the way and she acquired much power. This shows in ancient Egyptian art as she was a favorite figure to depict.
Another strange change this couple made in ancient Egypt was the way they were depicted in art. There were the usual beautified and glorified representations of the Pharaoh and his Great Royal Wife; but for the first time in ancient Egyptian history, royals were now shown in their natural state. Actually, some of the representations exaggerated their "humanness" - bellies, slouching, imperfections and all. This was a revolution on its own back then, when Pharaohs were shown as Gods... larger than life and stronger than any mortal. Anyway, the Queen's origin was a mystery, her life was a mystery, and so was her death. No one really knows how she died or where her mummy is. Until now her mummy is the center of one of the biggest "treasure hunts" of all time. All we know is that she died sometime around year 14 of Akhenaten's rule, shortly after her daughter Meketaten had died.
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One of the most famous sculptures of all time is Queen Nefertiti's bust in the Berlin museum, shown on the left. As you can see, her long neck and petite, feminine features are a feast for an artist's eyes.
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