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Nefertiti: Queen of Egypt

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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 …show more content…

Very little is known of Nefertiti, her death is not recorded, and her tomb has not been found. Her beauty is renowned from the masks found at Amarna by archaeologists early in this century, having been lost for millennia. It is unusual that a queen like Nefertiti, death would not be recorded in the culture of Egypt. Even to this day monuments to those who ruled and played a major part in Egypt have pyramids and tombs bestowing their importance. It is very sad that Akhenaten and Nefertiti 's family was all but destroyed. Three thousand years after her death, Nefertiti’s beauty still captivates thousands of visitors each year. It was her mysterious smile and powerful gaze that attracted many men to her making them wonder who she had been and how she’d become a dominant figure in ancient Egypt. However, tragedy eventually calls, and everything Nefertiti worked so hard to achieve hangs in the balance (Englar 2009). Some historians believe she died from a plague or even ruled Egypt under a new name, Smenkhkare. Yet there has, over time, been a great deal of controversy on all these facts. It would seem that Smenkhkare became co-regent shortly after the death of Akhenaten’s principle wife, Nefertiti. Speculation at times have run rampant, including one theory that Nefertiti herself had actually disguised herself as a male in the custom of Hatshepsut, becoming co-regent (Dunn, 2003). Nefertiti will always hold a mysterious history, her

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