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Nefertiti: the infamous Queen of Egypt, known throughout the ages for her spectacular beauty. But

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Nefertiti: the infamous Queen of Egypt, known throughout the ages for her spectacular beauty. But Nefertiti was much more than a pretty face. Though very little is known of her childhood, it is made clear through ancient images that Nefertiti was very powerful. Even after her strange disappearance, it is possible that she could have continued to rule beside her husband (as a man), or even assumed the position of Pharaoh under an alias. Like her origins, her fate is clouded by fiction as well. Her tomb has never been found, and most of the evidence of her reign has been destroyed. But, by sifting through history, it may be possible to discover the real Queen Nefertiti.. Nefertiti wasn’t always the grand Queen of Egypt. It is most likely …show more content…

Egyptian society had been strictly polytheistic until Akhenaten rose to power. He changed the religion to Atenism, the monotheistic worship of the sun-disc, Aten. The Pharaoh changed his name from Amenhotep to Akhenaten in a bold move to signify the transition to Atenism. Nefertiti followed his example, changing her name to Neferneferuaten, which roughly translates to “beautiful are the beauties of Aten, beautiful woman has come”. This period in Egyptian history is called the Amarna Period. Throughout this period of cultural upheaval, Nefertiti stood beside her husband’s decision to change the religion. She was in fact often depicted leading worship, a role that, before the duel rule of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, was reserved for Pharaoh’s only. There are also ancient images of Nefertiti riding chariots, and slaying the enemy. This drastic change in art had much to do with the conversion to Atenism. Aten was a creative god who encouraged expression. Along with the nature of their new god, Pharaoh Akhenaten decreed that all royal portraits be accurate representations of the royal family. As noted by award-winning author and Yale graduate Esther Friesner in her historical fiction novel Sphinx’s Princess, “This says a lot about Akhenaten, since his surviving statues show him with a potbelly, an oddly shaped head, and numerous other physical characteristics that might lead

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