Nefertiti is the daughter of the pharaoh. Nefertiti - Egyptian beauty queen

25.09.2019

In the history of Ancient Egypt, Queen Nefertiti is portrayed as an independent, ambitious woman, striving for power. Her bust, exhibited in the Egyptian collection of the New Museum in Berlin, is one of the most famous works in the world, representing the era of ancient civilization. As part of the study of the history of Ancient Egypt and the role of women in the management of empires in the Middle East, the Harvard Scientific Institute (USA) conducted research in this area. Scientists have come to the conclusion that Nefertiti was perceived by the ancient Egyptians not only as a powerful co-ruler of the pharaoh. But also as a kind of living religious cult of beauty.

Nefertiti "is often presented in history as an independent figure with a reputation as a strong queen," said Professor Williamson, a participant in a conference on the history of the Middle East at Harvard University. “However, in the drawings of the tombs in Amarna, I came across a completely different image of Nefertiti, often hidden for the king. She is depicted on a hill next to her husband. As you know, in ancient Egypt, the pharaoh had unlimited power granted by heaven. ”Amenhotep IV inherited the throne at a time when Egypt was rich and the military power of the empire extended far north to Syria and south to Sudan. He worshiped the sun Ra, whose manifestation was known as the Aten. When he became pharaoh, he received the name Akhenaten, which in ancient Egyptian means "one who comes into force for the Aten."

He married Nefertiti, the daughter of a noble official, during the first years of his reign. Akhenaten introduced in ancient Egypt a new religion of worship of the only Aten, banning all other cults. The funeral rites have also changed. His policy was aimed at destroying the name and image of the cult of Amun. The Supreme Aten was represented as a man with the head of a hawk and the sun above the crown. Akhenaten added to this image a solar disk with rays emanating from it. The pharaoh built a new city for his family and worship of the Aten at Tell el-Amarna in the south of the state. Traditionally, the queen's role was to support her majestic husband. Their status was also associated with the cult of Maat, the progenitor of the entire universe. And Hathor, personifying beauty, fertility and fun, the patroness of lovers and mothers. “Through her magical power of fertility, she filled the life of the king with energy from space, thereby providing him with eternal life,” the scientist believes. “Religious ceremonies in honor of women were held for the rebirth of the universe, which, as the ancient Egyptians believed, took place every day at dawn.”

Under the reign of Akhenaten, Nefertiti and their daughters took center stage in the rites of religious worship in ancient Egypt. Nefertiti wore the crown of Hathor, a symbol of eternal beauty, youth and fertility. The image of Nefertiti was placed on the sarcophagus of the pharaoh in place of Isis. Traditionally, Isis adorned the tombs of representatives of the royal dynasty, but at that time she was replaced by Nefertiti. Thus, the queen became the embodiment of the magical abilities of the cult of Isis.

According to a group of Egyptologists from Harvard University, the temple in Kom el-Nana, discovered in the 1980s, was dedicated to the cult of Nefertiti. During the research, thousands of sandstone fragments with engraved hieroglyphs of Ancient Egypt were found. The records confirm the fact that the temple next to the house of Aten was built for the queen. Of great importance is the size of the sculptures and drawings of Nefertiti. In her temple el-Nana, her image is significantly inferior to the image of Akhenaten, demonstrating his superiority and subordination. Thus, the importance of the figure of the king in the political and religious life of ancient Egyptian society was emphasized.

After the reign of Akhenaten and Nefertiti ended, this city was deserted, the cult of worship of one Aton was abandoned, and the buildings turned into ruins. The amazing story of the fate of Queen Nefertiti leaves many people interested in the history of Ancient Egypt indifferent. For more than three millennia, she was not remembered, and her name was lost in history. However, in the last millennium, one of the French scientists F. Champolne managed to decipher the ancient writings of Egypt.

In the 20th century, Nefertiti became known to the world about something that could forever remain in oblivion. An expedition of scientists from Germany in the early 40s of the last century, after excavations in Egypt, handed over the items found for inspection by inspectors of the Antiquities Service. Among all the items found, the experts found a seemingly ordinary stone block, in which, over time, experts recognized the head of the queen. It is believed that several unscrupulous archaeologists tried to hide an ancient masterpiece from society, for which they were deprived of the right to participate in excavations in Egypt.

The name of Nefertiti was rapidly gaining popularity, legends were made about her beauty, her personality became very famous. For centuries, no one except her contemporaries knew about her, and now, after 33 centuries, her name waited for recognition and discussion. Enough accurate facts have not been preserved about Queen Nefertiti herself to speak about her biography with absolute certainty. Nevertheless, it is believed that Nefertiti was born in Mitania, where the famous Aryans lived, in a family of wealthy people. The year of her birth according to some sources is 1370 BC. Initially, her name was Taduchela, and being a twelve-year-old girl, she got into the harem of Amenhotep III for a considerable fee to her father. After the death of the pharaoh, according to ancient Egyptian traditions, the entire harem was inherited by his successor Amentohep IV. The splendor of the girl did not leave indifferent the young ruler, who became known as Akhenaten, and he took her as his legal wife and she was able to rule Egypt together with her husband.

Queen Nefertiti actively helped her lover in public affairs, her strong temper influenced many of her husband's actions. Nefertiti was also influential in the foreign relations of other states with Egypt. Married to Akhenaten, the beauty bore him six daughters. The couple waited long and in vain for an heir, and as a result, the pharaoh decides to enter into a new marriage with a girl from a simple family, whose name was Kiya. The new wife pleased Akhenaten with a son, who is known to us as Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Queen Nefertiti was practically exiled; little Tutankhamun was given to her upbringing. Soon, a year later, Akhenaten decides to bring Nefertiti back. Their relationship, as history knows, was not as warm and reverent as it was before. Soon Nefertiti decides to teach the secrets of love to her daughter and introduced her to Akhenaten as a wife, that is, the father married his own daughter. Such traditions seem, no doubt, unusual. modern man, but we are talking about ancient Egyptian traditions that were acceptable in their time. The practice of marriages between siblings in ancient Egypt was popular, noble personalities did not want incest, but their family, of course, could not last long.

After the death of the pharaoh, Nefertiti began to rule Egypt on her own, Smenkhkare became her royal name. Her reign lasted about 5 years and was tragically cut short by murderous conspirators. There is an assumption that the body of the queen was disfigured, the tomb of Nefertiti was destroyed and devastated by thieves. Surely, if the circumstances of death were different, scientists would be able to provide more accurate information about the queen to modern man. The appearance of the queen can be described from existing data, such as sculptures and drawings. According to them, Nefertiti was small in stature with a well-coordinated figure, her grace remained unchanged even after the birth of six children. Her face was unusual for most Egyptians, she had neat curved bright black eyebrows, her lips were full, and her eyes were colorfully expressive. The beauty of Queen Nefertiti could have aroused the envy of many girls in modern times. There are also ambiguous rumors about the character of the beauty. Some argue that she had a tough and obstinate character, her disposition was more similar to that of a man. Others, on the contrary, insist on the elegance and humility of Nefertiti, on the fact that the queen was unusually prudent and educated for that time, her sensible speeches helped her husband in governing the state. There is also an opinion that the great pharaoh was so drawn to this amazing woman : her pleasant appearance, her sound mind and wisdom or ability to love. Akhenaten could not forget about the beauty even after the appearance of his young wife and did not part with her almost until his death. The bust of Nefertiti is famous work art has been studied many times by scientists. More recently, researchers have found that many of the queen's facial features did not correspond to reality. Researchers from Germany decide to publish the newly appeared appearance of the queen. With help computer technology, scientists examined the hidden features of the girl's face under the retouching of paint that was applied to the legendary bust.

As it turned out, the bust of Queen Nefertiti had a hump on her nose, her lips were not as large as depicted, her cheekbones were not as expressive and she had dimples on her cheeks. The invited specialist corrected the bust of the queen, namely: he made her look deeper, the cheekbone area became less protruding. As is obvious, the changes that have taken place with the face of the sculpture were rather negative than positive. The eye itself is missing from the image of the sculpture itself. It is assumed that the ancient Egyptians believed that when creating a sculpture, the image of both eyes meant that the soul of the depicted moved to another world. There is also an opinion that when depicting the pharaohs, their second eye was absent for the possibility of their revival.

Author - XP0H0METP. This is a quote from this post.

Myths and Legends * Nefertiti
Nefertiti

Bust of Queen Nefertiti. Berlin Museum

Wikipedia
Nefertiti(Nefer-Neferu-Aton Nefertiti, other Egyptian. Nfr-nfr.w-Jtn-Nfr.t-jty, “The most beautiful beauty of the Aton, the Beauty Has Come”) is the “main wife” of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the XVIII dynasty Akhenaten (c. 1351-1334 BC), whose reign was marked by a large-scale religious reform. The role of the queen herself in carrying out the “solar-worshiping coup” is debatable.

Origin

Legends say that never before has Egypt produced such a beauty. She was called "Perfect"; her face adorned temples all over the country.

From the beginning of research and excavations in the ruins of Akhetaten (modern Tel el-Amarna) in the 80s of the 19th century, no clear evidence of the origin of Nefertiti has been found to date. Only mentions on the walls of the tombs of the pharaoh's family and nobles give some information about her. It was the inscriptions in the tombs and the cuneiform tablets of the Amarna archive that helped Egyptologists build several hypotheses about where the queen was born. In modern Egyptology, there are several versions, each of which claims to be true, but is not sufficiently confirmed by sources to take a leading position.

In general, the views of Egyptologists can be divided into 2 versions: some consider Nefertiti an Egyptian, others - a foreign princess. The hypothesis that the queen was not of noble birth and accidentally appeared at the throne is now rejected by most Egyptologists.

Nefertiti - a foreign princess

Supporters of the foreign origin of Nefertiti have two versions, supported by several arguments. It is believed that Nefertiti is a Mitannian princess sent to the court of Akhenaten's father, Pharaoh Amenhotep III. The then king of Mitanni Tushratta (c. 1370 - c. 1350 BC) had 2 daughters: Giluhepa (Giluhippa) and Taduhepa (English) (Taduhippa), both were sent to the court of the pharaoh. Some sources mention that the younger sister Nefertiti later became the wife of one of the subsequent pharaohs (perhaps Horemheb became her husband).

Giluhepa arrived in Egypt during the life of Amenhotep III and was given in marriage to him. The version that Gilukhepa could be Nefertiti is currently refuted by evidence of her age.

Younger sister Taduhepa (English) arrived at the beginning of the reign of Amenhotep IV Akhenaten. In defense of their hypothesis, scientists cite the meaning of the name Nefertiti “The Beautiful Came”, clearly indicating a foreign origin. It is believed that Princess Taduhepa, having arrived in Egypt, adopted a new name, as all foreign brides did. She was considered the daughter of the goddess of beauty.

Version of the Egyptian origin

Initially, Egyptologists followed a simple logical chain. If Nefertiti is the "chief wife of the pharaoh", she must be an Egyptian, moreover an Egyptian royal blood. Therefore, it was initially believed that the queen was one of the daughters of Amenhotep III. But none of the lists of the daughters of this pharaoh contains any mention of a princess with that name. Among his 6 daughters there is no sister of Nefertiti - Princess Mut-Nodzhemet (Benre-Mut).

Possibly the daughter of the nobleman Aye, one of Akhenaten's associates, later pharaoh, and probably Akhenaten's cousin.

daughters

From Akhenaten she gave birth to six daughters.

Daughters of Nefertiti

Meritaten ("beloved by Aten"): before the wedding or immediately after. (1356 BC). After the removal from power, Nefertiti became the main wife of Akhenaten.

Maketaton: year 1-3 (1349 BC).

Ankhesenpaaten (later changed her name to Ankhesenamun), married Tutankhamun, later became the wife of Eye.

Neferneferuaten-tasherite (English) Russian: year 6 (1344 BC)

Neferneferre (English) Russian: year 9 (1341 BC).

Setepenra (English) Russian: year 11 (1339 BC).

Reign and the art of her era

The absence of a son from the queen, the heir to the royal throne, could have affected the deterioration of relations within the royal family. The love of the royal couple has become one of the main subjects for the artists of Akhenaten, the capital of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Never before in Egyptian art have there been works that so vividly demonstrate the feelings of the royal spouses.

Nefertiti, beauty, beautiful in a diadem with two feathers, mistress of joy, full of praises ... full of beauties» with a spouse sit with children; Nefertiti dangles her legs, climbing onto her husband's lap and holding her little daughter with her hand. One of the reliefs discovered in Akhetaten depicts the climax of this idyll - the kiss of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. On each stage, there is always the Aton - a solar disk with numerous hands holding out symbols to the royal couple of ankhs. eternal life.

Nefertiti played an extremely important role in the religious life of Egypt at that time, accompanying her husband during sacrifices, rituals and religious festivities. She was a living embodiment of the life-giving power of the sun, giving life. In Gempaaten and Khutbenben, the great temples of the god Aten in Thebes, prayers were offered to her; none of the temple activities could take place without her, the guarantee of fertility and prosperity of the whole country. " She sends Aten to rest with a sweet voice and beautiful hands with sisters, - it is said about her in the inscriptions of the tombs of contemporary nobles, - at the sound of her voice rejoice". The walls of the hall erected by Akhenaten in the 6th year of his reign in his capital to celebrate the Sed ceremony were decorated with colossal sculptural images of Nefertiti, identified with the goddess Tefnut, the goddess of moisture, the daughter of the Sun-Ra, standing on the maintenance of world harmony and divine law. In this hypostasis, Nefertiti could be depicted as a sphinx striking the enemies of Egypt with a club.

Possessing great power and authority, the queen was most often depicted in her favorite headdress - a high blue wig entwined with gold ribbons and a uraeus, which symbolically emphasized her connection with the formidable goddesses, the daughters of the Sun.

In the 12th year of the reign of Akhenaten, the middle daughter of the royal couple, Princess Maketaton, dies, and soon Nefertiti herself disappears from the historical arena, possibly falling into disgrace; her place was taken by the secondary queen from the female house of Akhenaten - Kiya, and later - the eldest daughter of Nefertiti - Meritaton.

By the 14th year of the reign of Akhenaten (1336 BC), all mention of the queen disappears. One of the statues discovered in the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose shows Nefertiti in her declining years. Before us is the same face, still beautiful, but time has already left its mark on it, leaving traces of weariness over the years, fatigue, even brokenness. The walking queen is dressed in a tight dress, with sandals on her feet. The figure, which has lost the freshness of youth, no longer belongs to a dazzling beauty, but to the mother of three daughters, who has seen and experienced a lot in her life.

In 1912, the German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt discovered a unique bust of Queen Nefertiti in the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose in el-Amarna, which has since become one of the symbols of beauty and sophistication of ancient Egyptian culture.

Initially, her bust was discovered by the team of the Egyptologist L. Borchard and taken to Germany (where it is now stored); to hide it from the Egyptian customs, it was specially smeared with plaster. In his archaeological diary, opposite the sketch of the monument, Borchardt wrote only one phrase: "It is pointless to describe - you have to look." Taken to Germany in 1913, the unique bust of the queen is kept in the collection of the Egyptian Museum in Berlin. Later in 1933, the Egyptian Ministry of Culture requested it back to Egypt, but Germany refused to return it, then the German Egyptologists were prohibited from excavating. Second World War and the persecution of Borchard's wife because of her Jewish heritage prevented the archaeologist from continuing his research to the fullest. Egypt officially demands the return of the exported bust of Nefertiti from Germany.

It was recently discovered that the bust of the beautiful Nefertiti has a late " plastic surgery» plaster. Initially molded with a “potato” nose, etc., it was later corrected and began to be considered the standard of Egyptian beauty. It is not yet known whether the original image of Nefertiti was closer to the original and later embellished, or vice versa, the subsequent completion improved the inaccuracies of the original work ... Only a study of the mummy of Nefertiti herself, if it is discovered, can prove this.

Tomb

The mummy of Nefertiti was not discovered or identified among the mummies already found.

Before genetic research in February 2010, Egyptologists speculated that Nefertiti's mummy could be one of two female mummies found in tomb KV35, such as the KV35YL mummy. However, in the light of new information, this hypothesis is rejected.

One of the archaeologists, who for a number of years led the excavations in Akhetaton, writes about the legend of the locals. Allegedly, at the end of the 19th century, a group of people descended from the mountains, carrying a golden coffin; soon after that, several gold items with the name of Nefertiti appeared in antiquaries. This information could not be verified.

Busts and figures of Nefertiti, Berlin, Egyptian Museum

Reign of Nefertiti

early 14th century BC

To this day, through all the centuries there has been a legend about the most beautiful and happiest Egyptian queen, the beloved and only wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten. But the excavations of the 20th century led to the fact that the legends around the name of Nefertiti and her royal spouses grew. However, there is also reliable information about her life, love and death.

Nefertiti is not an Egyptian, as is commonly believed. She came from the Mesopotamian state of Mitanni, the country of the Aryans. We can say that she came to Egypt from the Sun itself. Aryans - the people of Nefertiti - worshiped the sun. And with the advent of a 15-year-old princess named Taduchepa on Egyptian soil, a new god, Aten, also came. The marriage of Nefertiti with Pharaoh Amenhotep III was purely political. The young beauty was exchanged for a ton of jewelry, gold, silver and ivory and brought to the Egyptian city of Thebes. There they called her the new name of Nefertiti and gave her to the harem of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. After the death of his father, young Amenhotep IV received a foreign beauty by inheritance. Pharaoh's love did not flare up immediately, but it flared up. As a result, the young pharaoh dissolved his father's huge harem and declared his wife his co-ruler. Receiving foreign ambassadors and concluding important agreements, he swore by the spirit of the sun god and love for his wife.

Temple of Nefertiti (Egypt)

Nefertiti's husband entered the history of Egypt as one of the most humane rulers. Sometimes Amenhotep is portrayed as a weak, strange, sickly young man, obsessed with the ideas of general equality, peace and friendship between people and different nations. However, it was Amenhotep IV who carried out a bold religious reform. None of the 350 rulers who occupied the Egyptian throne had dared to do this before him.

A huge temple of the Aten was built of white stone. Construction began on the new capital of Egypt - the city of Akhetaten ("Horizon of the Aten"). It was founded in a picturesque valley between Thebes and Memphis. The inspirer of the new plans was the wife of the pharaoh. Now the pharaoh himself was called Akhenaten, which means "Pleasant to the Aten", and Nefertiti - "Nefer-Nefer-Aton". This name is translated very poetically and symbolically - the beautiful beauty of Aten, or, in other words, the face is similar to the sun.

Nefertiti

French archaeologists have restored the appearance of the Egyptian queen: black eyebrows, strong-willed chin, full, gracefully curved lips. Her figure - fragile, miniature, but beautifully built - is compared with a carved statuette. The queen wore expensive clothes, most often they were white transparent dresses made of thin linen. According to legend and according to many deciphered hieroglyphs, the sunny beauty of Nefertiti extended to her soul. She was sung as a gentle beauty, the favorite of the Sun, who pacified everyone with her mercy. Hieroglyphic inscriptions praise not only the beauty of the queen, but also her divine ability to command respect. Nefertiti was called the "mistress of amenities", "pacifying heaven and earth with a sweet voice and kindness."

Nefertiti

Akhenaten himself called his wife "the delight of his heart" and wished her to live "forever and ever". In the papyrus, where the teaching about the family of the wise pharaoh is recorded, it tells about the ideal family happiness of the royal couple until death. This myth wandered in time from the ancient Greeks to the Romans and became worldwide. The cordial relationship between the king and the queen was captured in dozens and hundreds of drawings and bas-reliefs. On one of the frescoes there is even one extremely bold and frank painting, which we can quite call erotic. Akhenaten gently embraces and kisses Nefertiti on the lips. This is the first depiction of love in the history of art.

Nefertiti and Akhenaten

But meticulous archaeologists got to the bottom of the tragedy, without which, it turns out, the life of the sun-like and happy Nefertiti could not do. And she had a rival in ancient Egypt with a loving and wise husband.

All the same hieroglyphs and images on stone slabs helped archaeologists to find out this secret. The king and queen were usually depicted as an inseparable couple. They were symbols of mutual respect and state concerns. The couple met noble guests together, prayed together to the disk of the Sun, distributed gifts to their subjects.

But in 1931, in Amarna, the French found tablets with hieroglyphs, on which someone carefully scraped off the name Nefer-Nefer-Aton, leaving only the name of the pharaoh. More surprising finds followed. The limestone figure of the daughter of Nefertiti with the mother's name destroyed, the profile of the queen herself with the royal headdress plastered with paint. This could only be done by order of the pharaoh. Egyptologists have come to the conclusion that a drama took place in the happy home of the pharaohs. A few years before the death of Akhenaten, the family broke up. Nefertiti was expelled from the palace, she now lived in country house and raised a boy destined for the husband of her daughter - the future pharaoh Tutankhamen.

Kia. That was the name of Nefertiti's rival

Under the images of the royal couple, another woman's name, inscribed instead of Nefertiti. This name is Kiya. That was the name of Nefertiti's rival. The ceramic vessel with the names of Akhenaten and his new wife Kiya also confirmed the guess. Nefertiti was no longer listed there. Later, in 1957, they found an image of the new queen - a young face, wide cheekbones, regular arches of the eyebrows, and a calm look. Features that are attractive only by the charm of youth... This woman could not become a legend, although she replaced a legendary woman and a loving wife in the arms of Akhenaten. She not only won the heart of the pharaoh. AT last years reign, he made Kiya the second (junior) pharaoh. A golden, luxuriously inlaid coffin was even made for her. But a year before his death, Akhenaten also alienated his second wife.

Nefertiti lived in disgrace until the accession to the throne of Tutankhamun. She died in Thebes. After the death of Akhenaten, the priests of Egypt returned to the old god. Together with the god of the Sun - Aton, the name of the sun-like Nefer-Nefer-Aton was cursed. Therefore, it was not included in the annals. The burial of Nefertiti remains a mystery, apparently, it was modest. But the image of the queen remained alive in the fairy tales and legends of her people. The people left in them only beauty, harmony and happiness.

Nefertiti (Arthur Braginsky)

There is another, no less plausible version of the life story of Nefertiti, where the queen appears before us in a completely different way. This is an experienced in love, voluptuous and hard-hearted organizer of orgies, constantly looking for more and more new victims. This Nefertiti told a fable about a woman who did not want to be "contemptible" in love with her, an unfortunate young man. Therefore, for her love, she demanded that her lover give her everything he had, drive his wife away, kill the children and throw their bodies to the dogs. He even had to give away the grave of his elderly parents and the right to embalm their bodies after death and funeral rituals. The queen not only told, she herself embodied the plot of the fable and, in the end, drove the unfortunate man away, rewarding him with cold intercourse, and not with the fiery heat of her beautiful body.

This Nefertiti was no longer a victim of palace intrigues, but she herself fanned the fire of enmity in her wife Akhenaten, hated him, wished him death. This Nefertiti is the royal hetaira of Egypt, wearing small sandals adorned with precious stones. Every year she gave the pharaoh daughters, accusing him of the fact that he could not have a son. She had a body virginally young and beautiful, insatiable and vicious.

These two Nefertiti are still arguing with each other. However, the Valley of the Kings still keeps its beautiful and terrible secrets.

Original entry and comments on

Nefertiti and Tutankhaten. Death of Nefertiti

Akhenaten died in the seventeenth year of his reign. Whether the reason for this was illness or the assassination of enemies, of which the pharaoh had many, is unknown. But Nefertiti immediately takes action. There is a version of how Nefertiti could take revenge with the help of another heir.

The name of Nefertiti was deleted from the history of Egypt, but she still had one more trump card - she was raising her nephew Tutankhaton, who, perhaps, was her half-brother and who had the right to the throne. Nefertiti tried in vain to convert Tutankhaten to her faith. While preparations are underway for the funeral and embalming of her husband, she crowned Tutankhaton in the capital, still a boy. After all, there are three hundred kilometers to Thebes, and if you hold back the messengers, then the rivals may be late. In order to increase the solidity of her nephew's rights to the throne, the queen urgently married him to her daughter and Akhenaten's widow Ankhesenpaaten, a very young girl - she was then no more than fifteen years old. Tutankhaton came to the throne as a teenager and died as a young man. And then fate smiled at Nefertiti. Even during the coronation of Tutankhaten, Akhenaten's co-ruler Smenkhara unexpectedly died. Tutankhaten ruled for some time, although in fact Egypt was again ruled by Nefertiti.

But she, too, soon died (this happened around 1354 BC). In two years, almost everyone who had a right to the throne died. After the death of Nefertiti, Tutankhaten was transferred to Thebes. Whether he wanted this, we do not know, but in any case, Nefertiti and her support were no longer there. Under the influence of the Theban nobility, Tutankhaton revived the cults of traditional gods and changed his name to Tutankhamun - "The living likeness of Amon." Religious reform collapsed and disappeared like a desert mirage. The priests returned to power, first in Thebes, and then throughout the country. The capital of Akhenaten was abandoned by the inhabitants and abandoned. And then the priests took up the usual business for all revolutionaries and counter-revolutionaries - they began to knock down and scrape off inscriptions, cover up paintings and break statues. Akhetaten was destroyed.

The circle is closed. First, Akhenaten dealt with Amon and other old gods. Several years passed, and the inconsolable Nefertiti had to watch how everything associated with her name was destroyed. And now it was the turn of the great pharaoh himself. It was a grandiose work, comparable only to the construction of Akhetaton. Thousands of workers for several months erased the memory of the great period in the life of Egypt. Akhenaten's mummy could not be found, and therefore scientists are almost sure that the priests opened his tomb, defiled and robbed it, and then burned the pharaoh's mummy itself. No traces of Nefertiti were found, nor is it known how she ended her days. Her mummy has not been found.

Although new research may have already solved this mystery. British Egyptologist Joan Fletcher reported in 2003 that a team of scientists led by her managed to identify the mummy of Nefertiti. According to Fletcher, a mummification specialist at the University of York, the alleged mummy of Nefertiti was found in a secret crypt in one of the burials in the Valley of the Kings as early as 1898. She was immured in the side chamber of the tomb of Amenhotep IV. The body is rather poorly preserved, and therefore almost did not attract attention. It was photographed for the only time in 1907 before being walled up again. “After 12 years of searching for Nefertiti, this is probably the most wonderful discovery of my life. Although for now we can only assume with a high probability that the mummy has been correctly identified, the finds will obviously be of great importance for Egyptology in any case, ”said Fletcher.

After the examination, Joan Fletcher was able to provide quite strong evidence of her innocence. X-rays showed the resemblance of the mummy to the well-known descriptions of Nefertiti, who was famous for her swan neck. Another evidence is the traces of a forehead strap that was tightly digging into the skin. In addition, Fletcher indicates that the head was shaved, and two holes for earrings were made in one of the earlobes, as in the portraits of the queen that have come down to us.

Later, scientists discovered separated from the mummy right hand, in whose withered fingers was the royal scepter. She was bent over in a gesture reserved only for monarchs. In addition, jewelry was found in one of the niches of the tomb, which reinforced Fletcher's assumptions that Nefertiti's mummy was indeed found. However, it is too early to say for sure. The mysterious Nefertiti still keeps her secrets.

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The amazing story of the fate of Queen Nefertiti does not leave indifferent many people interested in the history of Ancient Egypt. For more than three millennia, she was not remembered, and her name was lost in history. However, in the last millennium, one of the French scientists F. Champolne managed to decipher the ancient writings of Egypt.

In the 20th century, Nefertiti became known to the world about something that could forever remain in oblivion.

An expedition of scientists from Germany in the early 40s of the last century, after excavations in Egypt, handed over the found objects for examination by inspectors of the Antiquities Service. Among all the items found, the experts found a seemingly ordinary stone block, in which, over time, experts recognized the head of the queen. It is believed that several unscrupulous archaeologists tried to hide an ancient masterpiece from society, for which they were deprived of the right to participate in excavations in Egypt.

There are not enough accurate facts about Queen Nefertiti herself to speak about her biography with absolute certainty. Nevertheless, it is believed that Nefertiti was born in Mitania, where the famous Aryans lived, in a family of wealthy people. The year of her birth according to some sources is 1370 BC. Initially, her name was Taduchela, and being a twelve-year-old girl, she got into the harem of Amenhotep III for a considerable fee to her father. After the death of the pharaoh, according to ancient Egyptian traditions, the entire harem was inherited by his successor Amentohep IV. The splendor of the girl did not leave indifferent the young ruler, who became known as Akhenaten, and he took her as his legal wife and she was able to rule Egypt together with her husband.

Married to Akhenaten, the beauty bore him six daughters. The couple waited long and in vain for an heir, and as a result, the pharaoh decides to enter into a new marriage with a girl from a simple family, whose name was Kiya. The new wife pleased Akhenaten with a son, who is known to us as Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Queen Nefertiti was practically exiled; little Tutankhamun was given to her upbringing. Soon, a year later, Akhenaten decides to bring Nefertiti back.

Their relationship, as history knows, was not as warm and reverent as it was before. Soon Nefertiti decides to teach the secrets of love to her daughter and introduced her to Akhenaten as a wife, that is, the father married his own daughter. Such traditions seem, of course, unusual to modern man, but we are talking about ancient Egyptian traditions that were acceptable in their time. The practice of marriages between siblings in ancient Egypt was popular, noble personalities did not want incest, but their family, of course, could not last long.

Beauty of Queen Nefertiti

The appearance of the queen can be described from existing data such as sculptures and drawings. According to them, Nefertiti was small in stature with a well-coordinated figure, her grace remained unchanged even after the birth of six children. Her face was unusual for most Egyptians, she had neat curved bright black eyebrows, her lips were full, and her eyes were colorfully expressive. The beauty of Queen Nefertiti could cause envy among many girls in modern times.

There are also mixed rumors about the character of the beauty. Some argue that she had a tough and obstinate character, her disposition was more similar to that of a man. Others, on the contrary, insist on the elegance and humility of Nefertiti, on the fact that the queen was unusually prudent and educated for that time, her sensible speeches helped her husband in governing the state.

There is also an opinion about what attracted the great pharaoh to this amazing woman: her pleasant appearance, her sound mind and wisdom or ability to love. Akhenaten could not forget about the beauty even after the appearance of his young wife and did not part with her almost until his death.

Bust of Queen Nefertiti

Bust of Nefertiti, this famous work of art has been studied by scientists many times. More recently, researchers have found that many of the queen's facial features did not correspond to reality. Researchers from Germany decide to publish the newly appeared appearance of the queen. Using computer technology, scientists examined the hidden features of the girl's face under the retouching of paint that was applied to the legendary bust.

The sculpture itself lacks an eye. It is assumed that the ancient Egyptians believed that when creating a sculpture, the image of both eyes meant that the soul of the depicted moved to another world. There is also an opinion that when depicting the pharaohs, their second eye was absent for the possibility of their revival.

Legends of Queen Nefertiti.

1. Scientists in England recently discovered a mummy that, according to its external description, is similar to the alleged appearance of Nefertiti. In this case, the theory of the girl's mutilated body is erroneous.

2. Queen Nefertiti, despite the origin of her name, which means "foreigner", was the sister of her future husband.

3. The union of the pharaoh and Nefertiti was planned and had nothing to do with love. Their relationship was strictly political. There is an opinion about the non-traditional orientation of Pharaoh Akhenaten, who chose Kiya as his new wife only because of her masculine appearance.

4. The queen was not a calm and obedient wife, her influence on the pharaoh was great, she skillfully used her charm and wisdom, taking advantage of Akhenaten's weakness. Many of the spouse's relatives were exterminated at the request of the beauty.

Of course, the above hypotheses may not be facts, because they do not have scientific evidence. One way or another, the personality of the legendary beauty will remain in the memory of the public, undoubtedly, for many centuries. And we hope that researchers will be able to please us with new discoveries and facts about the life of this great queen.

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MENSBY

4.6

Nefertiti was one of hundreds of princesses brought to give birth to sons and meet old age alone... But fate gave her a unique chance...

Plastic surgeons copy the cut of her eyes, the shape of her lips and nose, fashionistas repeat the make-up of the famous queen, and designers create flying dresses, sandals and ethnic jewelry, as in her portraits...

The secret of the royal origin of the “beauty who came”

Figure of Nefertiti, Limestone; Amarna; New Kingdom, 18th dynasty; c. 1345 BC

As it became known, Nefertiti (Nefertiti) was born in 1370 BC. e., but Egyptologists cannot come to a single answer to the question of where and in what family she was born.

Most are sure that the secret of her origin is hidden in the very name of the queen. Nefertiti is translated from Egyptian as "beauty who came" - it means that she came to Egypt from another land. A version arose that Nefertiti was the daughter of King Tushrata (Tushratta) and Queen Juni (Juni) from neighboring Mitania, a kingdom in Mesopotamia, where the legendary Aryans lived. The parents called the princess Taduchepa (Tadukhipa) and raised her in the traditions of the monotheistic Aryan religion, which taught to worship the sun as the only deity.

Probably, 12-year-old Taduchepa was sent by her father to Egypt as a gift for Pharaoh Amenhotep III (Amenhotep III) to the "House of Jewelry" (harem) and became one of the hundreds of foreign princesses brought to give birth to the lord's sons and meet old age alone ...

But fate gave her a unique chance ...

The secret of the brilliant marriage of Nefertiti.

Soon after the arrival of Nefertiti, Amenhotep III went to another world, and according to tradition, all the wives of the pharaoh were to be sacrificed and buried with the ruler. But the son of the deceased, young Amenhotep IV (Amenhotep IV), saved Nefertiti from death and made him his wife. It is not difficult to guess that the young man was pushed to take such a bold step strong love. He signed every state order with an oath in eternal love to God and Nefertiti.

The husband called the queen "lady of joy, pacifying heaven and earth with a sweet voice and kindness" and "delight of the heart."

The secret of the ideal beauty of the queen.

The famous bust of Nefertiti, which the German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt unearthed in the desert in 1912, is considered a real miracle of world art. Borchard secretly took the artifact to Germany and gave it to the Berlin Museum. The Egyptian authorities demanded the return of the find, threatening Nefertiti with a deadly curse. The Germans rudely refused, and then the fascist leader took the figurine to his bunker and, they say, looked at the silent beauty day and night.

Today, the sculpture is still kept in the Berlin Museum, but the German authorities began to gradually give Egypt cultural heritage and, perhaps, soon Nefertiti will return home!

So, how did the ancient master depict his queen: charming brown-green eyes, thick black eyebrows, sensual full lips, graceful nose, strong-willed cheekbones, a swan neck and a miniature figure - Nefertiti looks simply perfect.

But, like any fashionista, the queen knew ways to become even more attractive: she painted her nails with henna or liquid gold, took baths with sea salt, rubbed aromatic oils into her skin, powdered powder from crushed minerals, lined her eyes with antimony, smeared her lips with berry fondant, wore translucent linen Kalaziris dresses and showy Jewelry(each lobe has two earrings). The wife of the pharaoh adored wigs with pigtails, multi-colored strands and shiny hairpins, having hundreds of hairs in her collection.

The secret of the boundless power of Nefertiti.

Queen Nefertiti. Schengili-Roberts.

Nefertiti was a virtuoso in politics and the ability to convince: she renamed herself Nefer Nefer Aton (“the beautiful beauty of Aton”), advised her husband to abandon the gods of their ancestors and adopt her religion, proclaiming the only God - the solar Aton, after which Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten (Akhenaten) ("pleasant to the Aten") and built Akhetaten, the new capital in the Sahara. Pharaoh declared his wife a co-ruler and ordered her to carry out any of her orders. Nefertiti decided to destroy the ancient temples and start persecuting the priests of the old faith.

The people silently accepted the new religion and with each dawn prayed in the rays of the sun. The queen often went out onto the palace balcony and showered the Egyptians with gold coins, convincing them that these were gifts from the Aten, and in holidays she artistically performed in front of her subjects, literally hypnotizing the crowd with her speeches.

But in personal life Nefertiti became a victim of circumstances: daughters were born one after another to the ruling spouses, and when the sixth baby was born, Akhenaten took difficult decision take a new wife. She was the young Kiya (Kiya), who gave birth to the pharaoh "golden boy" Tutankhamun (Tutankhamun), thereby ensuring the continuation of the XVIII dynasty. And Nefertiti had to leave the palace and live outside the city, raising Tutankhamun as the heir to the throne. A year later, the yearning pharaoh returned his first wife to his chambers, but they were not destined to live in the palace for very long ...

The secret of early death and the immortal glory of the beautiful queen.

Soon the exiled priests united and made a religious revolution. 40-year-old Akhenaten was blinded and then executed, 35-year-old Nefertiti managed to rule for some time as a pharaoh under the name of Smenkhkare, but in the end the queen was still killed. The rebellious priests destroyed the temples of the Aten, destroyed the city of Akhetaton and all the found bas-reliefs of the royal family. The tomb of Nefertiti was plundered, and the body was mercilessly mutilated, consigned to oblivion for millennia.

And suddenly, in 2003, the British archaeologist Joanne Fletcher (Dr. Joann Fletcher) announced to the whole world that she had found the mummy of Nefertiti. Scientists conducted a series of digital studies and found that the appearance of the mummified stranger completely coincides with the image of Nefertiti on ancient sculptures!...