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.