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Nefertiti was queen of Egypt and ruled from 1379 to 1362 B.C.. She was married to King Akhenaten and while living in Memphis gave birth to six daughters. It is also possible that she also had sons, although there is no record of this. It was a practice in Egyptian art not to portray the male heirs as children so it may be possibe that Tutankamen was her son. She also supported her husband's new religion which was the worship of the sun god Alen. It is believed that Nefertiti was an Asian Princess from Mit Anni. In the twelfth year of her husband's reign, Nefertiti either died or retired from public life and her eldest daughter, Meritaten took over her royal duties. It is a mystery as to what happened to Nefertiti and some believe that maybe she died, although there is no evidence of her death. Some scholars think that she was banished for some reason and lived the rest of her years in the northern palace, raising Tutankaten. Objects belonging to the queen have been found in Amarna in the North, so it is believed that this is where she retired. Her tomb has never been found. Nefertiti was different from other Egyptian queens because she was shown with a prominence that other queens were not. Her name is enclosed in a royal cartouche and there are more statues and drawings of her than of her husband, Akhenaten. Akhenaten's own words at descibing his wife Nefertiti are: "The Hereditary Princess, Great of Favor, the Great and Beloved Wife of the King, Lady of the Two Lands and Neferu-aten Nefertiti, living forever." |