It is unknown where Nefertiti was Born: 1370 BC born. Some suggest that she was not Died: 1330 BC born in Egypt, but a foreign land. Married to: Amenhotep IV Others suggest that she was the (aka- Akhenaton) daughter of a high official named Ay. Meaning of Name: “The She married Amenhotep IV around the beautiful one has come.” time she was 15 years old, likely before he took the throne.
Nefertiti and Akhenaton had six daughters. A fter many babies and no sons, Akhenaton took other wives… including his own sister! Some suspect that they may have eventually had a son, but it was never proven. Artwork from ancient Egypt depicts a very loving relationship between the two of them. This was actually pretty uncommon at the time. Marriage was usually more of a political situation rather than a love connection. More often than not marriages were arranged by the parents of the bride and groom. Nefertiti is most well known for her beauty and power. A limestone bust of her was found in 1913. She is often called the “Great Royal Wife” because she was the favored wife of Akhenaton. She is depicted often in ancient Egyptian artwork, which was unusual for women at the time. Akhenaton went to quite a bit of trouble to display her as his equal. She is often shown wearing a Pharaoh’s crown.
Akhenaton is an important ruler of ancient Egypt because he revolutionized the religion of the time. At the time when he came to power polytheism, or belief in many gods, was the practiced religion. He wanted to change this so that the only god worshipped was Aten. He changed his name from Amenhotep IV to Akhenaton, meaning “effective for Aten”. Nefertiti and Akhenaton built a new city dedicated to Aten and named it Amarna. They attempted to force the people to move from Thebes to the new city. Eventually however, Amarna was abandoned and Egypt returned to their polytheistic religion.
Nobody really knows what happened to Nefertiti, but there are several theories. She disappears from artistic depictions after about 12 years of reign. The most obvious theory would be that she died. Some historians, however, believe that she ruled after the death of Akhenaton, before his son by another wife was old enough to rule. These historians argue that the ruler after Akhenaton, Smenkhkare, was actually Nefertiti in disguise!
1. When was Nefertiti born? 5. Why was Akhenaton an important ruler?
2. When did she die? 6. What was the city that
Akhenaton and Nefertiti built 3. Who was she married to? called? Who was it dedicated How old was she when she to? married him?
7. What do some historians 4. Some historians believe that believe is the reason that she she was born in a foreign land. disappeared from artistic What is the other theory? depictions?