Powerful pharaohs, majestic pyramids, the silent Sphinx personify the distant and mysterious Ancient Egypt. Queen Nefertiti is no less mysterious and famous royal beauty of antiquity. Her name, covered with a halo of legends and fiction, has become a symbol of all that is beautiful. Who was the exalted and identified with the goddess Tefnut, the most mysterious and “perfect” woman of Ancient Egypt, the mention of which at one moment disappeared, as she herself?
The Egyptian Queen Nefertiti ruled along with Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, better known in history as Akhenaten, more than three millennia ago. The sands of time swallowed up that long period of history, turned to dust everything that surrounded the queen. But the glory of Nefertiti survived the centuries, extracted from non-existence, it reigns over the world again.
In 1912, during archaeological excavations in Egypt, Ludwig Borchardt, a German archaeologist, discovered the workshop of the sculptor Tutmes, which was clearly evidenced by the accumulation of stones of various breeds, masks made of plaster, unfinished statues, a fragment of a casket named after the sculptor Ahetaton. A life-size woman’s bust made of limestone was found in one of the rooms. Borchardt cunningly took him out of Egypt. In 1920, the bust was donated to the Berlin Museum. They tried to uncover secrets and mysteries about the life of the queen using various hypotheses. It can be said that since then her name has been fanned by worldwide fame, which has not faded until now. Increased interest in the fate of the queen. For a long time there were only a few mentions about her, not so much information can be found now.
There are many versions about the origin of Nefertiti. The meager information gathered from the graffiti on the walls, the inscriptions on the cuneiform tablets of the Amarna Archive, became the basis for the development of many versions about the origin of the queen. The "perfect", as she was called, was an Egyptian, but there are versions claiming that she was a foreign princess. Egyptologists have built several hypotheses about its origin. Some researchers believe that she is the daughter of Tushratta, king of Mitanni. She changed her real name Taduhippa, marrying Amenhotep III. Nefertiti early became a widow, and after the death of her husband was declared the wife of his son Amenhotep IV. Nefertiti conquered young Pharaoh with her incredible beauty. They said that Egypt had not yet generated such beauty . Queen Nefertiti soon became the "main" wife of the ruler. This kind of confirmed the version of her Egyptian origin, because usually the Egyptians of royal blood became the wife of the pharaoh . It is likely that this could be the daughter of the pharaoh. It was also assumed that Nefertiti was the daughter of one of those close to Akhenaten’s court.
The queen impressed not only with her extraordinary beauty, but also with infinite mercy. She gave people peace, her sunny soul was praised in poems and legends. She was easily given power over people, Egypt worshiped her. Queen Nefertiti possessed a strong will and the ability to inspire reverence.
Ancient Egyptian papyri, drawings, bas-reliefs indicate that her marriage with Amenhotep IV was perfect, was a symbol of respect, love and cooperation. The omnipotent pharaoh went down in history as a religious reformer. He was an outstanding person who declared war on the caste of priests. He called himself Akhenaten, “pleasing to God,” transferred the capital from Thebes to Ahetaton, raised new temples, crowned them with sculptural colossi of the new Aton-Ra. In implementing this policy, the ruler needed a reliable ally, and Nefertiti became him. An intelligent and strong wife helped the pharaoh to break the consciousness of a whole country and win the war in such a dangerous war with the mysterious worshipers who subjugated Egypt. Queen Nefertiti attended diplomatic receptions. Pharaoh consulted with his wife in public. Sometimes she replaced him with high-ranking advisers. Nefertiti was worshiped; her magnificent statues could be seen in almost every Egyptian city. Most often, she was portrayed in a headdress, which is a tall blue wig, which was entwined with gold ribbons and an uraeus, symbolically emphasizing her power and connection with the gods.
There was also envy and intrigue. But no one dared to openly oppose the wife of the ruler, rather, on the contrary, offerings and gifts of supplicants rained down on Nefertiti. However, the wise queen helped only those who, in her opinion, could justify and earn the trust of the pharaoh.
But fate, being the most unsurpassed director in human life, did not favor infinitely in relation to Nefertiti. The gods did not give her the heir to power. The queen only gave Pharaoh 6 daughters. Here, not without the help of envious persons, a replacement for the reigning wife was found, power over the heart of the pharaoh passed to the beautiful concubine Kia. She could not keep Pharaoh close to her for a long time, and it was difficult for him to choose between two women. From the side of the former queen, a warm welcome was always waiting for him, but the ostentatious courtesy did not deceive the pharaoh. The old relationship between the strong-willed and proud Nefertiti and Akhenaten was gone. But she managed to maintain power over him. There are versions that Nefertiti, having demonstrated her state mind, proposed to Akhenaten Ankhesenamon as their wife, their joint third daughter, according to other versions, it was the eldest daughter Meritaton.
After Akhenaten's death, their daughter was married to Tutankhamun, who transferred the capital to Thebes. Egypt began to worship Amon-ra again and everything returned to square one. In Achenaton, only Nefertiti remained, faithful to her husband's ideas. In exile, she spent the rest of her life. After the death of the queen, at her request, she was buried in the tomb of Akhenaten, but her mummy was never found. And the exact place of her burial is unknown.
However, her name, meaning "Beautiful has come," is still the personification of all beautiful. The sculptural portrait of Queen Nefertiti, found in Amarna in 1912, as well as other subtle and poetic sketches created by Tutmes, the ancient master of Achenaton, are kept in museums in Berlin and Cairo. In 1995, a sensational exhibition was held in Berlin, uniting the Egyptian collection, the center of which was Nefertiti and Akhenaten who met again.
Nefertiti became one of the most famous characters in the history of art, the personification of grace and tenderness, which revealed during the reign of Akhenaten the emotional side of art. The charm of the most beautiful queen gave artists an incredible opportunity to combine the beauty of art and life in one image.
The queen of Ancient Egypt left behind many puzzles and secrets related to her life that someone else has yet to solve.