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 ex alted and identified with the goddess Tefnut, the most mysterious and “perfect” woman of Ancient Egypt, the mention of which disappeared at one moment, like herself?
Egyptian Queen Nefertiti ruled together 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 everything that surrounded the queen into dust. But the glory of Nefertiti survived the centuries, extracted from non-existence, she rules over the world again.
In 1912, during archaeological excavations in Egypt, Ludwig Borchardt - a Germanarchaeologist, the workshop of the sculptor Thutmes was discovered, which was clearly evidenced by accumulations of stones of different breeds, plaster masks, unfinished statues, a fragment of a casket with the name of the sculptor Akhetaten. A life-size bust of a woman made of limestone was found in one of the rooms. Borchardt tricked him out of Egypt. In 1920 the bust was donated to the Berlin Museum. They tried to reveal secrets and mysteries about the life of the queen with the help of various hypotheses. We can say that since then her name has been covered with worldwide fame, which has not faded to this day. Interest in the fate of the queen also increased. For a long time there were only a few mentions of her, not much information can be found even now.
There are many versions about the origin of Nefertiti. The meager information gleaned from the mentions on the walls of the tombs, 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 that claim that she was a foreign princess. Egyptologists have built several hypotheses about its origin. Some researchers believe that she is the daughter of Tushratta, the king of Mitanni. She changed her real name Taduhippa when she married Amenhotep III. Nefertiti became a widow early, and after the death of her husband, she was declared the wife of his son Amenhotep IV. Nefertiti conquered the young pharaoh with her incredible beauty. It was said that Egypt had never produced such beauty. Queen Nefertiti soon became the "main" wife of the ruler. This kind of confirmed the version of herEgyptian 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 Akhenaten's court associates.
The queen amazed not only with her extraordinary beauty, but also with her infinite mercy. She gave peace to people, her sunny soul was sung in poems and legends. She was easily given power over people, she was worshiped by Egypt. Queen Nefertiti had a strong will and the ability to inspire awe.
Ancient Egyptian papyri, drawings, bas-reliefs testify that her marriage to 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 man who declared war on the caste of priests. He called himself Akhenaten, "pleasing to God", transferred the capital from Thebes to Akhetaton, raised new temples, crowned them with sculptural colossi of the new Aton-Ra. In carrying out this policy, the ruler needed a reliable ally, and Nefertiti became one. A smart and strong wife helped the pharaoh to refract the consciousness of the whole country and win such a dangerous war with the mysterious clergy who subjugated Egypt. Queen Nefertiti attended diplomatic receptions. Pharaoh consulted with his wife in public. Sometimes she replaced his high-ranking advisers. Nefertiti was worshiped, her majestic statues could be seen in almost every Egyptian city. She is most often depicted inheaddress, which is a high blue wig, which was entwined with gold ribbons and a uraeus, symbolically emphasizing her power and connection with the gods.
There were also envy and intrigue. But no one dared to openly oppose the wife of the ruler; rather, on the contrary, offerings and gifts of petitioners 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 a person's life, did not endlessly favor Nefertiti either. The gods did not grant her an heir to power. The queen only gave the pharaoh 6 daughters. It was then, not without the help of envious people, that a replacement for the reigning wife was found, power over the heart of the pharaoh passed to the beautiful concubine Kia. She did not manage to keep the pharaoh near 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 always awaited him, but the ostentatious courtesy did not deceive the pharaoh. The former relationship between the strong-willed and proud Nefertiti and Akhenaten was no more. But she managed to keep power over him. There are versions that it was Nefertiti, demonstrating her statesmanship, who offered Ankhesenamon, their joint third daughter, as a wife to Akhenaten, according to other versions, this was the eldest daughter of Meritaten.
After the death of Akhenaten, their daughter was married to Tutankhamen, who moved the capital to Thebes. Egypt again began to worship Amun-ra and everything returned to normal. Only Nefertiti remained in Akhenaton, faithful to her husband's ideas. in exileshe 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, which meant "The beautiful one has come", is still the personification of all that is beautiful. A sculptural portrait of Queen Nefertiti, found in Amarna in 1912, as well as other subtle and poetic sketches created by Thutmes, the ancient master of Akhenaten, are kept in the museums of 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, who discovered the emotional side of art during the reign of Akhenaten. The charm of the most beautiful queen gave the artists an incredible opportunity to combine the beauty of art and life in one image.
The Queen of Ancient Egypt left behind many mysteries and mysteries related to her life, which someone else has yet to reveal.
