•Who was Nefertiti and where did she come from?
While no one knows who Nefertiti‘s parents were, there are several theories.
The most commonly accepted holds that she was the daughter of a top Egyptian advisor named Ay, who himself would go on to become pharaoh after the death of King Tut.
Another less accepted take holds that she may have been Akhenaton’s sister or cousin.
Indeed, like many of history’s royal families it wasn’t uncommon for Egyptian rulers to marry their siblings or extended family members.
Yet, another theory holds that Nefertiti was a Mitanni princess named Tadukhipa. The name Nefertiti means the beautiful woman has come, which might suggest a foreign origin.
•Nefertiti and Akhenaten were in separable
While the exact date of their wedding is unknown, Nefertiti and Amenhotep IV “ Akhinatin” are believed to have been married when she was only 15-years-old.
Amenhotep was not yet a pharaoh when there were wed, but he ascended soon enough and the two are believed to have ruled as equals from 1353 to 1336 BC.
They would also have six daughters Meritaten, Mekataten, Setepenre, Ankhesenpaatrn, Ankhesenamun, Neferneferure and Neferneferuatrn Tasherit.
They possibly had one son. The royal families lived in various palaces and complexes in Luxor “ Thebes”. One of the most impressive was a temple called Gempaaten, which was devoted to Nefertiti.
•Nefertiti was more powerful than previous Egyptian queens
During her reign, Nefertiti held many titles, Hereditary Princess, Great of Praises, Lady of Grace, Sweet of Love, Lady of the Two Lands, And Mistress of Upper and Lower Egypt just to name a few.
Inscriptions about her describe a queen who was in charge of and heavily involved in all aspects of the royal court.
She also held the rank of high priestess, which meant that the faithful could gain access to the god, Aten, through her.
This made her central to religious practices as well. But one of the most unique and interesting facts, about Nefertiti is that contemporary art depicted her wearing a pharaoh’s crown, this led some archaeologists to theorize that she may have had the powers of a pharaoh.
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