EGYPTIAN Queen Nefertiti’s life still remains filled with many questions and theories.
The wife of pharaoh Amenhotep IV was notable for her sublime beauty.
GettyA bust of how possibly Queen Nefertiti could have looked like.[/caption]
Who was Queen Nefertiti?
Queen Nefertiti was the wife of pharaoh Amenhotep IV and lived in the 14th Century BC.
She is regarded as one of the most mysterious figures, due to information about her life, views, and looks being almost non-existent.
The details about how she married the pharaoh and exactly when are very much also a mystery.
But many historians believe that they might have met before the coronation of Amenhotep IV.
Egyptian royalty also used to marry at a quite young age.
At the time of their marriage, Amenhotep IV could have been in the age range of 16 to 18 and Nefertiti was between 12 and 16.
Shortly after their marriage, they had their first daughter, Meriten.
In total, the Egyptian royal family had 6 daughters, one of which died aged 10.
Their third daughter, Ankhesenpaaten, was possibly born in Thebes.
She later married what is believed to be her half-brother or cousin, Tutankhamun.
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How did Queen Nefertiti die?
The cause and time of Queen Nefertiti‘s death are yet unknown.
There is a theory that she committed suicide due to grief over one of her deceased daughters.
Many scholars believe that Nefertiti was either banned from the Egyptian royal family or died after the 12th year of Akhenaten’s reign.
After that period, her name no longer appeared in later texts, causing this belief.
This proved to be wrong, as, in 2012, an engraving carved in a rock face was found in an ancient quarry in Egypt.
It mentions the name of the Queen and her position as a Great Royal Wife.
As this dates to the 16th year of Akhenaten’s reign, it is believed that Nefertiti outlived her husband, who died in the 17th year of his reign.
Has Queen Nefertiti’s tomb in Egypt been found?
Even though she was one of the most famous women in Egypt, her tomb was never found.
This is also the reason for questions about her death.
Neither the Queen’s tomb nor the one of her husband Akhenaten were ever found.
In September 2022, It was reported that Egyptologist and archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, knows where her body was buried.
As he plans to organize an exhibition, on the topic of “Women of Egypt” he claims that she knows Nefertiti’s exact location.
His research has so far not come to success in finding the tomb of Queen Nefertiti.