| Nefertiti, ancient Egyptian
queen who was the chief wife of Akhenaton, the pharaoh of Egypt, with whom
she initiated many religious, artistic, and cultural changes. Nefertiti
may have exercised the priestly office, a position normally reserved for
kings. Akhenaton, who reigned from about 1350 to 1334 BC, was the first
pharaoh to establish worship of one god. He directed exclusive worship
of the sun god, Aton, of which Nefertiti was a devout follower. In honor
of Aton, Akhenaton changed his name to mean "beneficial to Aton" (he was
originally called Amenhotep IV) and established the capital Akhetaton (now
the site of Tall al 'Amarinah). In the 12th year of Ahkenaton's reign,
Nefertiti apparently fell from favor and was replaced by Meritaten, one
of her six daughters. A painted limestone bust of Nefertiti is one of the
great works of art surviving from ancient Egypt and is now in the Staatliche
Museum in Berlin, Germany. The Amarna letters, which are inscribed cuneiform
tablets from the period of Akhenaton's reign, along with other inscriptions
and reliefs, also indicate Nefertiti's fame. |
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