21 Facts About Nefertiti

Scenes from the tombs of the nobles in Amarna mention that Nefertiti had a sister, named Mutbenret.

The exact dates when Nefertiti married Akhenaten and became the king's great royal wife are uncertain.

Nefertiti was once considered as a candidate for the mother of Tutankhamun, however a genetic study conducted on discovered mummies suggests that she was not.

Nefertiti is depicted with her daughter Meritaten and in some scenes the princess Meketaten participates as well.

In scenes found on the talatat, Nefertiti appears almost twice as often as her husband.

Nefertiti is shown appearing behind her husband the pharaoh in offering scenes in the role of the queen supporting her husband, but she is depicted in scenes that would have normally been the prerogative of the king.

Nefertiti is shown smiting the enemy, and captive enemies decorate her throne.

Nefertiti's steward during this time was an official named Meryre II.

Nefertiti would have been in charge of running her household.

Two representations of Nefertiti that were excavated by Flinders Petrie appear to show Nefertiti in the middle to later part of Akhenaten's reign 'after the exaggerated style of the early years had relaxed somewhat'.

One is a small piece on limestone and is a preliminary sketch of Nefertiti wearing her distinctive tall crown with carving begun around the mouth, chin, ear and tab of the crown.

Many scholars believe Nefertiti had a role elevated from that of great royal wife, and was promoted to co-regent by her husband Pharaoh Akhenaten before his death.

Nefertiti is depicted in many archaeological sites as equal in stature to a King, smiting Egypt's enemies, riding a chariot, and worshipping the Aten in the manner of a pharaoh.

Nefertiti would have raised Tutankhamun in the worship of the traditional gods.

Archaeologist and Egyptologist Dr Zahi Hawass theorized that Nefertiti returned to Thebes from Amarna to rule as a Pharaoh, based on ushabti and other feminine evidence of a female pharaoh found in Tutankhamun's tomb, as well as evidence of Nefertiti smiting Egypt's enemies which was a duty reserved to kings.

Pre-2012 Egyptological theories thought that Nefertiti vanished from the historical record around Year 12 of Akhenaten's reign, with no word of her thereafter.

Some theorists believe that Nefertiti was still alive and held influence on the younger royals.

Nefertiti's burial was intended to be made within the Royal Tomb as laid out in the Boundary Stelae.

Nefertiti eventually did send one of his sons, Zannanza, but the prince died, perhaps murdered, en route.

Nefertiti is called Dakhamunzu in the Hittite annals, a translation of the Egyptian title Ta hemet nesu.

Since Nefertiti was depicted as being as powerful as her husband in official monuments smiting Egypt's enemies, she might be the Dakhamunzu in the Amarna correspondence, as Nicholas Reeves believes.