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Published on 10.01.2014 by Oksana Kudrya
Queen Nefertiti
Nefertiti, the queen of Egypt, who lived 3400 years ago, was the main wife of the reformer king Amenhotep IV, who is better known as Akhenaten.
Any modern person at the mention of her name imagines a beautiful woman with refined, regular features, a long elegant neck.
The image of Nefertiti became widely known thanks to a discovery made by archaeologists in 1912 in the small Egyptian village of El Amarne.
The perfectly preserved sculpture of the ancient Egyptian master Thutmose depicting the queen so impressed the researchers that the archaeologist Borhard wrote in his diary: "It is pointless to describe look!!!".
In order to take this truly wonderful work of ancient art out of Egypt, scientists had to go to a trick – they wrapped the sculpture with foil, covered it with plaster, as if it were some ordinary stone found by archaeologists that has yet to be explored.
Currently, the bust of the queen is kept in the Berlin Museum.
In his homeland, in Egypt, the sculpture has never been exhibited.
Nefertiti's husband Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) became famous as a reformer pharaoh who carried out a reform in the religious life of Egypt, replacing the cult of the deity Amon Ra, associated with polytheism, with the worship of the Sun god Aton.
This reform was the first attempt in world history to switch to the worship of one god, that is, to monotheism.
Since childhood, Amenhotep was a very sickly child.
When he was twelve years old, the boy inherited the title of pharaoh, which he inherited from his father Amenhotep III.
Impressionable, shy, still playing with dolls, the pharaoh, in addition to power, inherited his father's harem, numbering more than a hundred concubines.
There were also overseas princesses, and the daughters of rich nobles, and just beautiful captives.
Among them was the beautiful Nefertiti.
Amenhotep III and Queen Tiya
During this period, the country was ruled by Tia, the mother of the young king, surrounded by high ranking officials.
Tia was originally from Mesopotamia, it was there, at a reception held at the court of the king of the state of Mitanni, that Amenhotep III met Taduchepa, the future Nefertiti.
By that time, the girl had received a brilliant education in a special school where girls studied together with boys, which was not just a rarity for that time, but was regarded as a revolutionary innovation in education.
In order to get Taduchep into the harem, Amenhotep III had to pay a huge ransom in gold.
When the princess, who was barely fifteen years old, with her numerous retinue arrived in Thebes – the capital of ancient Egypt, the townspeople were simply fascinated by her bright appearance – it was then that she was given a new name – Nefertiti, which means "Beautiful are the perfections of the Solar Disk".
Two years after the arrival of the beauty, Amenhotep III died.
A couple of weeks later, Tia engaged her son to Nefertiti.
Between these women, a confrontation began almost immediately for influence on the young pharaoh.
Nefertiti's youth and beauty gradually won out.
The Pharaoh's love for his wife flared up immediately.
Nefertiti's refined features simply could not leave the ruler indifferent.
Amenhotep IV removed his harem from himself, and proclaimed his new wife as his co ruler.
This was the first and most significant victory of the young queen.
The Pharaoh decided to carry out the already mentioned reform in the religion of Egypt.
A huge, majestic temple made of white stone dedicated to the new deity – Aton was built in honor of this event.
It seemed that a new religion had settled in Egypt forever.
Now Amenhotep IV was called Akhenaten, which means "pleasing to the god Aton", and Nefertiti Nefer Nefer Aton – "the beautiful beauty of Aton".
In order to perpetuate the new religion and finally destroy the old one, the Pharaoh destroyed the name “Amenhotep " on the monuments dedicated to his father.
In addition, Akhenaten destroyed the sculptures of sphinxes that personified the worship of the god Ra, throwing them off a cliff in the vicinity of Thebes.
Five years after the beginning of his reign, Akhenaten, who was supported by some notable priests of Egypt, moved the capital of the state to a new city being built specifically for this purpose.
The new residence was called Akhetaton ("The place of power of Aton”).
The pharaoh supervised the planning, construction, and decoration of the new city himself.
Akhenaten, acted as the high priest of Aten.
He personally composed various hymns glorifying Aten, and preached his teaching among the population.
His wife was a constant and loyal ally, the inspiration for the ideas of the Pharaoh.
Akhenaten called her" The delight of his heart".
Nefertiti became a reliable friend and closest adviser for her husband.
The tsarina accompanied her husband at all official events.
During religious ceremonies, when the pharaoh offered his praises to Aton, he swore his eternal love for his wife.
Nefertiti went out with the pharaoh when he checked the outposts around the city, and the guards had to report for their service not only to the commander in chief of the army, but also to his wife.
The royal couple met noble guests together, prayed together to the disk of the Sun, distributed gifts to their subjects.
When awarding officials for outstanding services, Nefertiti was not only present, but also personally thanked them for their faithful service.
Priests and dignitaries often turned to her, asking her for patronage before the pharaoh.
At the insistence of Akhenaten, each temple was decorated with sculptures of Nefertiti.
The queen was the embodiment of the life giving power of the Sun, which gives life.
Hundreds of frescoes depicted love and kindness between spouses.
One of these images shows a very bold, even erotic scene in which the pharaoh hugs and kisses his wife on the lips.
This is one of the oldest artistic images of love.
However, in fairness, it should be noted that Akhenaten himself was not a handsome and stately man.
He had a thin, stooped figure and an excessively large head with protruding ears and a slack jaw.
So what was the secret of Nefertiti's beauty?
To do this, you should plunge a little into the history of cosmetics.
It is known that even in ancient times, lipstick, eyeliner and other attributes of female beauty were invented, without which it is so difficult for us to do now.
In ancient Egypt, not only queens, but also ordinary women, and even men carefully monitored their appearance.
Of great importance to them was the purity of the body, which many ancient tribes and nationalities simply neglected.
The queen took a bath several times a day – after waking up, before and after eating.
There was already at that time a remedy that was used as soap.
The ancient Egyptian "soap" looked like a paste made of clay or ash, containing an admixture of various incense.
Moreover, the Egyptians carried balls of thick oatmeal porridge with the addition of aromatic oils under their arms.
It was the first deodorant in the world's history.
Face care creams based on fenugreek hay were also common.
Maxi masks were used to combat wrinkles.
One of them looked like this: resin, beeswax, oil and seeds of cypress, frankincense are diluted with milk and applied to the face.
Of course, it is impossible not to dwell on such an attribute of the makeup of ancient Egyptian women as applying beautiful "arrows"almost to the temples.
The eyeliner was made from lead sulfide, which was mined on the Red Sea coast.
Thanks to the addition of crushed precious stones malachite, lapis lazuli, they achieved the desired color of shadows and eyeliner.
Ochre and henna were used as a lipstick.
Vessels for storing cosmetics were decorated with carvings, paintings, figures of people and deities.
In ancient times, Egyptian women were considered the most beautiful women.
There is a legend that tells how once the king of Babylon wooed an Egyptian princess, but was refused.
Upset, he exclaimed: "There are so many beautiful women in Egypt!
If you refuse me, choose a bride for me according to your taste, and in Babylon everyone will consider her a queen…"
So, the external natural attractiveness of Nefertiti, multiplied by the skillful use of cosmetics, made this woman a standard of beauty for many centuries.
Scientists restored her appearance: the figure of the queen was very tiny and seemed fragile.
Nefertiti wore expensive, appropriate to her high position, clothes, most often made of white translucent fabric.
The queen's favorite headdress was a huge wig with blue hair, girdled with golden snakes, which symbolized the connection with the deity.
However, not only external beauty distinguished Nefertiti – softness and kindness were inherent in her character.
Hieroglyphs glorify her ability to inspire others with respect for herself.
Nefertiti was called "the mistress of pleasures", "pacifying heaven and earth with a sweet voice and kindness".
But, despite the seemingly impeccable happiness that accompanied Akhenaten and Nefertiti, nevertheless, their marriage gradually began to disintegrate.
The thing is that the royal spouses had six daughters, but fate never sent them a son.
In addition, the middle and beloved daughter of the royal couple, Princess Maketaton, died.
The couple, apparently, have become estranged from each other.
This was taken advantage of by detractors who tried in every possible way to remove Nefertiti is from the Pharaoh.
Akhenaten was introduced to a beautiful young girl named Kiya.
Since this period, the name of Nefertiti has been carefully erased from all inscriptions and images.
The disgraced queen herself is removed from the palace.
Akhenaten was simply fascinated by his new wife.
Now her name was emblazoned on all the inscriptions, bas reliefs and frescoes.
The ruler proclaimed Kiya the "junior Pharaoh".
A luxurious gold coffin inlaid with precious stones was specially made for her.
However, the marriage of Kiya and Akhenaten did not last long – the ruler after some time got bored with the eternal chatter of the young beauty, and the pharaoh sent the young wife back to the harem.
Nefertiti at that time lived in the province and was engaged in raising a boy – Tutankhamun, who was to become, later, the husband of her eldest daughter.
After the breakup of Akhenaten and Kiya, Nefertiti proposed to her former spouse to marry their third daughter, the young Ankhesenamon.
As shocking as it may seem to us now, for ancient Egypt, such marriages, especially among the royal families, were in the order of things.
However, soon, in the eighteenth year of his reign, Amenhotep Akhenaten died.
By the end of his life, the pharaoh looked like an old man, despite the fact that he was only twenty nine years old.
The cause of Akhenaten's death, according to scientists, was a spinal disease that tormented him for many years.
Together with the pharaoh, the new religion, so diligently instilled by him to his people, also passed into the past.
After the death of Amenhotep IV, the throne was taken by his son in law, the husband of the eldest daughter of Smenkhkar, who handed over power to his brother Tutankhamun a year later.
The new ruler immediately restored the old religion, rejecting the cult of the god Aton.
Tutankhamun again moved the capital of the state to Thebes, where Nefertiti returned.
Many nobles sought the hand of the beauty, but she did not marry again.
However, according to some inscriptions, it can be judged that the former queen was not a recluse either.
In all probability, she was not disgraced and had influence at court for the rest of her life.
In ancient papyri, she is called wise and visionary.
Archaeologists have discovered a statuette made by the same sculptor Thutmose, which depicts Nefertiti in her declining years.
Before us is still the same beautiful face, but with traces of fatigue.
The queen is depicted in motion, her tight fitting dress does not hide the figure that has changed over the years.
This is no longer a fragile, elegant woman, but a mother of six children.
Nefertiti died at the age of thirty seven.
Her burial has not yet been discovered, although some researchers believe that the body of a woman buried by Rad with Akhenaten belongs to Nefertiti.
There is a legend that in the nineteenth century, a group of people discovered a golden coffin, soon after which antique dealers had a lot of gold objects with the name Nefertiti.
However, this version cannot be verified in any way.
The image of the beautiful queen remains shrouded in secrets that are unlikely to ever be fully revealed.
Related articles An ancient weather record was found in Egypt The love story of Hatshepsut and Senenmut An ancient female statue was discovered in Egypt Ancient Egypt in photos Ancient Egypt in photos.
Part II Photo: A 3,300 year old pyramid was discovered in Egypt
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