Imagination vs Reality: What if Nefertiti Was Not as Lovely as We are Expected to Believe?

Nefertiti is one of the most iconic persons of ancient Egypt. She is still extremely famous and faith in her great personality is visible in pretty much any book that mentions the queen. But who was she really? She may have been a remarkable person, but it is just as likely her fame was created through modern imagination.

When the famous bust of queen Nefertiti was unearthed by the team of Ludwig Borchardt, humanity saw the most beautiful ancient face they could imagine. After thousands of years, the remarkable sculpture by Thothmes became one of the most appreciated ancient pieces of art. Due to this finding, people started to write the story of a beautiful and good queen, the helper for pharaoh Akhenaten, mother of many beautiful daughters, and a goddess that lived near the Nile River. However, this idyllic picture created by researchers and writers seems to be unrealistic.

Daughter of a Goddess

Some researchers suggest that her name could have been pronounced Nafteta, but this is uncertain. It was previously believed that she came from the kingdom of Mitanni, however, now most researchers state that she belonged to an Egyptian noble family. It is believed that Nefertiti lived to be at least 40 years old. She was born the daughter of a nobleman, likely the famous Ay, around 1370 BC. An inscription in his Theban tomb declares that he was the father of this impressive and dangerous woman.