Neferneferuaten Nefertiti was an Egyptian queen. Nefertiti ruled alongside her husband, Pharaoh Akhenaten from 1353 to 1336 B.C. She may have ruled the New Kingdom on her own after her husband’s death.
Nefertiti and her husband were responsible for replacing Egypt’s chief god Amon with Aten, the sun god and the only god worthy of worship. It took Egypt from a polytheistic religion to one that only celebrated one god. Akhenaten’s change in religion brought radical changes in artistic conventions, unlike previous pharaohs Akhenaten is sometimes depicted with feminine hips and exaggerated features.
On the walls of tombs and temples built during Akhenaten’s reign Nefertiti is depicted alongside her husband more than any other Egyptian queen. She is often shown in positions of power and authority – leading worship of Aten, driving a chariot, smiting an enemy and occasionally wearing the crown of a pharaoh with captive enemies decorating her throne. Akhenaten was determined that Nefertiti be seen as equal to him and later figures of Nefertiti and Akhenaten are extremely similar in style.
Nefertiti was made famous by her bust which now resides in Berlin’s Neues Museum where it attracts more than 500,000 visitors annually. The bust is one of the most copied works of ancient Egypt.