Nefertiti had More Power than Any Egyptian Woman Before Her

Yet we have no idea what happened to her

Hiya!

I’m a big fan of ancient cultures, and Egypt is wrapped in some of the world's oldest and most impressive human history. It’s evident ancient Egyptians had knowledge that today’s brightest minds still struggle to comprehend. The Great Pyramids are just one of many examples. But architecture and mathematics aside, ancient Egypt also holds a rich cultural history with tales of war and beauty.

Learning about the newly discovered pregnant mummy last week ignited my curiosity about other Egyptian females. While tumbling down a rabbit hole, I came upon an interesting coincidence. Remember I mentioned the pregnant mummy was supposedly found in Thebes, Egypt? Turns out, a well-known yet elusive ancient Egyptian woman was also from there — Nefertiti.

Who is Nefertiti?

I’ve come to realize that National Geographic History magazine isn’t readily available online, except on AppleNews. At least, that’s the only place I’ve found access to their articles, like this one about Nefertiti. I knew a little about Queen Nefertiti before — well, I knew of her — but I didn’t realize how influential she was or that there are still plenty of unanswered questions surrounding her.

For starters, while there are theories, we don’t know who Nefertiti’s parents were, and there is no record of her birth or death. But it seems she grew up in the Egyptian royal court, had a younger sister named Mutnodjmet, and lived an elite life. During her teen years, or perhaps younger, she wed Amenhotep IV during his fourth year as pharaoh in 1349 B.C. This union was the start of something radical but short-lived.