Nefertiti

Nefertiti is perhaps of the most well known ancient Egyptians.  Made famous by her painted limestone bust (which is now in Berlin's Egyptian Museum, shown) it was found in the workshop of the famed sculptor Thutmose.  Moreover, the bust is believed to be the sculptor's model, not just an original, signifying that more were being made.

Nefertiti was the chief wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV (or Akhenaten).   Roughly translated her name means "the beautiful one is come."   She was famed throughout the ancient world for her outstanding beauty and perhaps more with her renown as always being by her husbands side.

Family

Nefertiti's origins are confusing and vague.   Suggestions range from that Tiy was her mother (along with her husband, Akhenaten) to that Nefertiti was Akhenaten's cousin.  Nefertiti's wet nurse was the wife of the vizier Ay who sometimes called himself "the God's father." (which could suggest that he might have been Akhenaten's father-in-law and therefore Nefertiti's father)  However, Ay never specifically refers to himself as the father of Nefertiti even with Nefertiti's sister, Mutnojme, prominently featured in the decorations of his tomb.   Nevertheless, Nefertiti may have also been a descendant of Ahmose-Nefertari, though she was never described as God's wife of Amun.  Also, she never lays claim to the title of King's Daughter, so we do know that she could not have been an heiress in the direct line of descent.

Impacts

Nefertiti had probably the largest impact of any ancient Egyptian female in history.  While it is almost agreed upon that she never actually ruled Egypt, she did not need to.  In fact, it looks like she ruled through her husband, Akhenaten.   In their religion that they established, the worship of the Aten, she was a priest.  Together the pair asserted that it was only through them combined that the full blessing of god Aten could be bestowed.  In accordance with the new religion Nefertiti changed her full name to  Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti or 'The Aten is radiant because the-beautiful one has come" or '"Perfect One of the Aten's Perfection."

In artwork, her status is evident and indicates that she had almost as much influence as her husband. For example, she is depicted nearly twice as often in reliefs as her husband, at least during the first five years of his reign. Indeed, she is once even shown in the conventional pose of a pharaoh smiting his/her enemy. 

Towards the end of Akhenaten's reign, Nefertiti disappeared from historical Egyptian records.  It is possible that Nefertiti's disappearance a number of years after that of Kiya's (who is believed for have born Akhenaten a son) simply meant that she died around the age of thirty.  However, there are controversies on this matter as well.  It may not be just a coincidence that shortly after 

Nefertiti's disappearance Akhenaten took on a co-regent.  This co-regent has been the subject of mass speculation and controversy.  One theory says that the co-regent was Nefertiti herself in a new guise, becoming a female king following the lead of women such as Sobkneferu and Hatshepsut.  Another theory is that there were actually two co-regents, consisting of Smenkhkare and Nefertiti, under the name Neferneferuaten, both of whom adopted the prenomen, Ankhkheperure.

Scholar Jacobus Van Dijk is adamant about Nefertiti assuming the role of co-regent and even serving as king for a short time after the death of Akhenaten.  He believes that Nefertiti became co-regent with her husband with her role as queen consort was taken over by her eldest daughter, Meryetaten (Meritaten).  He also suggests that Smenkhkare might have also been Nefertiti ruling after the death of her husband. 

Death

Nefertiti's tomb was never completed and no mummy was ever found.  But in June of 2003 archaeologist Joann Fletcher, from the University of York in England, announced that Nefertiti's mummy may have been one found in the famous cache of mummies in tomb KV35 in the Valley of the Kings.  If this really is Nefertiti then the evidence also suggests that Nefertiti was in fact the Pharaoh Smenkhkare.

The mummy was examined and was discovered to have been damaged in a way that suggested the body had been desecrated either at the time of death or shortly after.  Mummification techniques suggest an 18th dynasty royal mummy, the presence of embedded nefer beads, the age of the body, the arm had been buried in the position reserved for pharaohs, and the rare wig style worn by Nefertiti.  Later in 2003 Egyptian expert Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt's Supreme Council for Antiquities, dismissed the claim, citing insufficient evidence and was quoted as saying, "I'm sure that this mummy is not a female."