Nefertiti: Egypts Sun Queen

Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen [Joyce A. Tyldesley] on leondumoulin.nl *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A stunning re-creation of the life of an ancient Egyptian.
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Aside from her image, who was the mysterious Nefertiti? How much power and influence did she actually have? What were her accomplishments besides being merely beautiful?

Ancient Egyptian Music - Queen Nefertiti

There are few known details about the life of Nefertiti. Nefertiti does not only stand behind the pharaoh, but she is glimpsed over by her formidable mother-in-law, Queen Tiy, who has much more power and influence as the Akhenaten's mother.

Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen

However, Nefertiti gained some influence as the pharaoh's wife, she took on duties of priesthood, that was usually assigned to the pharaoh. She was also known as a dutiful and faithful wife. Overall, the novel gives us a tiny glimpse into the life of Nefertiti. Because not much is known about her, the author mostly focuses on Akhenaten and his reign.

This novel is more of an archeological work and how Nefertiti has been interpreted. Tyldesley mentions the popular theories about Nefertiti and then debunks them as she goes along. I felt that she gave us thorough and comprehensive answers and did her best with the evidence she had.

The conclusions about her birth and disappearance made sense.

However, after reading this book, I found myself more interested in Queen Tiy than I was in Nefertiti. I felt that this biography knew more about Queen Tiy than it did of Nefertiti because of her prominence at court. I found it fascinating how Tiy, a commoner, had risen to become one of the most powerful women at court. While the writing is dry as a textbook, it is very comprehensible to the reader.

The book has a lot of interesting pictures of Nefertiti. I also like how she incorporates how Nefertiti has been perceived in popular culture. This novel is a great introduction for those who want to learn about the Armana period of Ancient Egypt. Nefertiti is unquestionably one of the most fascinating and mysterious women of the ancient world.

As of today, we are unable to pinpoint where she came from and exactly what role she played in her husband Akhenaten's court. Joyce Tyldesley provides an engaging and completely readable portrait of who Nefertiti could have possibly been. Nefertiti married Pharaoh Akhenaten, the pharaoh who shocked ancient Egypt by overthrowing the god, Amen and replacing him with an obscure cult god, Aten. Akhenaten's decision was unpopular. Soon after his death Egypt returned to worshipping Amen and everyone associated with Akhenaten's court and religion was called a heretic. Unfortunately for us, Akhenaten and Nefertiti were almost but erased from history.

Their mummified remains have never been found. Although speculation about recently discovered mummies being that of the royal couple have been around for decades. Egypt's Sun Queen presents the information available in an attempt to uncover who Nefertiti was, how she died, and what role she played in court. This information comes in bits and pieces from recent discoveries in the ancient capitol of Amarna The book discusses whether Nefertiti could have been of royal blood. Perhaps a princess from Mittani?

However, the author questions her own theory due to the lack fo title in Nefertiti's name. Nefertiti is an Egyptian name. The author also believes Nefertiti could have possibly been sent to Egypt as a bride intended for Amenhotep III, but later married to Akhenaten. The question of how Nefertiti died is discussed in detail.

There are no primary sources available to describe when or how she died. We assume she died when her name disappeared from royal documents.

Nefertiti, Egypt's Sun Queen by Joyce Tyldesley

However, there is evidence she may have changed her name. The author also discusses the possibilty of Nefertiti ruling as co-regent with Akhenaten and later ruling alone after his death. The Sun Queen won't answer all questions about this mysterious queen from Egypt's ancient past, but it does present all the information available that her contemporaries failed to erase from history.

Required reading for anyone interested in Nefertiti! See all 33 reviews.


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Mar 23, Maja rated it really liked it Shelves: A hightly interesting books that tries to answer some of the many questions about the world-famous Nefertiti. What was her role in her time? And where did she suddenly go? None of these questions have just one clear answer. But the author, Joyce Tyldesley, tries to rule out some theories and stress the liability of others. This book shows that, sadly, there's very little that we in fact do know about Ancient Egypt. Archeological findings don't have just one interpretation. It remain A hightly interesting books that tries to answer some of the many questions about the world-famous Nefertiti.

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It remains a science filled with 'perhap's' and 'it might be's'. This book was dry as dust. While other reviewers weren't happy about the fact that it seemed to be more about Akhenaten, that didn't bother me, as it was within the context of her life or what we know about her life. I do realise it was written by an academic and was a scholarly treatise, but still, it was insanely boring.

I started another one about her immediately after and it's already significantly more interesting. Jun 28, Ebba Schmidt rated it really liked it. Books about Egypt always contain a lot of guesswork because while the amount of information gleaned from burial sites etc is astonishing after such a long time,there is still so much unknown. This book is well written but can't quite draw Nefertiti out of obscurity - I felt it was really more about Akhenaten and his short-lived regime, with Nefertiti a shadowy side figure. Nonetheless a very good read. Very, very interesting book which shows the factual documents and works of art we have about Nefertiti and her time, and shows in fact how little we know; it doesn't give a definitive answer to the many enigmas surrounding the Queen and her husband but gives a good deal of food for thought, posing so many questions.

An excellent work of investigation bt Tyldesley, didactic and easy to read, a pleasure for Ancient Egypt lovers. A well-researched book - Ms. Tyldesley knows her Egyptian history; she is particularly knowledgeable about the controversial Amarna period. Jul 03, Sheela Rahman rated it it was ok.

After five chapters of the background leading to the introduction of Nefertiti in Chapter 6, I lost interest and was left saddened at the fate of the children parentage questionable. Theories on her 'disappearance' were enlightening. It's gives interesting historical details on the location and use of artefacts at museums all over the world. Interesting, although the title is badly chosen. It is more abbout her husband and the city he founded than about Nefertiti.

Also it is more an interpretation of certain reliefs and depictions which are sometimes talked about in detail but not shown than about her life.

Apr 03, Sarah rated it really liked it. Very good and interesting, there is so much that is vague and unknowable about Nefertiti and the arising of Aten, its a difficult topic to write about, yet she managed so well to write it out, and explain in detail the number of possibilities, very well done. A rather so-so book about Nefertiti that is more conjecture rather than fact. Still, alright to read, just not great. For the complete review, please go here: Jan 15, Elaine rated it it was ok. I don't have much to say about this book. While it was very interesting and informative, it was more about Akhenaten than Nefertiti which I didn't much care for because I wanted to read about Nefertiti.

I think only two whole chapters were devoted to her out of the whole book. Aug 19, Rach rated it liked it Shelves: A good overview and analysis of Nefertiti and the Amarna period. It was a bit dry, but at least it was concise. It was a good companion to the fictional novel about Nefertiti and her family that I read previously. Aug 07, Sandy rated it liked it. This was the interesting look Queen Nefertiti and although we don't really know what happened to her the book does offer insights into what was going on during this period in Egyptian history.

Apr 28, Meena rated it liked it Recommends it for: I liked this book. I think this is older than some of the recent research that has come to light right regarding Akhenaten and his family in general. I think I might read more on this subject matter. May 25, Leah rated it liked it Shelves: I have the hardcover of this book, which doesn't appear on goodreads. Dec 22, K. Ellis rated it it was amazing.

This is my favorite Nefertiti biography. It draws you right into the period. Aug 04, Forrest rated it liked it. Good sholarly history, but not as readable as some of her other books. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Joyce Tyldesley is a British archaeologist and Egyptologist, academic, writer and broadcaster. Therefore, the rule of the female Amarna pharaoh known as Neferneferuaten must be placed between the death of Akhenaten and the accession of Tutankhamun.

This female pharaoh used the epithet 'Effective for her husband' in one of her cartouches, [32] which means she was either Nefertiti or her daughter Meritaten who was married to king Smenkhkare. There are many theories regarding Nefertiti's death and burial but, to date, the mummy of this famous queen, her parents, and her children have not been found or formally identified. More evidence to support this identification was that the mummy's teeth look like that of a to year-old, Nefertiti's most likely age of death. Also, unfinished busts of Nefertiti appear to resemble the mummy's face, though other suggestions included Ankhesenamun.

Due to recent age tests on the mummy's teeth, it eventually became apparent that the 'Elder Lady' is in fact Queen Tiye , mother of Akhenaten and that the DNA of the mummy is a close, if not direct, match to the lock of hair found in Tutankhamun's tomb. The lock of hair was found in a coffinette bearing an inscription naming Queen Tiye. In , English archaeologist Nicholas Reeves announced that he had discovered evidence in high resolution scans of Tutankhamun's tomb "indications of two previously unknown doorways, one set within a larger partition wall and both seemingly untouched since antiquity On June 9, , archaeologist Joann Fletcher , a specialist in ancient hair from the University of York in England, announced that Nefertiti's mummy may have been the Younger Lady.

Fletcher suggested that Nefertiti was the Pharaoh Smenkhkare. Some Egyptologists hold to this view though the majority believe Smenkhkare to have been a separate person. Fletcher led an expedition funded by the Discovery Channel to examine what they believed to have been Nefertiti's mummy. The team claimed that the mummy they examined was damaged in a way suggesting the body had been deliberately desecrated in antiquity. Mummification techniques, such as the use of embalming fluid and the presence of an intact brain , suggested an eighteenth-dynasty royal mummy.

Other elements which the team used to support their theory were the age of the body, the presence of embedded nefer beads, and a wig of a rare style worn by Nefertiti. They further claimed that the mummy's arm was originally bent in the position reserved for pharaohs, but was later snapped off and replaced with another arm in a normal position. Most Egyptologists, among them Kent Weeks and Peter Lacovara , generally dismiss Fletcher's claims as unsubstantiated. They say that ancient mummies are almost impossible to identify as a particular person without DNA.

As bodies of Nefertiti's parents or children have never been identified, her conclusive identification is impossible. Any circumstantial evidence, such as hairstyle and arm position, is not reliable enough to pinpoint a single, specific historical person. The cause of damage to the mummy can only be speculated upon, and the alleged revenge is an unsubstantiated theory. Bent arms, contrary to Fletcher's claims, were not reserved to pharaohs; this was also used for other members of the royal family.

The wig found near the mummy is of unknown origin, and cannot be conclusively linked to that specific body. Finally, the 18th dynasty was one of the largest and most prosperous dynasties of ancient Egypt. A female royal mummy could be any of a hundred royal wives or daughters from the 18th dynasty's more than years on the throne. In addition to that, there was controversy about both the age and sex of the mummy. On June 12, , Egyptian archaeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass , head of Egypt's Supreme Council for Antiquities , also dismissed the claim, citing insufficient evidence.

On August 30, , Reuters further quoted Hawass: In a more recent research effort led by Hawass, the mummy was put through CT scan analysis. Fragments of shattered bone were found in the sinus, and blood clots were found. The theory that the damage was inflicted post-mummification was rejected, and a murder scenario was deemed more likely. The broken-off bent forearm found near the mummy, which had been proposed to have belonged to it, was conclusively shown not to actually belong to the Younger Lady.

Scholars think that, after Tutankhamun returned Egypt to the traditional religion, he moved his closest relatives - father, grandmother, and biological mother - to the Valley of the Kings to be buried with him according to the list of figurines and drawings in his tomb. A document was found in the ancient Hittite capital of Hattusa which dates to the Amarna period; the so-called "Deeds" of Suppiluliuma I.

The Hittite ruler receives a letter from the Egyptian queen, while being in siege on Karkemish. My husband has died and I have no son.

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They say about you that you have many sons. You might give me one of your sons to become my husband. I would not wish to take one of my subjects as a husband This document is considered extraordinary, as Egyptians traditionally considered foreigners to be inferior. Suppiluliuma I was surprised and exclaimed to his courtiers: Understandably, he was wary, and had an envoy investigate the situation, but by so doing, he missed his chance to bring Egypt into his empire.

He eventually did send one of his sons, Zannanza , but the prince died, perhaps murdered, en route. The identity of the queen who wrote the letter is uncertain. Ankhesenamun once seemed likely since there were no candidates for the throne on the death of her husband, Tutankhamun, whereas Akhenaten had at least two legitimate successors. This makes the deceased Egyptian king appear to be Akhenaten instead rather than Tutankhamun. Furthermore, the phrase regarding marriage to 'one of my subjects' translated by some as 'servants' is possibly either a reference to the Grand Vizier Ay or a secondary member of the Egyptian royal family line.


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Since Nefertiti was depicted as powerful as her husband in official monuments smiting Egypt's enemies, she might be the Dakhamunzu in the Amarna correspondence as Nicholas Reeves believes. Red granite head and neck of a statue. Probably a queen Nefertiti or a royal princess.

Headless bust of Akhenaten or Nefertiti. Part of a composite red quartzite statue. Four pairs of early Aten cartouches. Limestone statuette of Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and a princess. A princess holding sistrum behind Nefertiti, who is partially seen.