What does the name Nefertiti mean?

Nefertiti, also called Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti, (flourished 14th century BCE), was the queen of Egypt and wife of King Akhenaton (formerly Amenhotep IV; reigned c. 1353–36 BCE), who played a prominent role in changing Egypt's traditional polytheistic religion to one that was monotheistic, worshipping the sun god known as Aton.

Some historians believe that Nefertiti may have acted as her husband’s coruler rather than his consort, but the evidence is not conclusive. Representations of Nefertiti with her six daughters suggest that she was also considered a living fertility goddess.

Soon after Akhenaton’s 12th regnal year, one of the princesses died, three disappeared, and Nefertiti vanished. There is no record of her death and no evidence that she was ever buried in the Amarna royal tomb. Egyptologists have therefore speculated that Nefertiti may be one of the unidentified bodies recovered from the caches of royal mummies in the Valley of the Kings.

An elegant portrait bust of Nefertiti now in Berlin is perhaps one of the most well-known ancient sculptures. When the bust was first discovered, no quartz to represent the iris of the left eyeball was present as in the other eye, and none was found despite an intensive search.

“She was the Cleopatra of her time. Just as beautiful, just as wealthy, and just as powerful – if not more powerful,” says Michelle Moran, author of Nefertiti, a popular work of historical fiction.