The Mysterious Nefertiti: Goddess, Queen, and Icon of Ancient Egypt. Who was she really?
No other figure from ancient Egypt evokes as much fascination as Nefertiti: a goddess and queen from the 15th century BCE. Her era was a time of significant cultural and religious transformations, and her legacy remains a crucial part of history.
In the Berlin Neues Museum, she has an entire room dedicated to her and is protected by six guards. Encased in a glass cabinet at eye level with subdued lighting, it makes a tremendous impression. The bust of Nefertiti (or Nefertiti — both forms are correct) is one of the most famous museum exhibits in the world. It is also one of the most important archaeological artifacts from ancient Egypt.
The Bust of Nefertiti
It was discovered in 1912 during an expedition led by the German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt. The excavations took place in Amarna, about 300 km south of Cairo. Archaeologists found a cluster of sculptures, which was likely the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose.
This discovery was one of the major archaeological findings of the 20th century, allowing precise dating. Thutmose was a court sculptor in the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten, active around 1350 BCE. So, the bust of Nefertiti is about 3,380 years old.
