Editing Nefertiti (section)

==Life==
{{multiple image|align=left
|image1=Alabaster sunken relief depicting Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and daughter Meritaten. Early Aten cartouches on king's arm and chest. From Amarna, Egypt. 18th Dynasty. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg
|width1=200
|caption1=Alabaster sunken relief depicting Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and their daughter Meritaten. Early Aten cartouches on king's arm and chest. From Amarna, Egypt. 18th Dynasty. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London
|image2=NefertitiRelief SmitingSceneOnBoat-CloseUp.png
|width2=200
|caption2=Close-up of a limestone relief depicting Nefertiti smiting a female captive on a royal barge. On display at the [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]].
}}
Nefertiti first appears in scenes in [[Thebes (Egypt)|Thebes]]. In the damaged tomb ([[TT188]]) of the royal butler [[Parennefer]], the new king [[Amenhotep IV]] is accompanied by a royal woman, and this lady is thought to be an early depiction of Nefertiti. The king and queen are shown worshiping the [[Aten]]. In the tomb of the vizier [[Ramose (TT55)|Ramose]], Nefertiti is shown standing behind [[Amenhotep IV]] in the Window of Appearance during the reward ceremony for the vizier.<ref name="Tyldesley"/>

[[File:Nefertiti Standing-striding Berlin.jpg|thumb|210px|left|A standing/striding figure of Nefertiti made of limestone. Originally from Amarna, part of the [[Ägyptisches Museum Berlin]] collection.]]
During the early years in Thebes, Akhenaten (still known as Amenhotep IV) had several temples erected at [[Karnak]]. One of the structures, the [[Temple of Amenhotep IV|Mansion of the Benben]] (hwt-ben-ben), was dedicated to Nefertiti. She is depicted with her daughter [[Meritaten]] and in some scenes the princess [[Meketaten]] participates as well. In scenes found on the [[talatat]], Nefertiti appears almost twice as often as her husband. She is shown appearing behind her husband the pharaoh in offering scenes in the role of the queen supporting her husband, but she is also depicted in scenes that would have normally been the prerogative of the king. She is shown smiting the enemy, and captive enemies decorate her throne.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eF5_QgAACAAJ |title = Akhenaten, the Heretic King|isbn = 9780691002170|last1 = Redford|first1 = Donald B.|year = 1987| publisher=Princeton University Press }}</ref>

In the fourth year of his reign, Amenhotep IV decided to move the capital to [[Akhetaten]] (modern Amarna). In his fifth year, Amenhotep IV officially changed his name to Akhenaten, and Nefertiti was henceforth known as Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti. The name change was a sign of the ever-increasing importance of the cult of the [[Aten]]. It changed Egypt's religion from a [[polytheism|polytheistic]] religion to a religion which may have been better described as a [[monolatrism|monolatry]] (the depiction of a single god as an object for worship) or [[henotheism]] (one god, who is not the only god).<ref>{{cite book |author-link=Dominic Montserrat |first=Dominic |last=Montserrat |title=Akhenaten: History, Fantasy and Ancient Egypt |publisher=Psychology Press |year=2003}}</ref>

The [[Boundary Stelae of Akhenaten|boundary stelae]] of years 4 and 5 mark the boundaries of the new city and suggest that the move to the new city of [[Akhetaten]] occurred around that time. The new city contained several large open-air temples dedicated to the [[Aten]]. Nefertiti and her family would have resided in the Great Royal Palace in the centre of the city and possibly at the [[Northern Palace (Amarna)|Northern Palace]] as well. Nefertiti and the rest of the royal family feature prominently in the scenes at the palaces and in the [[Tombs of the Nobles (Amarna)|tombs of the nobles]]. Nefertiti's steward during this time was an official named [[Meryre II]]. He would have been in charge of running her household.<ref name="Dodson"/><ref name="Tyldesley"/>
 
Inscriptions in the tombs of [[Huya (Noble)|Huya]] and [[Meryre II]] dated to Year 12, 2nd month of Peret, Day 8 show a large foreign tribute. The people of Kharu (the north) and Kush (the south) are shown bringing gifts of gold and precious items to Akhenaten and Nefertiti. In the tomb of Meryre II, Nefertiti's steward, the royal couple is shown seated in a kiosk with their six daughters in attendance.<ref name="Dodson"/><ref name="Tyldesley"/> This is one of the last times princess [[Meketaten]] is shown alive.

Two representations of Nefertiti that were excavated by [[Flinders Petrie]] appear to show Nefertiti in the middle to later part of Akhenaten's reign 'after the exaggerated style of the early years had relaxed somewhat'.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Trope |first1=B. |last2=Quirke |first2=S. |last3=Lacovara |first3=P. |title=Excavating Egypt. Great Discoveries from the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology |year=2005 |publisher=Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University |isbn=1-928917-06-2}}</ref> One is a small piece on limestone and is a preliminary sketch of Nefertiti wearing her distinctive tall crown with carving begun around the mouth, chin, ear and tab of the crown. Another is a small inlay head (Petrie Museum Number UC103) modeled from reddish-brown quartzite that was clearly intended to fit into a larger composition.

Meketaten may have died in year 13 or 14. Nefertiti, Akhenaten, and three princesses are shown mourning her.<ref>{{cite book |last=Murnane |first=William J. |title=Texts from the Amarna Period in Egypt |publisher=Society of Biblical Literature |year=1995 |isbn=1-55540-966-0}}</ref> The last dated inscription naming her and Akhenaten comes from a building inscription in the limestone quarry at [[Deir Abu Hinnis]]. It dates to year 16 of the king's reign and is also the last dated inscription naming the king.{{sfn|van der Perre|2014}}

=== Possible reign as a Pharaoh ===

Many scholars believe Nefertiti had a role elevated from that of great royal wife, and was promoted to [[Coregency|co-regent]] by her husband Pharaoh Akhenaten before his death.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/nefertiti|title=Nefertiti - Ancient History - HISTORY.com|website=HISTORY.com|access-date=2017-10-26}}</ref> She is depicted in many [[archaeological]] sites as equal in stature to a King, smiting Egypt's enemies, riding a [[chariot]], and worshipping the [[Aten]] in the manner of a pharaoh.<ref>{{Citation|last=AncientHistory|title=Nefertiti's Odyssey - National Geographic Documentary|date=2017-04-28|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyYurJrSiRA| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106174348/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyYurJrSiRA&gl=US&hl=en| archive-date=2019-11-06 | url-status=dead|access-date=2017-10-26}}</ref> When Nefertiti's name disappears from historical records, it is replaced by that of a co-regent named [[Neferneferuaten]], who became a female Pharaoh.<ref name="Deep Blue"/> It seems likely that Nefertiti, in a similar fashion to the previous female Pharaoh [[Hatshepsut]], assumed the kingship under the name Pharaoh Neferneferuaten after her husband's death. She was then succeeded by Tutankhamun.{{sfn|van der Perre|2014}}
[[File:Limestone column fragment showing a cartouche of Nefertiti. Reign of Akhenaten. From Amarna, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg|thumb|189x189px|Limestone column fragment showing a cartouche of Nefertiti. Reign of Akhenaten. From Amarna, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London]]
It seems less possible that Nefertiti disguised herself as a male and assumed the male [[alter ego]] of [[Smenkhkare]]. According to Van Der Perre, Smenkhkare is thought to be a co-regent of Akhenaten who died before Neferneferuaten assumed the kingship.{{sfn|van der Perre|2014}}

If Nefertiti did rule Egypt as a Pharaoh, it has been theorized that she would have attempted damage control and may have re-instated the [[ancient Egyptian religion]] and the [[Amun]] priests. She would have raised [[Tutankhamun]] in the worship of the traditional gods.<ref>{{cite AV media |via=YouTube |last=AncientHistory|title='Queen Nefertiti' The Most Beautiful Face of Egypt (Discovery Channel)|date=2014-12-16|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kht878XLsg| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308132614/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kht878XLsg&gl=US&hl=en| archive-date=2017-03-08 | url-status=dead|access-date=2017-10-26}}</ref>

Archaeologist and Egyptologist Dr. [[Zahi Hawass]] theorized that Nefertiti returned to [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]] from Amarna to rule as a Pharaoh, based on [[ushabti]] and other feminine evidence of a female pharaoh found in [[KV62|Tutankhamun's tomb]], as well as evidence of Nefertiti smiting Egypt's enemies which was a duty reserved to kings.<ref>{{cite AV media |via=YouTube |last=Badger Utopia|title=Nefertiti - Mummy Queen of Mystery|date=2017-08-11|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czSww5m39q4|access-date=2017-10-26}}</ref>