Nefertiti and Akhenaten and Their Monotheistic Ambitions

Nefertiti, who's name means; 'The Beautiful One who's Come,' is surrounded in controversy regarding who she actually was. There's been scholarly speculation that she was a foreign woman, intended for marriage to Amunhotep the Third. This would probably have made her Tadukhepa, daughter of Tushratta, King of Mitanni, but there's virtually no evidence to support this theory.

In any case, considering she had an Egyptian wet nurse, it's far more likely that she was, in fact, Egyptian. Her parents are unknown, fairly obviously, or we'd know precisely her nationality. It is known that she had a sister, but she, too, is unknown. Her wet nurse was a lady named Tey, the wife of Aye, who was Akhenaten's closest and most trusted advisor. Tey, therefore, was no menial servant, but enjoyed a very elevated position.

Aye's favourite title was 'God's Father' and judging by that, he wasn't a man who lacked self confidence! The union of Nefertiti and Akhenaten produced six daughters. I'm sure there was some distress that they failed to have a son, but even so there are many family portraits of them, and they all show them to be full of affection for one another. It's believed that they were indeed a very close and happy family.

Regrettably, Nefertiti lived for a mere forty years, give or take a couple. Her dates range from about 1370 to 1330 BCE, which placed her in the Eighteenth Dynasty of the New Kingdom. This ranged from 1550 to 1292 BCE. The most famous likeness of her was the bust, believed to be made by Thutmose. At least, it was found in his workshop. It's a divine piece of work, showing what a deep understanding the Egyptians had of the human face.

Throughout the Eighteenth Dynasty, women played an active and visible role in the affairs of state and religion. Nefertiti was no different, helping and encouraging her husband in his desire to convert Egypt to a monotheistic religion. The Egyptians believed in many gods, like all the rest of the ancient world at that time. The gods varied in power and status, just as mortals do, but the worship of the greatest and most powerful gods were worshipped exclusively by royalty and the state. I doubt that many commoners even knew their names.

However, every city had its own deity, and ordinary people had their own gods they worshipped. Someone might decide that he or she felt closer to one god than another, more in tune with the beliefs associated with that god, so they'd change horses, as it were. No-one objected to this, nor did anyone question the existence of other gods.

We only see discrimination and persecution in monotheistic religions. Enough said on that subject, I think! But polytheistic societies were and are far more lenient in this respect.. and then Nefertiti and Akhenaten come along and start to upset the religious apple cart.

Nefertiti was quite a looker, wasn't she? Mike Bond's website is just building up its Egyptian section, but even so it's worth nipping over there for a look. There's a heck of a lot to see and learn and you can pick up your FREE Savings Newsletter simply by clicking on [http://www.thedestrier.com].