Whatever her true role might have been, Nefertiti undoubtedly had a major influence on Egyptian affairs during a time of great prosperity, and that is what led to her great popularity among the people of her kingdom.

She may also have assisted the young king Tutankhamun after his ascension to the throne at the age of eight (he was just five when his father died). In partnership with her husband, Queen Nefertiti ruled Egypt’s 18th dynasty from 1353 to 1336 BC, and many scholars believe she continued to rule on her own following Akhenaten’s death in the final of those years. During an interview with the newspaper El Independiente, he told the reporter that a mummy he has been studying in recent months is in fact Nefertiti, the wife of the ancient pharaoh Akhenaten and the stepmother of the famous boy-pharaoh Tutankhamun, forever known to most people as King Tut. Zahi Hawass, the former Minister of Egyptian Antiquities and the face of Egyptian archaeology in the eyes of the general public, was in Madrid earlier this month speaking at a conference organized in association with the ongoing Daughters of the Nile exhibition at the Palacio de las Alhajas. Has Queen Nefertiti’s mummy, one of ancient Egypt’s most celebrated New Kingdom rulers, finally been found? According to the world’s most famous Egyptologist, the answer to this question is “ yes,” and within a few short weeks he expects DNA testing to confirm this assertion.ĭr.

Myths of pharaohs treasure of akhenaten