• General Notes

  Ruled Egypt as Queen Between 1341-1337 BC. Continued as the effective Queen until 1327 BC, when Tutankhamum died.
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  Nefertiti, ancient Egyptian queen who was the chief wife of Akhenaton, the pharaoh of Egypt, with whom she initiated many religious, artistic, and cultural changes. Nefertiti may have exercised the priestly office, a position normally reserved for kings.
  Akhenaton, who reigned from about 1350 to 1334 BC, was the first pharaoh to establish worship of one god. He directed exclusive worship of the sun god, Aton, of which Nefertiti was a devout follower. In honor of Aton, Akhenaton changed his name to mean "beneficial to Aton" (he was originally called Amenhotep IV) and established the capital Akhetaton (now the site of Tall al 'Amarinah). In the 12th year of Ahkenaton's reign, Nefertiti apparently fell from favor and was replaced by Meritaten, one of her six daughters.
  A painted limestone bust of Nefertiti is one of the great works of art surviving from ancient Egypt and is now in the Staatliche Museum in Berlin, Germany. The Amarna letters, which are inscribed cuneiform tablets from the period of Akhenaton's reign, along with other inscriptions and reliefs, also indicate Nefertiti's fame.
  Contributed By:
  Leonard H. Lesko
  Source: "Nefertiti," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 98 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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  Nefertiti was the wife of Akhenaten. Nefertiti, which means "the beautiful woman has come" is one of the most famous and beloved of all ancient Egyptians. One of the best known Egyptian treasures is a bust of her that can be found in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin. Not much is known about where she came from or who she was, but there has been much speculation about this. She appeared with Akhenaten during his fourth year at el-'Amarna, which was Akhenaten's new city. The city was dedicated to the god Aten. In the sixth year of his reign, her name was changed to Nefernefruaten, which means "Beautiful in beauty is Aten". They lived in 'Amarna and held religious ceremonies celebrating Aten.
  
  They raised six daughters but no sons at 'Amarna. One of their daughters, Meket-Aten, died. Their mourning was shown on wall paintings. After the death of their daughter, Nefertiti disappeared from the court. Some evidence shows that she stayed in 'Amarna, but lived in a villa called Hataten. Her daughter took over her place as Akhenaten's Queen. Her body has never been found.
  Source: www.touregypt.net

Details of Nefertiti's family with Akhenaton Pharaoh of Egypt