paintings are elaborate and beautiful, depicting Nefertari
in mortuary rituals and in daily routines of life. The
burial chamber has pillars and annexes. The entire tomb
is now being restored, having suffered considerable dam-
age over the centuries.
Nefertem An Egyptian deity, called “the Lord of the
Lotus Blossoms,” and “the Protector of the Two King-
doms,” Nefertem was a sun god whose cult was estab-
lished early in MEMPHIS. His name indicates that he was
the personification of TEM (1) at HELIOPOLIS, the solar
cult center. He was the son of PTAHand SEKHMET, forming
the Memphite trinity. At HELIOPOLIShe was considered
the son of BASTET, and in BUTOhe was called the son of
WADJET. Nefertem was portrayed as a young man wearing
an open LOTUSflower crown with feathers and orna-
ments. The lotus was a symbol of creation and resurrec-
tion and played a role in the cosmogonic traditions of
Egypt. In Heliopolis, Nefertem was depicted as the setting
sun, and at other sites he was shown as a lion. The lotus
was his symbol and perfumes were sacred to him. Nefer-
tem was associated with RÉin some cultic rituals.
Nefertiabet(fl. 26th century B.C.E.) Royal woman of the
Fourth Dynasty
She was a princess of the royal family, a daughter of
KHUFU(r. 2551–2528 B.C.E.). Her mastaba at GIZAcon-
tains her portrait depicting her in the leopard skin of a
priestess. A stela also commemorated Nefertiabet’s service
to Egypt in the cultic ceremonies maintained by the royal
court.
Nefertiru (fl. 15th century B.C.E.)Royal woman of the
Eighteenth Dynasty
A daughter of TUTHMOSIS III(r. 1479–1425 B.C.E.), Nefer-
tiru died young. She was commemorated in her father’s
tomb in the VALLEY OF THE KINGSon the western shore of
THEBES.
Neferti’s Prophecy See NEFER-ROHU’S PROPHECY.
Nefertiti(fl. 14th century B.C.E.)One of the most famous
royal women of the Eighteenth Dynasty
She was the consort of AKHENATEN(r. 1353–1335 B.C.E.)
and a leading figure at ’AMARNA. Her name meant “the
Beautiful Woman Has Come,” and she is one of the most
beloved and famous of all ancient Egyptians. Nefertiti’s
sculpted bust in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin is one of
the best known of all Egyptian treasures. Little informa-
tion is available concerning her origins, although there has
been a great deal of speculation about her family ties. She
may have been the daughter of AYA (2), the successor of
TUT’ANKHAMUN. Her sister was possibly MUTNODJMET(1),
who married HOREMHAB, the last pharaoh of the dynasty.
In the fourth year of Akhenaten’s reign, she
appeared with him at the site of Akhetaten (el-’AMARNA),
the city dedicated to the god ATEN. In the sixth year of
Akhenaten’s reign, Nefertiti’s name was changed again to
reflect the cult of Aten. Nefertiti lived with Akhenaten in
’Amarna, where he conducted religious ceremonies to
Aten. They raised six daughters, but no sons. One of the
daughters, Maketaten, died giving birth to a child, prob-
ably sired by her father, and the couple’s grief was
depicted in wall paintings. Nefertiti disappeared from
the court after that. There is some evidence that she
remained in ’Amarna, living in a villa called HAT-ATEN,
but another daughter replaced her as the pharaoh’s prin-
cipal wife. SMENKHARÉ, who became Akhenaten’s succes-
sor in 1335 B.C.E., reportedly assumed Nefertiti’s
religious name, leading to the speculation that Nefertiti
actually played this role at the ’Amarna court. She was
called Neferneferu-Aten, “the Exquisite Beauty of the
Sun Disk.”
A granite head and other unfinished portraits of
Nefertiti have survived. In the Aten temple at KARNAK,
Nefertiti is shown smiting Egypt’s enemies. Her funerary
regalia, along with the remains and effects of other
’Amarna royal family members, were removed from
’Amarna burial sites during the reign of Tut’ankhamun,
but her remains have not been identified. She outlived
Akhenaten but probably did not have political power
because she represented a period that was being reviled
across Egypt. When Smenkharé died, Nefertiti may have
served as a counselor for the young Tut’ankhamun during
his brief reign. She remains a symbol of Egypt’s beauty
and mystery.Nefert-kau(fl. 26th century B.C.E.)Royal woman of the
Fourth Dynasty
She was both the daughter and consort of SNEFRU(r.
2575–2551 B.C.E.). Nefert-kau bore Snefru a son, Prince
NEFERMA’AT, who served later pharaohs in the high offices
of the court restricted to the royal family during this
period. She was probably the daughter of Queen HET-
EPHERES(1).Neferu (1) (fl. 21st century B.C.E.) Royal woman of the
Eleventh Dynasty
She was the consort of MONTUHOTEP II (r. 2061–2010
B.C.E.) and his sister, being the daughter of MONTUHOTEP I
and Queen AOH(Yah). With Queen TEM (2), Neferu
served as a Great Wife. She was buried just north of the
main DEIR EL-BAHRI complex of the pharaoh, and her
gravesite was covered by HATSHEPSUT’s (1473–1458 B.C.E.)
structures.
Neferu’s tomb contained a chapel, sloping corridor,
and a burial chamber. The walls were decorated with
limestone and reliefs. The site became an ancient pilgrim-
age destination during the New Kingdom era. Hatshep-270 Nefertem