Queen Nefertiti: Leadership and Influence in Branding

Queen Nefertiti was an influential religious and political force during her co-regency with Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten, garnering particular recognition by 20th-century literary and visual artists.

While her family heritage remains undocumented, scholars speculate that she may have been from Mitanni Kingdom in modern-day Syria and that her mysterious disappearance from historical records further fuels such theories.

1. She was a strong leader

Nefertiti (or Neferneferuaten, as she was more commonly known) was one of the most celebrated queens of ancient Egypt and became perhaps its best-known figure thanks to her iconic bust at Berlin Museum. Together she and Akhenaten ruled from 1353 B.C to 1336 B.C, producing six daughters of whom Ankhesenamun married Tutankhamun later on in life. Egyptian images from their time depicted them both with poses depicting power or authority, like leading worship or striking enemies down before or showing them doing battle against their foes.

Unfortunately, very little is known about the queen herself. There have been speculations that she may have come from an elite family such as those associated with Mitanni or Hittite empire in Anatolia; or even be the daughter of someone high-ranking official in another pharaoh’s court.

What is known is that she was highly educated and an influential leader in her own right, often taking over many responsibilities of her husband Akhenaten as well as leading worship or defeating enemies at temples or tombs. She became known as an influential role model during this era due to Akhenaten’s religious reforms.

Her beauty was an integral part of her legacy; many have likened her vivid coloring and unwrinkled face to Greta Garbo’s. In 1912, when her bust was discovered it brought worldwide fame and brought about new opportunities.

Explore the lives of three ancient Egyptian queens – Nefertiti, Tiy and Nefertari – through various texts and video clips. Engage in class discussion about their influence on their kingdoms. Working in small groups, create a project illustrating what you have learned.

2. She was a good mother

Though little is known of Queen Nefertiti’s early life, we do know she was an attentive mother. According to inscriptions at Gempaaten temple, Nefertiti had several children including Kiya – possibly becoming Horemheb’s wife after King Amenhotep III/Akhenaten died.

As well as raising her children, it is believed that Nefertiti was instrumental in changing ancient Egyptian culture. By acting as the royal wife of Akhenaten – and helping implement religious reforms such as replacing polytheistic worship with monotheism dedicated to Aten – Nefertiti helped reshape ancient Egyptian society and transform ancient Egyptian religion.

Not an easy feat, she managed to promote the new religion while simultaneously supporting her husband’s reign. One reason she succeeded was due to an excellent support network consisting of both her mother and other wives who dedicated themselves to it.

Nefertiti was known to be an exceptional mother, wife and queen but eventually fell out of favour with her husband due to her inability to produce male heirs – this may have resulted in Kiya taking her place as queen – or by refusing to accept his changes to Egyptian religion.

Date of her death remains uncertain, although it is generally accepted that she perished sometime between 1336 BCE and 1337 BCE. Though long thought forgotten, after the discovery of her stunning bust in 1912 she has made headlines worldwide due to its beauty.

Numerous artists, writers and musicians have used the iconic bust of Queen Nefertiti as inspiration in their works – most famously singer Beyonce made reference to it during her performance at Coachella music festival in 2018. Her use has been seen both as cultural appropriation and feminist empowerment.

3. She was a good wife

Queen Nefertiti is one of history’s most powerful women. Known for her beauty, royal wife status and impactful society contributions – not to mention being an iconic representation of female leadership alongside Hatshepsut and Cleopatra – Nefertiti is now considered an enduring icon for humanity’s perceptions on its potential to transform cultures through female leadership.

Nefertiti is not fully understood; however, we know she was born to a courtier of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and raised at his palace with Mutnodjmet as her younger sister. Due to this privileged upbringing she married his heir within four years he took power; together they had six daughters of which two became queens of Egypt. A shrine stela (now housed at Berlin Museum) shows them holding young daughters while simultaneously reaching for earrings; Nefertiti appears smaller than her husband but still maintains an air of authority as she holds onto their young daughters while reaching for her earrings – testament to how far we have come with our understanding of Nefertiti’s origins!

Nefertiti and her husband introduced a new religion in Amarna by worshipping Aten (sun). Art depicts Nefertiti embodying many principles associated with these reforms including fertility and the idea that solar disk Aten was an source of life on Earth.

This shift in religious practices led to an abandonment of ancient gods and creation of Akhetaten as the new capital city, where temples dedicated to Aten were dedicated. Unfortunately, however, Akhenaten died only 1336 BC and so the new faith quickly dispersed into disrepute.

Nefertiti has left her mark on art, literature and popular culture for more than 2000 years; her image still serves as an inspiration to artists today who draw upon her likeness in their own work. A testament to both her power and beauty that her likeness endures across time and culture.

4. She was a good friend

Attractively featured in Berlin with her iconic bust is Queen Nefertiti, and Nicholas Reeve’s theory about her having hidden chamber in King Tut’s tomb is unmistakeably the renowned Egyptian queen Nefertiti who stands as an iconic representation of female beauty and power both anciently as well as today through Western culture. From iconic busts of her in Berlin and Nicholas Reeve’s theory about hidden chambers within his tomb belonging to her, no doubt has made Nefertiti one of history’s most iconic queens ever. Her elegantly lined features and wide-open eyes make her an emblematic representation of female beauty as an iconic force both ancient Egyptian culture as well as contemporary Western cultures alike – something Nefertiti embodied perfectly!

Nefertiti was an integral figure in Akhenaten’s revolution that elevated Aten as Egypt’s sun god and put Egypt under religious auspices of Aten worship. Unfortunately, historians know very little about Nefertiti prior to her marriage but art from that era depicts a strong familial bond among her husband, her six daughters, Nefertiti and Akhenaten as depicted more realistically and individually compared with other eras in art – suggesting they all played significant roles in Aten worship as family worshipers of Aten as one united front.

Although she held an influential position, there is no evidence to show she served as queen regnant throughout Akhenaten’s rule. By the 12th year of Akhenaten’s rule, Nefertiti appears to have given up her title; her successor Horemheb erased any mention of Nefertiti and her family from royal records and left only inscriptions which named Akhenaten’s reigning.

Nefertiti was thrust back into prominence following her exile to Egypt when, in 1912, her bust was unearthed and displayed at Berlin’s Neues Museum. For the first time ever, people could see her likeness for themselves; instantly becoming known as an iconic beauty who had won hearts across a nation.

Modern artists around the world continue to draw inspiration from Nefertiti as an artistic subject. Their adaptations and homages bridge antiquity with today, exploring themes such as gender, race and colonial entitlement. Nora Al-Badri and Nikolai Nelles used her bust as a means of exploring repatriation and symbolism by creating multiple 3D prints of her bust before giving them away to institutions in Cairo – where Nefertiti once resided.