Welcome back everyone!! Despite these grim times there is always a historical story to be told!
Today’s post brings us back to the debate of ‘stolen artefacts’ So let's begin!
Recognise this lady??!
She’s known as Queen Nefertiti, Great Royal Wife, (possible) Pharaoh and Egyptian legend.
Her bust is a priceless artefact that has become a cultural icon and a face for the Ancient world.
WHO IS SHE!
So, who exactly was Nefertiti??? And how is it her bust has become one of the most contested artefacts in the modern world??Here's what we know:
· Her name quite literally means ‘the beautiful one has come forth’
· She married Pharaoh Akhenaten during the 14th century BC, together they had 6 daughters.
THEY CHANGED EVERYTHING- They're reign was unusual, so Ancient Egyptian’s typically worshipped multiple Gods such as Anubis, Isis and Amun- Click the link to find out all about the Egyptian Gods.
Akhenaten changed this by forcing the worship of ONE God known as Aten
· Want to learn more about Aten? CLICK ON ME
· Together Akhenaten and Nefertiti built a new capital dedicated to Aten, called Amarna
Check out this map of Ancient Egypt , Can you see Amarna?
Nefertiti became so powerful she achieved co-regent status (basically making her Pharaoh too!!)
· Many Egyptologists believe when Akhenaten died, she ruled briefly as sole Pharaoh taking the name Neferneferuaten (a female pharaoh!)
These are widely believed to be Nefertiti and Akhenaten, notice the head piece Nefertiti wears to identify herself??
· Nefertiti was the stepmother of famous Pharaoh, Tutankhamun
· Despite their power, Nefertiti and her husband were wiped from history because of their religious actions.
The Find Of The Century
Nefertiti’s bust was created by sculpture Thutmose, it was discovered in the ruins of Amarna by German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt in 1912. In his diary Ludwig wrote...
"Suddenly we had in our hands the most alive Egyptian artwork. You cannot describe it with words. You must see it."
Knowing the importance of the artefact it is thought that Ludwig smuggled the bust out of Egypt without alerting the Egyptian authorities. It was then unveiled in Berlin in 1924.
The Queen of Berlin
The bust has been on quite an adventure....
During the early 20th century the artefact become the rope, in a tug of war between Germany and Egypt, both countries claiming they had ownership rights!
During WW2 Hitler was super obsessed with protecting the bust and thus had it hidden away, it was said that Hitler vowed Germany would NEVER return this priceless object. Citing her beauty as a perfect example of Aryan perfection.
After the war, the artefact was founded by the Americans where Egypt came so close to getting their hands on the object. Unfortunately, America eventually gave it back to Germany. Finally putting Nefertiti on display in the Neues Museum for the world to see. She has remained there ever since.
The Question of Ownership?
Was the bust taken out of Egypt illegally? There are several debates surrounding the actual agreement between Borchardt and the Egyptian authorities. What do you think?
According to Zahi Hawass, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. The bust was taken illegally. READ AN ARTICLE HERE
If you dig up and discover something in your friends back garden, does that make the object theirs or yours?
It was their back garden, but your discovery?
Nefertiti was and always will be Egyptian, there’s no denying that, but should her beauty and history be shared? Are there not enough Ancient Egyptian artefacts to go around?
I saw Nefertiti when visiting Berlin (it has always been a wish of mine!!) I may not have gotten that opportunity had she been in Egypt.
But then what about all those Egyptians who haven’t had the chance to see her? Should they not have the right to see a former Queen of Egypt, who was part of their heritage? Will they ever get that opportunity?
Will you join the debate and help Nefertiti be reunited with her former subjects?
Despite all the debates, I urge you to go see this magnificent artefact, Nefertiti has been worshipped in death as she was in life, she remains as always, an icon for the world to adore.
If you're interested to see you where I get all my info, head over to the sources page to check it out!
See you next time!
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