Who they were
Nefertiti (c. 1370–c. 1330 BC) was the Great Royal Wife of Akhenaten; her origins are not securely known. She was the mother of six daughters, including Ankhesenamun, the wife of Tutankhamun.
What they did
She was unusually prominent in the Amarna religion and in royal art: she is shown worshipping the Aten alongside the king, riding chariots, and even in poses traditionally reserved for kings. Some scholars think she ruled briefly as, or under the name of, Neferneferuaten after Akhenaten’s death, but this is debated.
Legacy
The painted limestone bust of Nefertiti, found in 1912 in the sculptor Thutmose’s workshop at Amarna, is now in the Neues Museum in Berlin and is among the most famous artworks of antiquity. Egypt has repeatedly requested its return. Her own tomb has never been conclusively identified.