Rating: 
Summary: The disappearing queen...
Review: Joyce Tyldesley's book, 'Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen' is a fascinating study of a very important but mostly misunderstood figure in Egyptian history. Perhaps it was due to the confusion of names (another queen, Nefertari, is popularly known due to the use of her name in Biblical epic films), and largely historically due to Nerfertiti's marriage to Akhenaton, a pharoah who was almost erased from history.Akhenaton was a heretic in Egyptian terms -- he renounced the worship of old gods in favour of a more monotheistic framework based upon a sun-worship (Aton) which prompted him to change his name (he had been Amenhotep IV). He built a new capital city at Amarna, where he and Nefertiti lived and raised their children. Nefertiti was perhaps the most influential person on Akhenaton, at that time one of the most powerful rulers on earth. Very little is known of Nefertiti -- her death is not recorded, and her tomb has not been found. Her beauty is renowned from the masks found at Amarna by archaeologists early in this century, having been lost for millenia. It is unusual that such a prominent person's death would not be recorded in the culture of Egypt, symbolised to this day by the monuments to the great who have died in pyramids and tombs. The mystery deepens, however, with the discovery of stelae at Amarna that shows Nefertiti in glorious array while her husband the Pharoah occupies a lesser position. 'The Berlin stela provides us with the image of a perfect and semi-divine family inhabiting an ideal world far beyond the experiences of most Egyptians. The exact roles played by the principal members of this family are unclear. Akhenaten seems quite happy perched on his lowly, undecorated stool while his wife occupies the more regal seat, yet to him fall the the honour of holding the more important princess while Nefertiti looks after the babies.' Nefertiti may have been the regnant queen by this point -- unusual but far from unheard of in Egyptian history. Female pharoahs such as Sobeknofru and Hatchepsut had proved this, but it is much more likely that a female would act as regent rather than regnant. She might have served as co-regnant with Akhenaten until his death, and then as a regent for Tutankhamen. Of course, alternate theories also abound. Some inscriptions have been discovered in which a another name, Meritaten, was inscribed over erased names and titles of another woman -- was this Nefertiti? Did she overstep her position? Did she commit some indiscretion or crime? Meritaten, the daughter of Nefertiti and Akhenaton, might have assumed public duties as queen. This was put forward by Egyptologists including Norman de Garis Davies and John Pendlebury. Tyldesley presents various theories of Nefertiti's life and death side by side with evidence supporting each. Alas, the support is difficult no matter which interpretation is preferred -- Amarna was abandoned shortly after the death of Akhenaten, and the old religious ways reinstituted. Akhenaten's name was deliberately suppressed due to the threat to the 'established religion' that monotheistic ways represented (perhaps a source of animosity between another group, the Canaanite/Israelites, and the Egyptians stems from the fear of this monotheistic tendency latent in Egypt). It is a sad tale, that Akhenaten and Nefertiti's family was all but destroyed, their capital reduced to a quarry for future pharoahs and builders to use; they and their family, including Tutankhamen and Ay, the following pharoahs of the family, were all deleted from official lists of kings -- in traditional Egyptian theology, for the spirit to live forever, the person's name, body, or image must survive -- and thus the officials of Egypt tried their best to destroy the spirit of these people. But archaeology has managed to resurrect their images and at least part of their story, and the mystery of their lives will continue for a long time to come.
Rating:
Summary: The disappearing queen...
Review: Joyce Tyldesley's book, `Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen' is a fascinating study of a very important but mostly misunderstood figure in Egyptian history. Perhaps it was due to the confusion of names (another queen, Nefertari, is popularly known due to the use of her name in Biblical epic films), and largely historically due to Nerfertiti's marriage to Akhenaton, a pharoah who was almost erased from history. Akhenaton was a heretic in Egyptian terms -- he renounced the worship of old gods in favour of a more monotheistic framework based upon a sun-worship (Aton) which prompted him to change his name (he had been Amenhotep IV). He built a new capital city at Amarna, where he and Nefertiti lived and raised their children. Nefertiti was perhaps the most influential person on Akhenaton, at that time one of the most powerful rulers on earth. Very little is known of Nefertiti -- her death is not recorded, and her tomb has not been found. Her beauty is renowned from the masks found at Amarna by archaeologists early in this century, having been lost for millenia. It is unusual that such a prominent person's death would not be recorded in the culture of Egypt, symbolised to this day by the monuments to the great who have died in pyramids and tombs. The mystery deepens, however, with the discovery of stelae at Amarna that shows Nefertiti in glorious array while her husband the Pharoah occupies a lesser position. `The Berlin stela provides us with the image of a perfect and semi-divine family inhabiting an ideal world far beyond the experiences of most Egyptians. The exact roles played by the principal members of this family are unclear. Akhenaten seems quite happy perched on his lowly, undecorated stool while his wife occupies the more regal seat, yet to him fall the the honour of holding the more important princess while Nefertiti looks after the babies.' Nefertiti may have been the regnant queen by this point -- unusual but far from unheard of in Egyptian history. Female pharoahs such as Sobeknofru and Hatchepsut had proved this, but it is much more likely that a female would act as regent rather than regnant. She might have served as co-regnant with Akhenaten until his death, and then as a regent for Tutankhamen. Of course, alternate theories also abound. Some inscriptions have been discovered in which a another name, Meritaten, was inscribed over erased names and titles of another woman -- was this Nefertiti? Did she overstep her position? Did she commit some indiscretion or crime? Meritaten, the daughter of Nefertiti and Akhenaton, might have assumed public duties as queen. This was put forward by Egyptologists including Norman de Garis Davies and John Pendlebury. Tyldesley presents various theories of Nefertiti's life and death side by side with evidence supporting each. Alas, the support is difficult no matter which interpretation is preferred -- Amarna was abandoned shortly after the death of Akhenaten, and the old religious ways reinstituted. Akhenaten's name was deliberately suppressed due to the threat to the 'established religion' that monotheistic ways represented (perhaps a source of animosity between another group, the Canaanite/Israelites, and the Egyptians stems from the fear of this monotheistic tendency latent in Egypt). It is a sad tale, that Akhenaten and Nefertiti's family was all but destroyed, their capital reduced to a quarry for future pharoahs and builders to use; they and their family, including Tutankhamen and Ay, the following pharoahs of the family, were all deleted from official lists of kings -- in traditional Egyptian theology, for the spirit to live forever, the person's name, body, or image must survive -- and thus the officials of Egypt tried their best to destroy the spirit of these people. But archaeology has managed to resurrect their images and at least part of their story, and the mystery of their lives will continue for a long time to come.
Rating: 
Summary: Stolen Legacy
Review: Look at how you mislead the world about the Great Mother Goddess.
She is depicted with caucazoid features, when any intelligent person who knows anything about AFRIKA, knows that Ancient Kemetians were full featured people. Ma Ra
Rating:
Summary: The Mysterious Queen
Review: Nefertiti was the most influential woman in ancient Egypt. Her entire life, where she came from and how she died, in shrouded in mystery. She married in her early teens to Amenhotep IV who may have been sixteen or seventeen. After marrying she became a mother to six daughters and became a member of the Royal Court of Amarna. She was the first queen to be equal with the king. They lived at Thebes where they ruled the upper and lower kingdoms. The one thing I did not like about this book was how it seemed to go into more detail about Amenhotep IV and his family than Nefertiti. That was probable do to the fact that we know so little about her. Nothing of her life is know before she was married and very little is know after Amenhotep IV dies. The book gave Amenhotep IV inter family line and went on for too long. It took you away from the central topic. The best thing is the attention to detail. Every little factor, from family history to the culture is given. It gives the reader a since of what life was like and makes you feel as if you were actually there. The artier takes evidence from archeological remains to make this God like queen more like a real person. This was a book that you could get in to.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Biography of Nefertiti
Review: Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen is a well-written book about a mysterious time. Joyce Tyldesley sets the stage with an excellent discussion of Amenhotep III and the times prior to the advent of Akhenaten. There is a wealth of information. Of particular interest to me was the tracing of the god Aten and that Amenhotep had awakened interest in this god. If one is to write a life of Nefertiti it has to be undertaken to provide all the various ideas that have sprung up about her. Ms. Tyldesley prepares us for this path, one she is forced into because of the lack of information about Nefertiti and the Amarna period in general. She shifts through all of this material admirably and points out the more probable scenarios. If one is disappointed because this is not a traditional biography it is because of our lack of information. Once could probably fit what we "know" about Nefertiti on a few pages. What possibly happened takes more. If one is interested in Egypt and the Amarna period in particular, this is a valuable book.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Biography of Nefertiti
Review: Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen is a well-written book about a mysterious time. Joyce Tyldesley sets the stage with an excellent discussion of Amenhotep III and the times prior to the advent of Akhenaten. There is a wealth of information. Of particular interest to me was the tracing of the god Aten and that Amenhotep had awakened interest in this god. If one is to write a life of Nefertiti it has to be undertaken to provide all the various ideas that have sprung up about her. Ms. Tyldesley prepares us for this path, one she is forced into because of the lack of information about Nefertiti and the Amarna period in general. She shifts through all of this material admirably and points out the more probable scenarios. If one is disappointed because this is not a traditional biography it is because of our lack of information. Once could probably fit what we "know" about Nefertiti on a few pages. What possibly happened takes more. If one is interested in Egypt and the Amarna period in particular, this is a valuable book.
Rating:
Summary: Yet another masterpiece by the first lady of Egypt's own.
Review: Once again, Joyce has put together a superb work of elegance and Egyptology at its best. She follows the life of Nefertiti from its earliest known point to its mysterious and unknown conclusion, along the way discaussing other prominent females from Nefertiti's immediate family, among them the dowager queen Tiye. Akhenaten is discussed at length in every chapter, which is to be expected since so much is known of him whereas his wife is more elusive no matter what the occasion. The plates are spectacular, portraying many aspects of Nefertiti in Amarna art and my personal favorite was the plate giving a four sided view of her ever-famous limestone bust simply because it was the first time i had ever seen more than just a frontal or side view of this piece. All in all, Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen is as much a pleasure to have as it is to read, and I recommend it highly for any library, especially those caentering around the mystery and beauty of Amarna.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing New under the Aten
Review: Since we know virtually nothing about Queen Nefertiti--indeed, all we do know is her name, those of her husband and children, and where she lived (and, all right, in what century BC she lived)--the idea of a biography of Her Majesty seems a bit over the top. This book does not fail to live down to that expectation. Regrettably, there is nothing in it that cannot be found in the standard scholarly works on the Amarna Period. Ordinarily, popular works of this type are often redeemed by having beautiful illustrations. In the department, too, the book is not notable. A disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for Egypt lovers
Review: This book was wonderful in explaining the life of Nefertiti and her husband Akhenaten. It gave insight into the ancient world of Egypt and its reign of leaders. Nefertiti is a fascinating mysterious woman to the world, it's almost romantic in a sense.
Rating: 
Summary: A nice update and revision of current theories
Review: Well-written, concise, easy-to-read. Though it doesn't clear up the fundamental mystery of Ahkenaten and Nefertiti, it does help clear away some cobwebs from their life. For instance, it is stated that the royal couple did not have the dramatic falling out and consequent destruction of Nefertiti's name everywhere that other historians have theorized. The author states that Egyptologists now know for certain that Merit-Aten's name was subscribed over the names and titles of some other lady; probably Kiya. Intuitively, it never made sense to me that Ahkenaten could somehow be motivated to blot out the name of a woman he was obviously very devoted to. One of the author's specialties is powerful women in history. Therefore, the author thoroughly explores the roles of power that Nefertiti might have assumed and where she might have derived that authority. One of the things I've always enjoyed about Nefertiti books is how they treat the famous bust in photographs using various angles, lights and shadows. Here the bust is photographed in B/W from four very good angles. The treatment of the bust is near pg 143 in the hardback. There, you will see such a lifelike Nefertiti, you will blink. (Ahh, the magic of photo-editing software! ;-) In short, this book doesn't make any major breakthroughs, but it does inch us forward. Its enjoyable; takes about 2 nights to read. The book has a sleek and attractive appearance. Its romantic and tragic; without sacrificing objectivity.
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