1. Nefertiti's very name evokes her unusual position in history, to say nothing of the hopes that were held of her. What is the approximate meaning of her name? See the daughter of the gods. The beautiful woman has come. Songs follow in her steps. The beauty of the world lasts forever.

2. Nefertiti's name is similar to that of a type of jewelry she often wore as queen: long, thin, elegant nefer beads, made of a precious metal that symbolized the pharaohs' wealth and power. From what were nefer beads made? Platinum Silver Gold Iron

3. Like most women in ancient Egypt, the course of Nefertiti’s life would be defined by her husband. As the wife of Amunhotep – future pharaoh and thus the future incarnation of the god Ra – her position and glory would be assured. There was only one problem: young Amunhotep had a decidedly unconventional interpretation of the Egyptian religion, which would lead to his taking the new name Akhenaten. What was her husband’s defining religious belief? That there was only one god: the spirit, the Akhen. That the sun disk, the Aten, was the greatest of the gods. That the priestly caste of Egypt no longer served the gods, and must be purged. That there was only one god: the sun disk, Aten.

4. As the Great Royal Wife of Akhenaten, Nefertiti had many duties. One of these was the same as that of queen consorts throughout world history: she was to bear pharaoh's children. How many children is she known to have had? No known children Three daughters and two sons Six daughters Three sons

5. Early in his reign, Nefertiti's husband Akhenaten completely overturned the old religious order. Priests and temples were stripped of their property, new temples were built, and even the capital was moved. Did Nefertiti approve of these changes? Yes. Surviving papyrus scrolls show that Nefertiti encouraged Akhenaten to go further and further in his reforms. No. Many surviving works of art show her praying in the old style, as her husband looks on furiously. No. A letter, sent to her mother, has survived, showing that Nefertiti hated this "endless elevation of blasphemy." Perhaps. Many surviving works of art show her praying in the new style, along with her husband and family.

6. As Akhenaten's reign progressed, Nefertiti's power grew, and was reflected in the art of the time. Her depictions in sculpture were shockingly similar to depictions of pharaohs! Which of these is NOT a depiction of Nefertiti that emphasizes her unusual power? She is shown the same size as her husband the pharaoh. She is shown with a mace, attacking the enemies of Egypt. She is shown worshipping alone. She is shown playing with her young children.

7. In Year 14 of Akhenaten's reign, Nefertiti suddenly vanished from the kingdom's records, giving rise to one of the ancient world's most fascinating mysteries. At first, archaeologists thought that she must have fallen into disgrace with her husband. Why? A letter from Akhenaten to his cousin, the prince of Kush, complained about his "unseemly wife." Akhenaten's other wives were mentioned fondly by his successors, but Nefertiti's name was never written again. Sculptures of Nefertiti were systematically defaced or destroyed. On monuments that had once belonged to a wife of Akhenaten, the woman's name had been systematically erased.

8. Nefertiti disappeared from history, but she may not have disappeared from palace life. In fact, a number of archaeologists believe that she outlived her husband -- and succeeded him as pharaoh in her own right before the ascension of Tutankhamun. Under what name would she have ruled? Amunhotep V Nefertiti Akhenaten II Smenkhare

9. For more than three thousand years, Nefertiti, Akhenaten, and their children were forgotten. Akhenaten and his immediate successors were stricken from the official list of pharaohs; the new temples were destroyed; their tombs were, in many places, defaced. Why? A fire at the Library of Thebes destroyed all records, and they were forgotten when the lists were recompiled. Looters did the rest. Hittite invaders systematically erased all traces of the pharaohs who had preceded them. An unusually high Nile flood destroyed the records at their capital. Looters did the rest. The pharoah Horemheb wanted to erase all traces of Akhenaten's religious experiment.

10. Since she was rediscovered by history, Nefertiti has captured the modern imagination – to the extent that she is more famous to non-Egyptologists than her husband, who only upended the entire religious and political system of a major empire for two decades. Which of these factors contributed most to her fame in the current era? A painted limestone bust, now in the Altes Museum in Berlin The discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen, who was probably her stepson Relief carvings of her worship with her husband Surviving love poetry on papyrus, now at the National Library and Archives of Egypt