Nefertiti ruled beside the sun, and then vanished into antiquity. Her discovery and beauty sparked a 20th-century political firestorm.
Sketch and Coffee Live at 5:30am Texas time
On today’s episode I overslept and sprinted out of bed and dove straight into one of history’s most iconic mysteries: the bust of Nefertiti. From the moment her image hit the light stage, we talked about power, propaganda, and what happens when beauty outlives its own body.
I shared how Nefertiti wasn’t just a queen, she was possibly a co-pharaoh, equal in scale and stature to Akhenaten, her husband. Their reign lasted 17 years, during which they created a new capital, built in worship of the sun disc Aten. But in Year 12, she either vanished, died, or maybe took over? No one knows. That gap in the record has been feeding theories ever since.
We walked through how her now-famous bust was found in 1912 by German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt, who downplayed its significance to get it out of Egypt. He lied to sneak it past a French official by calling it a “princess” and hiding the headdress in photos. Some think the bust might even be a 20th-century reconstruction, based on Borchardt’s interest in recreating ancient techniques. He and his patron then hid the bust for 12 years before putting it on display in Berlin.
When Egypt began demanding her return, Berlin said she was too fragile to move. Hitler claimed her as Aryan perfection. She was beautiful, so she must have been Aryan according to him. She was moved into American custody in Germany after WWII, and then returned to Berlin. Recently, the museum moved her again… just not to Egypt. Today, Nefertiti’s bust brings in an estimated $13 million annually through museum attendance and licensed merchandise. Meanwhile, Egypt still demands her return. And her tomb? Still lost.