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Joyce Tyldesley
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Nefertiti’s Face: The Creation of an Icon Hardcover – March 12, 2018

by Joyce Tyldesley (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 14 ratings
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Little is known about Nefertiti, the Egyptian queen whose name means “a beautiful woman has come.” She was the wife of Akhenaten, the pharaoh who ushered in the dramatic Amarna Age, and she bore him at least six children. She played a prominent role in political and religious affairs, but after Akhenaten’s death she apparently vanished and was soon forgotten.

Yet Nefertiti remains one of the most famous and enigmatic women who ever lived. Her instantly recognizable face adorns a variety of modern artifacts, from expensive jewelry to cheap postcards, t-shirts, and bags, all over the world. She has appeared on page, stage, screen, and opera. In Britain, one woman has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on plastic surgery in hope of resembling the long-dead royal. This enduring obsession is the result of just one object: the lovely and mysterious Nefertiti bust, created by the sculptor Thutmose and housed in Berlin’s Neues Museum since before World War II.

In Nefertiti’s Face, Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley tells the story of the bust, from its origins in a busy workshop of the late Bronze Age to its rediscovery and controversial removal to Europe in 1912 and its present status as one of the world’s most treasured artifacts. This wide-ranging history takes us from the temples and tombs of ancient Egypt to wartime Berlin and engages the latest in Pharaonic scholarship. Tyldesley sheds light on both Nefertiti’s life and her improbable afterlife, in which she became famous simply for being famous.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    240 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harvard University Press
  4. Publication date
    March 12, 2018
  5. Dimensions
    6.12 x 0.94 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0674983750
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0674983755
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Who better than Joyce Tyldesley to part the veil that shrouds Egypt’s most enigmatically charismatic queen, and the haunting bust of her in a Berlin museum―perhaps the most famous portrait from antiquity.”―Tom Holland, author of Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic and Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar

“Nefertiti’s Face is an adventure story, an essay on enduring beauty, a penetrating look at one of ancient Egypt’s most perplexing moments, and a perceptive account of how the modern world has interacted with the ancient, from the circumstances of the statue’s discovery to its echoes in contemporary art.”―Ingrid D. Rowland, author of From Pompeii: The Afterlife of a Roman Town

“Tyldesley tackles a ubiquitous artwork by stripping back its cliches and thrusting the enigmatic portrait into the constantly shifting stream of social contexts: systemic racism, cultural imperialism and technological appropriation, to name a few…With its immersive style this book makes it clear that nothing is set in stone in the remapping of the ancient world…In her intricate and cogent prose Tyldesley gently reminds us that there is more to revive than Nefertiti’s perennial cool. Much more…[A] grippingly factual read.”―Anna Johnson, The Australian

“[A] well-written, concise cultural history of Nefertiti and her bust.”―R. Fritze, Choice

About the Author

Joyce Tyldesley is Senior Lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Manchester.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvard University Press (March 12, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0674983750
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0674983755
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.55 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.12 x 0.94 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 14 ratings

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Joyce Tyldesley

Joyce Tyldesley

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
14 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Walter Nissen
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping account of what we do and don't know, and why.
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2019
Verified Purchase
One of my very favorite classicists, Sarah Bond, recommended this book, which is absolutely magisterial. Did you know that the bust has no inscription on it identifying it as Nefertiti? We only know (or at least strongly suspect that it's her) because the flat-topped hat is shown in other art with her name. Not at all dry.
2 people found this helpful
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Pam
5.0 out of 5 stars Really enjoyed the book
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2018
Verified Purchase
Really enjoyed the book. Not for everyone. Academic, but she brings the story to life so non-technical readers will also find it easy to follow. If they’re interested in the fascinating story, the politics, the discovery, and recent Nefertiti ‘artworks,’ I recommend the book.
One person found this helpful
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K. Kennedy
4.0 out of 5 stars very well-written tale of a woman and a time
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2021
"Nefertiti's Face" is the well-written tale of Nefertiti, particularly as it relates to the bust of her image, now in Berlin. Since few details of her life are known for certain, the author creates the tale using the bust as the means to link the tales of others alive in that era. My one complaint about this book is that the author references all sorts of images from other artwork and objects of the period, but does not provide images of them so that the reader can see those images. Overall, a very interesting book.
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P. A. Polocko
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful insight
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2018
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I really enjoyed this book. It is a very quick read. If you are intrigued by Ancient Egyptian art and the Amarna period you will enjoy this book.
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Sarah Bond
5.0 out of 5 stars Reconstructing Nefertiti
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2020
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An amazing reconstruction of the biography of an object. Definitely a great book.
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Kevin L. Maxwell
3.0 out of 5 stars Nefertiti was neither great nor beautiful
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
This book has little new to say about Nefertiti. Actually it is against the idea that the sculptured face of Nefertiti should be regarded as an artistic icon, arguing instead that she is only beautiful because we have been told she is beautiful. In several chapters the author stresses that there was nothing exceptional about Nefertiti's rule as queen consort, and dismisses the idea, in a single paragraph (pg 179-180),
that Nefertiti became Pharaoh after Akhenaten's death. Arguing whether Nefertiti was the most powerful or the most beautiful queen of Ancient Egypt is comparing apples and oranges. Even if Nefertiti did become Pharaoh her reign would have lasted no more than a few years. This is well short of the seventeen years of Hatshepsut and the two decades of Cleopatra.
As for the beauty of the Nefertiti, it is in the eye of the beholder. For many people the face of Nefertiti is the most amazing sculpture to survive from ancient Egypt, and trying to change other people's idea of beauty is simply pointless.
I have read other books by this author on Egyptian Royals, and found them to be very good. MS Tyldesley obviously finds the powerful Queen Tiy (Nefertiti's mother-in-law) more admirable, and I would certainly want to read a book on her (Tiy) should she care to pen it.
Finally I am left somewhat confused about the purpose of this book. What does she want the reader's take away to be? That Nefertiti was neither great or beautiful? Both are subject to interpretation and perception.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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T・Takahashi
4.0 out of 5 stars 図表は少ないですが
Reviewed in Japan on March 2, 2018
Verified Purchase
図表は非常に少ないですが面白いです。
ただ、前段の説明なしに核心に入る感じなので、ソコソコ知識がある人向けとも言えます。
ざっと流し読みした感じでは巻末にある日本語でいうところの別注が一番面白い。
一応発見からＫＶ６２の秘密の部屋までの疑問などがまとめてあるので興味のある人はＫＶ６２の再調査の結果が出るまでに一度読むといいのでは。
重要な資料になり得るかといえばそうでもなさそうなので☆をひとつ削りました。３つでもいいかもしれませんがとりあえず4つ。
「Kv62b: The Search for the Resting Place of Queen Ankh-kheperura 」ではなく今回はこちらを選んだのは正解だった。と思う（笑）
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