At the Chessmen Museum there is a chess set with pieces shaped like ancient Egyptian figures. Mr J.M. Glotzbach, whose collection this set belongs to, bought the game in 1980 during a Nile cruise to Luxor. In ancient Egypt this city was known as Thebes, the resting place of many pharaohs and their queens.
The chess pieces are made of white and light brown bone and have a classic Egyptian look. When bringing up ancient Egypt, people often think of the famous pyramids at Giza (third millennium BC) and of Pharaoh Tutankhamen (1333-1323 BC). This pharaoh was nineteen when he was buried in the Valley of the Kings, near Thebes. During the New Kingdom (1539-1077 BC), Thebes was a very important city and it even was the capital of Egypt several times.
J.M. Glotzbach Collection nr 48
Tutankhamen became famous after his tomb was discovered in mint condition in 1922. If such an insignificant pharaoh was sent off with so many treasures, the wealth of the tombs of more powerful pharaohs must have been enormous. Unfortunately, we were not the only ones who thought of this. In the course of the centuries all the known graves have been robbed, and there is hardly anything left in them. Fortunately, the hieroglyphics on structures such as temples and obelisks tell us a lot about the history of the pharaohs.
Nefertiti
Monotheistic religion
Tutankhamen´s parents were one of the much described power couples. Prince Amenhotep (´Amun is satisfied´) took the throne around 1353 BC as Amenhotep IV. After four years though, he turned the religious cult around. The old gods were banned and there was only one true god left, the sun god Aten. The pharaoh changed his name to Akhenaten (‘He who is of service to the Aten’).
His wife, Queen Nefertiti (‘The perfect one is come’) had a strong position, and not only at Akhenaten’s side. Monuments show that she carried out certain acts which were usually reserved to pharaohs, such as making sacrifices to Aten by herself, like one temple relief demonstrates. In his sixteenth year of government, Akhenaten even named her co-king, which made Nefertiti an even more important figure.
The good position of Egyptian women, and especially that of fellow king Nefertiti, is interesting. Yet she is now best known for her beauty. Some statues and busts of the queen have been preserved, and they indeed show a beautiful and stately woman. There is little else we can say for certain about Nefertiti. Her origins are unknown and her death is also shrouded in mystery. She did not get a royal funeral and her tomb has never been found.
DNA Research
Nefertiti was definitely Akhenaten´s wife, but Egyptologists disagree on whether she is Tutankhamen´s mother or not. Recent DNA-research has shown that the boy was without a doubt the son of Akhenaten and positively the result of inbreeding. This explains his deformities such as an open palate, a club foot and a curved back. Tutankhamen’s parents and grandparents were closely related, meaning they were (half) siblings or cousins. The inbreeding of succeeding generations makes it tricky to establish the family tree based on DNA.
Achnaton and Nefertiti with their children
A different DNA investigation has determined that the mummy of an unknown young woman was the mother of Tutankhamen, and a close relative of Akhenaten. She had no tomb of her own and probably died a violent death. This is evidenced by a head wound to her face, which was not inflicted post mortem. Is she the never discovered Nefertiti? Possibly, but nothing is certain yet. Historical sources seem to indicate that Nefertiti was also related to Akhenaten, but to what extent is unclear.
Living image
It is likely that after the death of her husband Nefertiti herself ascended the throne as pharaoh. This was only for a few years though, until Tutankhamen succeeded her around 1333 BC. The pharaoh, who was actually called Tutankhaten, abolished the monotheistic cult. He restored the traditional religion, with Amun as its main deity, and changed his name to ‘The living image of Amun´.
What happened to Nefertiti during that period remains a mystery. Fortunately, she has not fallen into oblivion, thanks to the images of her that have been preserved. And who knows, she may have inspired the makers of the ancient Egyptian chess set, since there is hardly any difference in the size of the king and queen. They stand next to each other as equals, just like Akhenaten and Nefertiti did.