The first full-scale biography of one of the most mysterious, powerful, and beautiful women of the ancient world.

In the tradition of her intriguing Hatchepsut, Joyce Tyldesley rescues another female ruler from the shadows of history: Queen Nefertiti (c. 1350 b.c.). We know her from the exquisite painted bust in the Berlin Museum, discovered in 1912, which has made her ancient Egypt's most recognizable queen. Until now, however, her contributions to Egyptian society have remained largely neglected. Wife of Akhenaten, the monotheistic pharaoh, adored by her family, and worshiped by her people, Nefertiti suddenly vanished from the historical record. Was she exiled by her husband or promoted to rule alongside him as an equal? Tyldesley synthesizes archaeological, textual, and artistic evidence to re-create the dazzling court at Amarna and its captivating and influential queen.