It is All in the Eyes

Nefertiti’s name translates to “the beautiful one has come.” The Egyptians valued her eye shape and it became a cultural phenomenon, symbolizing beauty, wealth, and power. Mummies were discovered in a tomb in the Valley of the Kings, that upon closer inspection, had a similar almond shape look to the eyes for 3 of the 7 coffins found. Art of during her reign is known for its realism. These coffins might be relatives of hers, because she might have had a number of different syndromes that could have caused an epicanthic fold, a piece of skin from the upper eyelid covering the inner edge of the eye, to appear. This feature is found not just in people of East Asian descent, but also in individuals with some different genetic defect. However, the distinctive eye shape led to the symbolism of royalty and the coffins might be trying to impersonate her. Since Queen Nefertiti’s tomb has not been found, the world may never know.

http://www.archaeology.org/0803/etc/nefertiti.html

-Mika B.

Period 5