神秘女王
她是古埃及的絕代美人，是埃及歷史上名聲僅次于"埃及艷后"的女政治家，是出了名的上知天文下通地理聰明賢惠的王后……
More than 3,300 years ago, Queen Nefertiti and her husband ruled ancient Egypt with a heavy hand.
Many people disliked the royal couple for wielding so much power. While they didn t have many friends, everyone seemed to agree on one thing-that Nefertiti was a woman of rare beauty.
The queen had high cheekbones, a swanlike neck, and smooth features. Her name means "the beautiful one has come."
Although much is known about Nefertiti s life, little is known about her death. There are no records of when or how Nefertiti died or even where she was buried. Her remains have never been found-until now, perhaps.
Recently, a team of archaeologists announced that a forgotten mummy collecting dust in Egypt may be the long-lost queen.
Ｌｏｓｔ ａｎｄ Ｆｏｕｎｄ﹖
The team examined three neglected mummies in a previously sealed-off tomb in the Valley of the Kings. The area along the west bank of the Nile River is known as a burial ground for ancient Egyptian royalty. Joann Fletcher, the head of the research team, believes that one of the forgotten mummies is Nefertiti.
Although grave robbers had damaged the mummy s skull and chest, Fletcher had X-rays taken of the mummy to help prove her case. Two scientists used the X-rays to create a computerized model of what the face would have looked like.
To Fletcher s satisfaction, the re-created face closely resembles the famous sculpture of Nefertiti made during her reign. The mummy holds several other clues that it could be the queen.
First, the mummy s head is clean-shaven. Nefertiti shaved her head so that her crown would fit snugly. A shaved head also helped her stay cool in Egypt s stifling heat. The mummy s forehead shows the mark of a tight-fitting band-a sign of royalty.
Traces of a wig found next to the mummy match the kind Nefertiti would have worn. In addition, the mummy s left earlobe was pierced twice. The sculpture of Nefertiti shows her with a double-pierced ear. Still another promising clue is the mummy s bent arm, which was broken off. Ancient Egyptians buried their kings and queens with their arms crossed.
Ｒｏｙａｌ Ｆｌｕｓｈ
If scientists are correct, it would be quite a find. Along with Cleopatra, Nefertiti is believed to have been one of the most powerful women who ever lived in ancient Egypt.
Nefertiti ruled Egypt with her husband, the pharaoh Ikhnaton, from about 1372 B.C. to 1354 B.C. Their palace sat high above the east bank of the Nile River. At the time of her marriage, Nefertiti may have been a young teenager. She was the stepmother of King Tutankhamen, commonly known as King Tut.
Nefertiti and Ikhnaton had many enemies. The royal couple began worshiping one god. That change angered ancient Egyptians, most of whom worshiped many gods.
To better follow their new religion, the royal couple built a new capital, called Akhetaton, in the heart of the desert. From there they ruled Egypt until Ikhnaton died. Many historians think that Nefertiti became pharaoh after her husband s death.
Today, researchers who study ancient Egypt continue to piece together Nefertiti s legendary life.
Some scientists, however, doubt that the mummy is Nefertiti. They said the mummy is much more likely to be male rather than female.
Nevertheless, Fletcher stands by her story. "We re never going to be 100 percent sure," she told a reporter for Ｔｉｍｅ magazine. "She s not going to sit up and tell us who she is."
3300多年前，娜芙提提女王和丈夫用鐵腕統(tǒng)治著古埃及。
很多人都不喜歡這對皇室夫婦揮舞大權(quán)，他們也沒有多少朋友，但有一件事卻是公認的 -- 娜芙提提美艷絕倫。
女王擁有高高的顴骨、天鵝般的頸項，面部肌膚柔滑潤澤。她的名字意為：美女降臨。
娜芙提提的生平我們知之甚多，對她的死我們卻幾乎一無所知。娜芙提提死亡的時間、原因甚至埋葬的地點都沒有記載，她的遺骸恐怕至今也未發(fā)現(xiàn)。
最近一支考古隊聲稱埃及一具被遺忘的塵封木乃伊可能就是這位失蹤已久的女王。
失而復(fù)得？
考古隊查驗了國王谷中此前一直封存在古墓中的3具被遺忘的木乃伊。尼羅河西岸這個地區(qū)即是眾所周知的古埃及王室墓地?？脊抨犼犻L瓊安·福萊徹確信這些被遺忘的木乃伊其中之一就是娜芙提提。
盜墓者毀壞了木乃伊的頭骨和胸部。為了幫助驗證身份，福萊徹為木乃伊拍下了X光照片。兩位科學(xué)家用X光照片合成電腦模型，顯示出她當(dāng)年的容貌。
令福萊徹滿意的是，合成的面部與娜芙提提在位時她的著名雕像十分相像，木乃伊還有幾個其他的線索證明它可能就是女王。
首先木乃伊的頭發(fā)全部剃掉了，娜芙提提剃發(fā)是為了王冠戴上更服貼。剃光頭發(fā)也能讓她在埃及令人窒息的炎熱中保持涼爽。木乃伊的前額有箍緊的環(huán)狀印痕 -- 這可是王室的印記。
木乃伊旁邊的假發(fā)痕跡與娜芙提提可能配戴的那種相互吻合。另外，木乃伊的左耳垂有兩道穿刺，而娜芙提提雕像的耳朵也有兩道刺孔。還有另一個可能的線索是木乃伊彎曲的手臂是折斷的。古埃及人埋葬國王和王后時都會讓他們雙臂交叉。
王牌
如果科學(xué)家們是對的，這可是一個了不起的發(fā)現(xiàn)。娜芙提提跟克里奧佩特拉一樣被認為是古埃及最有權(quán)勢的女人。
大約公元前1372年到1354年，娜芙提提和她的丈夫、法老伊卡納騰統(tǒng)治著埃及，他們的王宮高居尼羅河?xùn)|岸。出嫁時，娜芙提提可能還是個妙齡少女。娜芙提提還是人稱圖坦王的圖坦卡門國王的繼母。
娜芙提提和伊卡納騰樹敵頗多。這對皇室夫婦始創(chuàng)崇拜一神教，這個變革惹惱了信仰多神教的大部分古埃及人。
為了更好地追隨他們的新信仰，皇室夫婦在沙漠的心臟地帶建立了新首都阿卡塔騰。他們在那里治理埃及，直到伊卡納騰去世。許多學(xué)者認為娜芙提提在丈夫死后當(dāng)上了法老。
至今，研究古埃及的學(xué)者們還在拼接娜芙提提的傳奇生涯。
不過一些科學(xué)家卻不相信這具木乃伊就是娜芙提提，他們說那具木乃伊更像是男性而非女性。
然而福萊徹堅持自己的意見。她對《時代》雜志的記者說："我們永遠不會有百分之百的把握，她不會坐起來告訴我們她是誰。"
More than 3,300 years ago, Queen Nefertiti and her husband ruled ancient Egypt with a heavy hand.
Many people disliked the royal couple for wielding so much power. While they didn t have many friends, everyone seemed to agree on one thing-that Nefertiti was a woman of rare beauty.
The queen had high cheekbones, a swanlike neck, and smooth features. Her name means "the beautiful one has come."
Although much is known about Nefertiti s life, little is known about her death. There are no records of when or how Nefertiti died or even where she was buried. Her remains have never been found-until now, perhaps.
Recently, a team of archaeologists announced that a forgotten mummy collecting dust in Egypt may be the long-lost queen.
Ｌｏｓｔ ａｎｄ Ｆｏｕｎｄ﹖
The team examined three neglected mummies in a previously sealed-off tomb in the Valley of the Kings. The area along the west bank of the Nile River is known as a burial ground for ancient Egyptian royalty. Joann Fletcher, the head of the research team, believes that one of the forgotten mummies is Nefertiti.
Although grave robbers had damaged the mummy s skull and chest, Fletcher had X-rays taken of the mummy to help prove her case. Two scientists used the X-rays to create a computerized model of what the face would have looked like.
To Fletcher s satisfaction, the re-created face closely resembles the famous sculpture of Nefertiti made during her reign. The mummy holds several other clues that it could be the queen.
First, the mummy s head is clean-shaven. Nefertiti shaved her head so that her crown would fit snugly. A shaved head also helped her stay cool in Egypt s stifling heat. The mummy s forehead shows the mark of a tight-fitting band-a sign of royalty.
Traces of a wig found next to the mummy match the kind Nefertiti would have worn. In addition, the mummy s left earlobe was pierced twice. The sculpture of Nefertiti shows her with a double-pierced ear. Still another promising clue is the mummy s bent arm, which was broken off. Ancient Egyptians buried their kings and queens with their arms crossed.
Ｒｏｙａｌ Ｆｌｕｓｈ
If scientists are correct, it would be quite a find. Along with Cleopatra, Nefertiti is believed to have been one of the most powerful women who ever lived in ancient Egypt.
Nefertiti ruled Egypt with her husband, the pharaoh Ikhnaton, from about 1372 B.C. to 1354 B.C. Their palace sat high above the east bank of the Nile River. At the time of her marriage, Nefertiti may have been a young teenager. She was the stepmother of King Tutankhamen, commonly known as King Tut.
Nefertiti and Ikhnaton had many enemies. The royal couple began worshiping one god. That change angered ancient Egyptians, most of whom worshiped many gods.
To better follow their new religion, the royal couple built a new capital, called Akhetaton, in the heart of the desert. From there they ruled Egypt until Ikhnaton died. Many historians think that Nefertiti became pharaoh after her husband s death.
Today, researchers who study ancient Egypt continue to piece together Nefertiti s legendary life.
Some scientists, however, doubt that the mummy is Nefertiti. They said the mummy is much more likely to be male rather than female.
Nevertheless, Fletcher stands by her story. "We re never going to be 100 percent sure," she told a reporter for Ｔｉｍｅ magazine. "She s not going to sit up and tell us who she is."
3300多年前，娜芙提提女王和丈夫用鐵腕統(tǒng)治著古埃及。
很多人都不喜歡這對皇室夫婦揮舞大權(quán)，他們也沒有多少朋友，但有一件事卻是公認的 -- 娜芙提提美艷絕倫。
女王擁有高高的顴骨、天鵝般的頸項，面部肌膚柔滑潤澤。她的名字意為：美女降臨。
娜芙提提的生平我們知之甚多，對她的死我們卻幾乎一無所知。娜芙提提死亡的時間、原因甚至埋葬的地點都沒有記載，她的遺骸恐怕至今也未發(fā)現(xiàn)。
最近一支考古隊聲稱埃及一具被遺忘的塵封木乃伊可能就是這位失蹤已久的女王。
失而復(fù)得？
考古隊查驗了國王谷中此前一直封存在古墓中的3具被遺忘的木乃伊。尼羅河西岸這個地區(qū)即是眾所周知的古埃及王室墓地?？脊抨犼犻L瓊安·福萊徹確信這些被遺忘的木乃伊其中之一就是娜芙提提。
盜墓者毀壞了木乃伊的頭骨和胸部。為了幫助驗證身份，福萊徹為木乃伊拍下了X光照片。兩位科學(xué)家用X光照片合成電腦模型，顯示出她當(dāng)年的容貌。
令福萊徹滿意的是，合成的面部與娜芙提提在位時她的著名雕像十分相像，木乃伊還有幾個其他的線索證明它可能就是女王。
首先木乃伊的頭發(fā)全部剃掉了，娜芙提提剃發(fā)是為了王冠戴上更服貼。剃光頭發(fā)也能讓她在埃及令人窒息的炎熱中保持涼爽。木乃伊的前額有箍緊的環(huán)狀印痕 -- 這可是王室的印記。
木乃伊旁邊的假發(fā)痕跡與娜芙提提可能配戴的那種相互吻合。另外，木乃伊的左耳垂有兩道穿刺，而娜芙提提雕像的耳朵也有兩道刺孔。還有另一個可能的線索是木乃伊彎曲的手臂是折斷的。古埃及人埋葬國王和王后時都會讓他們雙臂交叉。
王牌
如果科學(xué)家們是對的，這可是一個了不起的發(fā)現(xiàn)。娜芙提提跟克里奧佩特拉一樣被認為是古埃及最有權(quán)勢的女人。
大約公元前1372年到1354年，娜芙提提和她的丈夫、法老伊卡納騰統(tǒng)治著埃及，他們的王宮高居尼羅河?xùn)|岸。出嫁時，娜芙提提可能還是個妙齡少女。娜芙提提還是人稱圖坦王的圖坦卡門國王的繼母。
娜芙提提和伊卡納騰樹敵頗多。這對皇室夫婦始創(chuàng)崇拜一神教，這個變革惹惱了信仰多神教的大部分古埃及人。
為了更好地追隨他們的新信仰，皇室夫婦在沙漠的心臟地帶建立了新首都阿卡塔騰。他們在那里治理埃及，直到伊卡納騰去世。許多學(xué)者認為娜芙提提在丈夫死后當(dāng)上了法老。
至今，研究古埃及的學(xué)者們還在拼接娜芙提提的傳奇生涯。
不過一些科學(xué)家卻不相信這具木乃伊就是娜芙提提，他們說那具木乃伊更像是男性而非女性。
然而福萊徹堅持自己的意見。她對《時代》雜志的記者說："我們永遠不會有百分之百的把握，她不會坐起來告訴我們她是誰。"
