The Nefertiti Bust.
Pretty simple story today. We recount the tale of Nefertiti’s Bust, the most famous work of sculpture to come from ancient Egypt. Now in a Berlin museum, the Nefertiti bust has inspired artists, musicians, and creatives, throughout the 20th and 21st Centuries.
But how was the bust made? Where was it found? And how did it travel so far from Egypt, to arrive in Berlin? Date c.1347 BCE and 1912 CE Support the Show at www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com, additional music by Michael Levy www.ancientlyre.com
Bibliography
Arnold, Dorothea. ‘Aspects of the Royal Female Image During the Amarna Period’. In The Royal Women of Amarna: Images of Beauty from Ancient Egypt, edited by Dorothea Arnold, 85–120. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1996.
Arnold, Dorothea. ‘The Workshop of the Sculptor Thutmose’. In The Royal Women of Amarna: Images of Beauty from Ancient Egypt, edited by Dorothea Arnold, 41–84. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1996.
‘Did Germany Cheat to Get Bust of Nefertiti?’, 10 February 2009. https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/archaeological-controversy-did-germany-cheat-to-get-bust-of-nefertiti-a-606525.html.
Robins, Gay. The Art of Ancient Egypt. London: The British Museum Press, 1997.
Tyldesley, Joyce. Nefertiti’s Face: The Creation of an Icon. London: Profile Books, 2018.
Very amazing website. I want to thank you for doing such a good job on Egyptian history. That being said, I think you need to at least address the claims that the Nefertiti bust is a fake. I don’t care if you decide yes or no, I just care that you at least review each argument and state whether or not you think the argument is strong or weak. It’s been 2 years since I reviewed the evidence and I’m not now studying Egyptology on a regular basis so my memory of the case is a bit weak. Still, two books have been written alledging that the bust is fake. Those books need to be read and evaluated.
Thanks Kyle. I reviewed the allegation while researching the show, and ultimately decided not to include it, as the allegations (imo) are not convincing. I will consider adding an epilogue to mention it, for completeness
Actually, I think the arguments in favor of the Nefertiti bust being fake are stronger than the contrary. As with so much in Egyptology we can not get to a very high degree of certainty. So if 50% certainty means both the affirmative and the negative are equally plausible, then I would say that I have a 75% degree of certainty that the bust is fake. Here’s why:
1. When we compare the bust to the other objects found in the same workshop, the bust is in too pristine a condition. The other objects which Borchardt founds were in very bad shape.
2. Borchardt tells us that the bust was buried in the dirt for the last 3000 years. It is unlikely that the bust could be buried in the dirt for so long and look so nice. Had it been buried in a coffin, then that is quite another story.
3. It is unlikely that Borchardt thought: ‘Hm, how can I pull a huge fraud on the world?’. Fortunately, we have a much more convincing account of what actually happened. Borchardt had no intention from the outset of deceiving the world. What happened instead was that Borchardt was building a bust of Nefertiti merely to understand Egyptian sculpting techniques. When Borchardt’s patron showed up, a very high-ranking prince, he saw the Nefertiti bust, not knowing that it was not genuine and fell in love with it. It was a crime back then to insult the King or his descendants and Borchardt, fearing the possibility of being convicted of Lèse-majesté, decided not to tell the prince the truth. Moreover, Borchardt was under pressure to return to Germany with a treasure so as to justify the expenditures being spent on him. Another scenario is that it was one of Borchardt’s underlings, not knowing that the bust was fake, who showed it to the prince. The coincidence that the bust was found on the same day that the prince showed up becomes less eerie in light of the fact that the bust was not actually found rather a mistake was made when the prince showed up.
4. The missing eye makes more sense given the ‘avoidance of Lèse-majesté’ hypothesis. Yes, it’s possible that the eye fell out due to wear and tear, but it does not seem that the eye fell out due to wear and tear, rather that it was never put on the first place. It could also be the Thutmose himself never put the eye but abandoned the project but what is more likely is that Borchardt was still working on the bust when the prince showed up and had not yet put the eye on.
5. Borchardt’s diary entries do not seem to be consistent with the genuine find theory. If he really found the bust in the dirt, he would have been much more excited than his diary entries show him to be. He simply notes the finding of the bust down as just another find, not worthy of any special mention. What is more likely is that he had to write something down so as to make his records consistent and that is what he came up with.
Finally, we have to recognize that there is a strong urge among humans to not admit that this bust is fake. No one wants the bust to be fake. It is simply too beautiful and we have believed it to be genuine for far too long. Once we admit to ourselves that there is a strong psychological urge blocking us from the truth, then it becomes much easier to fess up to the truth.
You are welcome to your assessment but I think the listed reasons are largely unsubstantiated, based on hypothetical circumstances that (conveniently) fit together but do not amount to anything more than speculation. Until I see genuine scientific analysis of the bust itself, I consider these claims closer to conspiracy theories, which are more appropriate for other shows.
I think Egypt was robbed by Borschadt of an archaeological treasure!
Thank you very much, I have put a link to this podcast on the YT site of Akhenaten and Nefertiti’s aniamated faces I’ve written about in an earlier comment.
Btw. – it is /der shpeegel/, the “s” before the “p” becomes a “sh”.
Best,
Ivonna
Thanks Ivonna, downside of learning German primarily from books 😅 I hope I will have a chance to live there for a couple years one day, to really improve my speech
I had a guided tour through the Berlin “Neues Museum” (Nefertiti) with museum staff last week. I was somewhat upset to realize that the positions are as entrenched as ever. The guide with our group saw no need for even a modicum of critical reassessment regarding the bust’s acquisition. It seems like the Der Spiegel expose still has the institution on edge after these few years. Furthermore, one could detect a tinge of gloating over the way Borchardt duped the inspector. Of course, no word on how Borchardt (being Jewish himself) then had to make a run for it after the Nazis took power in Germany. Honestly disappointing all things considered.
PS: For what it’s worth, to the naked eye her complexion looks as orange as it goes.