Changes

==Regent==

==Regent==

In Year 15 or 16, Nefertiti was named regent with the reign name Ankhkheperure Neferneferuaten.<ref>Almost every assertion about this period is the subject of scholarly dispute -- and this includes the claim that Nefertiti was a regent or pharaoh. But her personal name (Neferneferuaten Nefertiti) is obviously related to the reign name Ankhkheperure Neferneferuaten. In fact, the nomenclature here follows the usual relationship between an Egyptian personal name and a reign name. "Neferneferuaten" was also the name of a daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. J.P. Allen suggests that the regent was this daughter, not Nefertiti. The Year 16 inscription, discovered since Allen's work was published, suggests that Nefertiti was still alive at the end of Akhenaten’s reign. It is unlikely that she would have been passed over for a child who was probably around 10 at this time.</ref> Meritaten served as Neferneferuaten's queen. (Even a female ruler needed a queen to preside with her at temple ceremonies.)

In Year 15 or 16, a regent with the reign name Ankhkheperure Neferneferuaten was appointed. This reign name is obviously related to Nefertiti's personal name (Neferneferuaten Nefertiti), and the regent is most likely Nefertiti herself.<ref>Almost every assertion about this period is the subject of scholarly dispute -- and this includes the claim that Nefertiti was a regent or pharaoh. The nomenclature here (Neferneferuaten Nefertiti and Ankhkheperure Neferneferuaten) follows the usual relationship between an Egyptian personal name and a reign name. "Neferneferuaten" was also the name of a daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. J.P. Allen suggests that the regent was this daughter, not Nefertiti. The Year 16 inscription, discovered since Allen's work was published, suggests that Nefertiti was still alive at the end of Akhenaten’s reign. It is unlikely that she would have been passed over for a child who was probably around 10 at this time.</ref> Meritaten served as Neferneferuaten's queen. (Even a female ruler needed a queen to preside with her at temple ceremonies.)

The cartouches for Neferneferuaten generally include one of several epithets describing her link to Akhenaten. Cartouche epithets usually consist of a title stated unapologetically, so these cartouches are something of an oddity. The Neferneferuaten cartouches have been grouped into three types. In some, she was described as "desired of Akhenaten." In others, she was "effective for her husband." In a few late inscriptions, she was "Akhenaten-less." This last group of inscriptions suggest that she was Egypt's sole ruler, at least for a brief period. All three types of inscriptions suggest that she was anxious to assert the legitimacy of her rule, which was presumably being challenged.<ref name=Allen>Allen, James P., "[https://web.archive.org/web/20120301142642/http://cassian.memphis.edu/history/murnane/Allen.pdf The Amarna Succession]," ''Causing His Name to Live: Studies in Egyptian Epigraphy and History in Memory of William J. Murnane,'' University of Memphis, 2007.</ref>

The cartouches for Neferneferuaten generally include one of several epithets describing her link to Akhenaten. Cartouche epithets usually consist of a title stated unapologetically, so these cartouches are something of an oddity. The Neferneferuaten cartouches have been grouped into three types. In some, she was described as "desired of Akhenaten." In others, she was "effective for her husband." In a few late inscriptions, she was "Akhenaten-less." This last group of inscriptions suggest that she was Egypt's sole ruler, at least for a brief period. All three types of inscriptions suggest that she was anxious to assert the legitimacy of her rule, which was presumably being challenged.<ref name=Allen>Allen, James P., "[https://web.archive.org/web/20120301142642/http://cassian.memphis.edu/history/murnane/Allen.pdf The Amarna Succession]," ''Causing His Name to Live: Studies in Egyptian Epigraphy and History in Memory of William J. Murnane,'' University of Memphis, 2007.</ref>