Nefertiti: Not so perfect

London, Sept. 20 (PTI): Ancient Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, who has been hailed as the perfect example of beauty for thousands of years, may not have been so goodlooking after all, scientists claimed.

Although the 3,300-year-old carved bust of Nefertiti with an aquiline nose and high cheek bones has won millions of hearts around the world, researchers said the the delicately carved face in the 20-inch limestone sculpture may not be a real depiction of the queen, reports the Daily Mail.

The scientists said that the royal sculptor at the time had smoothed creases around the queen’s mouth and fixed a bumpy nose to depict the “Beauty of the Nile” in a better light.

TV historian Bettany Hughes was part of a team that made the discovery which is supported by earlier research from German scientists who studied the bust. Nefertiti’s name means the beautiful one has come.

Hughes and her team carried out a CT scan of the bust and discovered a second limestone model with a bent nose and wrinkles around the eyes which may have been used as a template for the sculpture.

Hughes said: “It showed her nose was bent, and that she had wrinkles around her eyes. It’s a real portrait of a real woman.

“We’re now going to a tomb in the Valley of the Kings where we think Nefertiti’s sister is to see if the dynasty had the same features.

“All of life is in classical antiquity and articulated in the most beautiful, evocative and sensual way. We are denuding society if we don’t allow young people to revel in that beautiful world.”

The bust was found in Egypt in 1912 at Tell el-Amarna, the short-lived capital of Nefertiti’s husband, the Pharaoh Akhenaten.

The first suggestion that Nefertiti may have had the ancient equivalent of a nose job came in March last year when German scientists analysed the limestone carving with CT scans. They said that compared to the outer stucco face, the inner image had less prominent cheekbones, a slight bump on the ridge of the nose, creases around the corner of the mouth and less depth at the corners of the eyelids.