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Primary sourceSculpturec. 1352 BC

Akhenaten and His Family

c. 1352 BC

A limestone house altar showing Akhenaten and Nefertiti with their daughters under the rays of the sun-disc Aten.

This house altar shows Nefertiti as part of the new religious imagery of the royal family under Atenism.

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Close-up detail of an Amarna limestone relief. A seated woman wearing a tall flat-topped crown is at right, with a sun disc and rays above. At left, a smaller figure with a child's head is seated near her, and carved hieroglyphs fill the background.
House Altar depicting Akhenaten, Nefertiti and their daughters, c. 1352 BC. Egyptian Museum, Berlin.

About this source

What it is

This limestone stela, known as a house altar, was made during the Amarna period and shows Akhenaten and Nefertiti seated with their daughters beneath the rays of the Aten. It is held at the Egyptian Museum of Berlin.

Why it matters

Unlike traditional Egyptian royal art, this piece presents the royal family itself as a sacred image, part of Akhenaten's new worship of the Aten. Nefertiti appears here not just as a consort but as a central figure of the new religion, shown intimately with her children.

Look closer

  • Why might the royal family be shown worshipped like gods themselves?
  • What does the tenderness of the scene tell you about how the Amarna period changed royal art?
  • What is missing from this image that you might expect in an official portrait?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Queen Nefereti on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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