Primary sourceSculptureAmarna period

Relief of Nefertiti Receiving Life from the Aten

Amarna period

An Amarna-period relief fragment showing Nefertiti receiving the sign of life from the rays of the Aten.

The relief shows the Aten's rays giving life directly to Nefertiti, a sign of her special religious role.

Ask Queen Nefereti about this source View the original

A blurry, close-cropped photo of a weathered, grey-brown stone fragment with an irregular outline. Carved relief forms are faintly visible, including a curved shape near the centre and rounded forms on the right side. The background is a plain, dim tan. — Amarna-period relief fragment, Nefertiti receiving life from the Aten. Brooklyn Museum.

About this source

What it is

This is a photograph of a weathered stone relief fragment from the Amarna period, held at the Brooklyn Museum. It shows faint carved forms, now damaged and hard to make out clearly.

Why it matters

The scene depicts the Aten's rays offering the ankh, the symbol of life, directly to Nefertiti. This was a mark of special status, since the Aten's life-giving rays were usually shown reaching the king. It shows how closely Nefertiti was tied to the religious changes of Akhenaten's reign.

Look closer

What can you actually make out in this worn and blurry fragment, and what is guesswork?
Why would it matter who receives the ankh from the sun's rays?
What does the damage to the stone tell you about how these images have survived over time?

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.

More Queen Nefereti sources

Meet the AI Queen Nefereti →

Painted limestone bust of an Egyptian queen wearing a tall blue crown with a red and green band and a gold-colored brow band. The eyes are inlaid with dark outlines, and the bust rests on a dark base against a black background.

Sculpture

Primary source

Bust of Queen Nefertiti

Thutmose · c. 1345 BC

Black-and-white photograph of a painted bust of a woman with a tall flat-topped crown, side-facing, on a dark rectangular pedestal set on a pale plinth. The collar has striped and patterned bands.

Sculpture

Primary source

Figure of Nefertiti

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.

Sculpture

Primary source

Akhenaten and His Family

c. 1352 BC

Photo of a curved, blue glazed ceramic fragment with white body edge, covered in raised concentric ring motifs with dots. Two holes pierce the piece near its center, with a scale bar along the bottom.

Sculpture

Primary source

Relief Fragment Showing the Blue Crown of Nefertiti

Black-and-white line drawing of columns of Egyptian hieroglyphic text arranged in vertical lines, with cartouches visible, copied from a wall inscription. This is a facsimile of the Great Hymn to the Aten.

Document

Primary source

Great Hymn to the Aten

Akhenaten · c. 1350 BC

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Queen Nefereti now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for free Get a quote for institutions