Skip to main content

Primary sourceArtifactc. 1350 BCE

Talatat Block of Nefertiti at Prayer, Temple of Aten at Karnak

c. 1350 BCE

A painted sandstone building block from Akhenaten's temple at Karnak showing Nefertiti raising her hands in prayer to the sun god Aten.

This block shows Nefertiti herself worshipping the Aten at the temple built early in Akhenaten's reign.

Ask Queen Nefereti about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Photo of a sandstone talatat block with painted relief. Two raised arms, with hands and bracelets carved with hieroglyphs, reach up and left toward a field of vertical painted rays. A blue-patterned headdress or wig is at the right. The block is weathered, with yellow and white painted stripes.
Talatat block showing Nefertiti at prayer, painted sandstone, c. 1350 BCE. Neues Museum, Berlin.

About this source

What it is

This fragmentary painted sandstone talatat shows Queen Nefertiti standing with her hands raised in prayer toward the rays of the sun god Aten. It comes from the temple of Aten at Karnak, built early in the reign of Akhenaten, and was found at the site after the temple was later destroyed and its blocks reused. It is now kept in the Neues Museum, Berlin.

Why it matters

This block is part of the huge building project Akhenaten launched to honour his new god Aten, and shows Nefertiti taking an active religious role in that worship. The later destruction and reuse of the temple's blocks also tells us how later rulers tried to erase Akhenaten's religious changes.

Look closer

  • What does Nefertiti's pose suggest about her role in worship?
  • Why might this temple have been destroyed after Akhenaten's reign?
  • What details of colour and carving have survived, and what has been lost?

This artifact 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 freeGet a quote for institutions