Akhenaten and Neferiti making offerings to Aten

This pylon, or gateway, was discovered at Tell el-Amarna. It is related to the cult of the royal family, which has been noticed in stele found in private houses at Amarna. It was believed that the royal family acted as intermediaries between the gods and the people.

This example is a household altar, or shrine, in the form of the pylon of the temple. The walls of the two wings of the pylon are symmetrically decorated with scenes of the king, Queen Nefertiti, and their eldest daughter. They are worshiping and making offerings to the sun-god Aten.

The Aten’s rays end in hands holding the ankh, or symbol of life, to the royal couple, symbolizing their role as intermediaries for divine salvation. The king is shown making a libation to the Aten.

The king with his swollen belly wears the Blue Crown on his customarily exaggerated head. The queen wears a tall Blue Crown and a long transparent garment. The sun disk, the Aten, radiates his benefits of life and energy to the royal couple.

The depiction features the elongated, rounded forms typical of the early Amarna style, showing a more intimate and less formal style compared to traditional Egyptian art.

Such household altar, or shrine were placed in private chapels or houses as altars for the worship of the Aten and the royal family.

New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, Amarna Period, reign of Akhenaten, ca. 1353-1336 BC.

Painted limestone. From Akhetaten (Tell el-Amarna). Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 65041