Akhenaten

Quartzite torso of Meketaten

Meketaten was born approximately in Year 4 of Akhenaten’s reign to him and his Great Royal Wife, Nefertiti. She had an elder sister, Meritaten, and four younger sisters: Ankhesenpaaten, Neferneferuaten Tasherit, Neferneferure and Setepenre. Tutankhaten was likely their full brother or half-brother through their father. The first known depiction of Meketaten is on the walls...

Fragment of Meritaten from Maru-Aten

Gifted from the Egypt Exploration Society to the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, United States, this fragmentary piece of alabaster showcases the intricate skill of the artisans of the Amarna age. Despite only a fragment remaining, we can get a true insight into the beauty of the pleated royal linens worn during the New...

Bust of Akhenaten

Limestone bust of Akhenaten from Tel el-Amarna (ancient Akhetaten) New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Akhenaten, c. 1352-1335 B.C. Musée du Louvre. E 11076

Family portrait of Akhenaten, Nefertiti & daughter

Family portrait of Akhenaten, Nefertiti & daughter

Triad family portrait of Akhenaten, Nefertiti and daughter holding handsNew Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, c. 1353-1336 B.C. King Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti are believed to have had at least six daughters together. They were: Meritaten, Meketaten, Ankhesenpaaten (who changed her name Ankhesenamun and became the wife of her half brother Tutankhamun), Neferneferuaten Tasherit, Neferneferure, and...

Mummified skull of Amenhotep III

Mummified skull of Amenhotep III

The mummified skull of Amenhotep III, photographed by Grafton Elliot Smith in 1912. Originally buried in WV22 (Valley of the Kings), Amenhotep III’s mummy was moved in ancient times to Tomb KV35, the tomb of Amenhotep II, which was used by Egyptian priests around the Third Intermediate Period as a royal “mummy” cache (storage). Tomb...

Plaster face of an elder

This plaster face of an elderly face was discovered in Tel el-Amarna, the location of king Akhenaten’s experimental capital city of Akhetaten. Within this city was discovered a workshop belonging to the “king’s favourite” sculptor, a man by the name of Thutmose. It was of the remnants of this workshop where the world-famous, objectively breathtaking...

Inlay of a princess

Inlay face of a princess, possibly Meritaten, made from opaque turquoise-blue glassNew Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, c. 1351–1334 B.C.Tel el-Amarna.British Museum. EA54264 Meritaten, also spelled Merytaten, Meritaton or Meryetaten (Ancient Egyptian: mrii.t-itn), was an ancient Egyptian royal woman of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Her name means “She who is beloved of Aten“; Aten being the...

Nefertiti smiting - talatat. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 63.260

Nefertiti smiting

These talatats (stone fragments) show an Amarna Period scene of Nefertiti within a kiosk upon a royal barge smiting an enemy of Egypt. Usually this pose would be reserved for the king alone, however, as we can see, Nefertiti is clearly depicted in such a position, representing her status at the time of this images’...

Prince Thutmose grinding grain

Prince Thutmose grinding grain

This graywicke figurine showcases the crown prince Thutmose, son of Amenhotep III & his Great Royal Wife, Tiye, grinding grain. The figure dates from around 1390 -1352 B.C., during the reign of his father Amenhotep III. Prince Thutmose served as a priest of Ptah in ancient Memphis. His full royal titles were “Crown Prince, Overseer...

Head of Tutankhamun or Ankhesenamun

Head of Tutankhamun or Ankhesenamun

This plaster face, dating from the reign of Akhenaten or shortly after his reign ended, is thought to represent a child of the king. The British Museum, where this face resides, has the face archived, identifying it with the likeness of either Tutankhamun or his sister-wife Ankhesenamun. Ankhesenamun, was one of the six daughters of...