The Stele of Akhenaten and his Family
2016-00-00
Name/Title
The Stele of Akhenaten and his FamilyEntry/Object ID
03EG1492Description
This New Kingdom tablet depicts royal piety to the sun god Aten. It is from Pharaoh Akhenaten's reign and shows Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti with two of their daughters. It is a rare depiction of affection between the Pharaoh and his family. The elongation of the heads, hands and bodies as displayed here were an artistic change that happened during Akhenaten's reign.Type of Sculpture
ReliefArtwork Details
Medium
PlasterContext
The tablet represents the attempted change from polytheism to monotheism by Akhenaten, with the sole worship of the sun god Aten. Depictions of the family's religious piety would be seen as politically advantageous in the sense of setting a model for the citizens of the empire to follow.Made/Created
Date made
1352 BCE - 1336 BCETime Period
Bronze Age, New KingdomEthnography
Culture/Tribe
Egyptian