Detail of a painted, stucco-coated limestone bust of Queen Nefertiti, consort of Pharaoh Akhenaten, who reigned from 1353 to 1336 BC during Egypt’s 18th Dynasty. The piece was excavated in 1912 at the workshop of Thutmose, the royal sculptor, in Akhetaten (modern-day el-Amarna).

Queen Nefertiti, the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten, was one of the most famous women of ancient Egypt, living in the 14th century BCE during the 18th Dynasty. She is best known for her striking beauty, immortalized in the iconic painted limestone bust now in the Neues Museum, Berlin.

Nefertiti played a prominent role in the Amarna Period, a time when Akhenaten introduced the worship of the sun disk Aten as the central state religion.

Depictions show her participating in religious rituals, equal in stature to the king, suggesting she held unusual influence and power.

Although her later years remain mysterious, Nefertiti’s legacy endures as a symbol of beauty, strength, and the unique artistic style of the Amarna age.