Temple or Palace Relief: Female Court Attendants

Ancient Egyptian representations of the human body are remarkably consistent — with one exception. In the 14th-century BCE Amarna period, a short-lived religious revolution was accompanied by radical changes in the shape and proportions of the human figure. Pharaoh Amenhotep IV (c. 1349–1336 BCE) promoted the cult of the Aten, the life-giving sun disk, at the expense of better-known gods. As Aten’s representative on earth, he changed his name to Akhenaten ("beneficial to the Aten") and built a new capital, modern Amarna. This fragment, originally from a building in Amarna, was part of a larger composition showing the royal family: Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and their daughters. It preserves two female attendants, one holding a sash and the handle of a fan. Their transparent dress emphasizes a prominent belly and curved thighs. Other features of Amarna art not visible here include an elongated head and neck, narrow shoulders, and short upper torso and lower legs.