Nefertiti Bust

ancient Egypt · art · archaeology · beauty

A royal portrait. The Nefertiti Bust shows Nefertiti, who was the wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten around 1350 BCE. She was one of ancient Egypt's most important queens.

Painted and perfect. Artists carved this sculpture from limestone and covered it with a smooth plaster coating, then painted it with bright colors. The pale yellow face and red lips still glow today.

Found by accident. German archaeologists discovered the bust in 1912 during a dig in the ancient city of Amarna. It had been buried underground for over 3,000 years.

A museum treasure. You can see the Nefertiti Bust in the Neues Museum in Berlin, Germany, where thousands of people visit it every year. It's one of the most recognizable ancient sculptures ever made.

A symbol of beauty. The bust shows Nefertiti with an elegant, long neck and graceful features. Artists and people around the world have loved and copied this image for over a century.