40. Trial Relief of Akhenaten 

Akhenaten is frequently depicted wearing the so-called Nubian (or lappet) wig, which was short over the forehead and the back of the neck and angled on the sides. This relief of Akhenaten is unfinished, showing only a preliminary outline of the face and wig. It was found in the south section of the Great Palace at Amarna. This type of wig many have been associated with soldiers in the New Kingdom, and may have originally identified people with the army. It became adopted by the royal family during the Amarna period, who popularized it into a fashion. Akhenaten, his wife Nefertiti, their daughters, and Akhenaten’s son, Tutankhamun are all depicted wearing the wig in various art forms. Scan the brown QR code below to see how the Nubian wig would have looked fully carved.