Akhenaten’s revolution: The Amarna Period

The ‘Wilbour Plaque’: a sculptor’s model probably showing Akhenaten (left) and Nefertiti Brooklyn Museum 16.48 © Brooklyn Museum http://www.brooklynmuseum.org

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The Amarna Period

• Dates c.1353-1337 BC (only c.26 years)

• Son of Amenhotep III = Amenhotep IV – Changed name to Akhenaten

• New religion (worship of sole deity – the Aten) – Persecution of other deities esp. Amun

• New art (particularly the human body)

• New capital city (Akhetaten)

• Erasure after death

• Successors: eventual return to tradition

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Selected family tree (uncertain)

Yuya Tuyu

Tiye Amenhotep III (9th pharaoh of 18th Dynasty)

Thutmose (died)

Satamun Amenhotep IV/ Akhenaten (10th)

Nefertiti

Meritaten Ankhesenpaaten

Smenkhkare (12th) Tutankhamun (13th) (also son(?) of Akhenaten, by another wife)

Ay (14th) – some believe son of Yuya and Tuyu

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Meketaten Neferneferuaten (11th)*

*Ruler named Neferneferuaten: identity is disputed and may not be daughter of Akhenaten

Two further daughters, probably died young: Neferneferure and Setepenre

Horemheb (15th and final)

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Akhenaten: parents

• Amenhotep III – Colossal style and solar associations (N.B. elongated eyes) – Self-deification (‘radiant solar disc’)

• Tiye (main wife of Amenhotep III) – Her parents: Yuya and Tuyu – non-royal, but wealthy; buried in

Valley of the Kings (KV46) – Worshipped as Hathor (mother, sister and daughter of Re)

• Both shown several times in new city of Amarna – Still alive? Memorialisation? Co-regency (disputed)?

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Childhood and early reign • Birth-name = Amenhotep

• Possibly lived in Memphis or Thebes

• Practically absent from record until ascension

– Had elder brother, Thutmose

– Potentially physical deformities? [see later slide]

Early reign relief showing Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten (right) and Aten (left) as a falcon with sun-disc - anthropomorphic. Neues Museum Berlin, Inv. 2072. © Sandra Steiß/ Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin

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Amenhotep IV => Akhenaten

• Details of reign speculative

– Reign c.17 years

• Name change approx. Year 5

– Concurrent with other changes –religion, art, capital city

‘Spirit of the Aten’/’Beneficial to the Aten’/’Radiance of the Aten’

‘Amun is satisfied’ (name of three previous pharaohs of 18th Dynasty, including father)

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The new religion: ‘Atenism’

• Aten: Physical solar

disc and/or its rays

• No anthropomorphic

god as in early reign

• Monotheistic

• Erasure of other gods’ names/images, esp. Amun

• Temples closed – probably powerful opposition

• A reaction to the power of the Amun temples and priesthood?

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Above: Musée de Louvre E27112. © Christian Décamps

New art: physique 8

Health problems?

• Fröhlich Syndrome?

– Tumour in pituitary gland

– Inc. failure to develop properly during puberty

– BUT causes infertility so now ruled out

• Marfan Syndrome?

– Similar symptoms, without impotence

• Only minor deformities, just exaggerated?

• Another reason for the strange art style?

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Are any of these actual portraits?

Early reign statue. Egyptian Museum, Cairo, JE 67921A

Sculptor’s model Neues Museum Berlin Inv. 21340 © Sandra Steiß

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Nefertiti

Musée de Louvre E 15593 © Christian Décamps

Bust (sculptor’s model) Neues Museum Berlin Inv. 21300 http://www.egyptian-museum-berlin.com/c53.php

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The royal children

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Inv. 1992.18

Amarna princess. Berlin Museum Inv. 21223

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Domestic bliss

Akhenaten and one of his daughters

Akhenaten and family under the rays of the Aten, New Kingdom Ägyptisches Museum, Berlin. Inv. 14145 © Ägyptisches Museum, Berlin http://www.egyptian-museum-berlin.com/c52.php

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A royal death

Did the princess die during childbirth? From Martin 1989 (Royal tomb at El-‘Amarna)

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New building techniques: talatat blocks

Talatat blocks showing a procession of royal barges Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Inv. 64.521)

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The new city: Akhetaten (Tell el-Amarna)

• ‘Horizon of the Aten’

• Supposedly divinely inspired

• Temple to the Aten – Unroofed courtyards

– No divine image

– In centre of the town – where sun was highest

• Houses – large and small houses together

• Several palaces

• Workmen’s village – Separate from main town; planned layout

– Evidence of workshops

• Administrative city – reaffirming grip on administration

Akhet hieroglyph: the sun rising between hills

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a

Boundary stelae

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A reconstructed plan of a temple to the Aten

Aerial view of part of the site from 1932

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Boundary stelae

Boundary stela N from Davies 1908, Pl. XL (above) and reconstruction (left) (www.amarnaproject.com)

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Domestic worship: the royal family and the forbidden gods

Altar from a house for the worship of the royal family (who mediate with the Aten)

Bes amulet (playing a tambourine) from royal tomb at Amarna From Ogdon 1981: pl. XXII

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Workmen at Amarna

• Tomb builders • Cemetery excavation uncovered appalling conditions:

– Spinal injuries, poor nutrition, stunted growth – Died young

• Did Akhenaten not care? – Applicable to all kings (tomb built quickly)?

• News story from 2008:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7209472.stm

More information on current excavations: www.amarnaproject.com

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Tomb art

Royal family on visits to the Aten temple, with military entourage

Akhenaten and Nefertiti bestowing gifts upon officials from the ‘Window of Appearance’ See Davies Rock tombs of El-Amarna (several volumes)

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Language, literature and inscriptions

Main inscriptions: • Boundary stelae texts • Hymn to the Aten (found in several tombs)

– Aten is sole force of order and prosperity – Contrasts darkness (sadness, chaos) with daytime (happiness,

enemies banished, cleansing) – Only Akhenaten knows the Aten; he asks the god for counsel – Akhenaten composed it? Speculative!

• Vernacular language (Late Egyptian)

– Introduced into monumental inscriptions – Used previously on papyri and literary texts, not formally

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Amarna letters

• 382 found

• Between pharaoh and:

– Egyptian vassals (majority)

– Other rulers (‘brothers’)

• Often complaints or requests

• No mention of changes in Egypt An Amarna letter British Museum EA 29812 © Trustees of the British Museum

Letter 16 – ‘Why should messengers be made to stay constantly out in the sun and so die…?’ Letter 19 – ‘In my brother’s country, gold is as plentiful as dirt’ Letter 76 – ‘Send a large force of archers that it may drive out the king’s enemies’

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Outside of Amarna?

• Temple of Re at Heliopolis still active?

• Temples to the Aten at Karnak (in early reign)

– At least four structures by Akhenaten

Possible reconstruction of Amun complex at Karnak at time of Akhenaten. Gem(et)paaten is indicated. (from http://dlib.etc.ucla.edu/projects/Karnak/)

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Death and successors

• Year 12-17 – turmoil; plagues; poor documentation – Nefertiti died? Or was status was taken by another wife –

Kiya?

• Akhenaten’s body never found – Tomb at Akhetaten but not buried there

– KV 55? Destroyed?

• Neferneferuaten Ankhetkheperura (a woman?) – Nefertiti? Eldest daughter Meritaten? Another daughter?

• Smenkhkare ephemeral – Probable husband of Meritaten

– Still resided at Akhetaten – cult still had some support

– Body also uncertain – no tomb at Amarna

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Tutankhaten => Tutankhamun

• Reigned from around 8 to 18 years of age.

• Relationship to Akhenaten and Nefertiti?

• Married to Akhenaten’s daughter Ankhesenpaaten (later Ankhesenamun)

• Moved to Memphis • Old officials held real power

– Ay and Horemheb

Tutankhamun’s throne showing him and his wife. Their names appear in both forms

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Restoration stela of Tutankhamun • Usurped by Horemheb • Compares situation of Egypt

under Akhenaten with that under Tutankhamun

• Then: temples in decay; gods ignoring Egypt; army unsuccessful

• Now: temples restored; gods worshipped again; new religious images in precious materials

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Ay and Horemheb

Ay enacting ‘Opening of the Mouth Ritual on Tutankhamun

• Ay rules no more than 4 years

• Horemheb: military man • Return to pre-Amarna

traditions • Destroyed Akhenaten’s

monuments • Talatat used as filler in

own constructions

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Erasure and restoration

Amenhotep III Horemheb

Akhenaten to Ay left out

Above: extract of king list of Seti I (19th Dyn) from Abydos. Left: Obelisk of Hatshepsut showing Atenist damage to Amun and subsequent restoration

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Summary

• Amarna period relatively short, BUT major changes • New name, new religion, new art, new capital

– Worship of the Aten – Persecution of other deities – Only royal family shown in presence of sun-disc

• Short-lived: successors eventually restored traditions • Akhenaten and immediate successors subjected to erasure • Late Egyptian introduced to monumental inscriptions

• Reign poorly known, yet of great interest to scholars (and

others!) – Psychological analyses abundant – Dictator? First monotheist? Fundamentalist? Inspiration for

Moses? Pacifist? Freak?

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Additional Bibliography

• Cohen, R. and Westbrook, R. 2000. Amarna diplomacy: the beginnigns of international relations, Baltimore, ML.

• Davies, N. de G. (6 volumes). The rock tombs of El-Amarna, London. (2004 reprints available in library)

• Dodson, A. 2009. Amarna sunset, Cairo. • Martin, G.T. 1989. The rock tombs of el-Amarna, Pt.7: The

Royal Tomb, London. • May, N.N. (ed.) 2012. Iconoclasm and text destruction in the

Ancient Near East and beyond, Chicago, IL. – see chapters by Robert K. Ritner and Betsy Bryan

• Moran, W.L. 1992. The Amarna Letters, Baltimore, ML. • Stevens, A. 2006. Private Religion at Amarna. The Material

Evidence. Oxford.

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Image credits Where possible, an image of an object from a museum has been credited in-slide.

• Amenhotep III head (Barber Institute of Fine Arts BIRBI 44.1): retrieved from http://mimsy.bham.ac.uk/ • Tiye head (Berlin Museum Inv. 21834 and 17852): © Einsamer Schütze/Wikimedia Commons • Relief of Akhenaten as sphinx: © Hans Ollermann/Flickr • Statue of Akhenaten with kilt and crown intact: © Dalbéra/Flickr • Statue of Akhenaten, no clothing (JE 49528): http://www.globalegyptianmuseum.org/record.aspx?id=14744 • Early reign statue: http://www.globalegyptianmuseum.org/record.aspx?id=15051 • Royal child bust: © Magnus Manske/Wikimedia Commons • Akhenaten and one of his daughters statuette (JE 44866)

http://www.globalegyptianmuseum.org/record.aspx?id=15154 • Map of Egypt: © Jeff Dahl/Wikimedia Commons • Map of Amarna: www.amarnaproject.com • Altar from a house (JE 44865) http://www.globalegyptianmuseum.org/record.aspx?id=15416 • Tutankamun’s throne. JE 62028 (throne) and 62046 (footstool)

http://www.globalegyptianmuseum.org/record.aspx?id=15757 • Restoration stela: http://proteus.brown.edu/historyofegyptone10/10228 • King list extract: © Ochmann-HH/Wikimedia Commons • Hatshepsut obelisk: https://amentetneferet.wordpress.com/gods/the-triad-of-uaset-thebes/amon/

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