Swot Analysis Of Akhenaten

Akhenaten:)Personality)Study)
Historical)Context)
Geography,+topography+and+resources+of+Egypt+and+its+Neighbors+
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Located!on!the!north!east!coast!of!Africa!
Bordered!Libya,!Nubia,!Sinai!and!Mediterranean!sea.!Neighbored!with!Hittites!and!
Mitanni!as!well.!!
Long!narrow!countrywide!cut!into!desert!cliffs.!
The!Nile:!provided!irrigation!for!crop!growing,!water,!fish,!mud!for!bricks,!leisure! pursuits!and!banks!for!papyrus!to!grow.!! Upper!and!Lower!Egypt.!
Protected!by!some!natural!barriers!including!the!Mediterranean!sea!and!western!
desert.!

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Trading!Resources:!
• Olive!oil!
• Wine!
• Timber!
• Oil!
• Cattle!
• Silver!
• Glass!
• Gold!
• Ebony!
• Animal!skins!
• Feathers!
• Wood!
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Natural!Resources:!
• Wheat!
• Barley!
• Leeks!
• Cucumbers!
• Melons!
• Cattle!
• Flax!
• Mud!for!bricks!and!sandstone!
• SemiMprecious!stones!and!metals!
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• Evidence!comes!from!the!Hymn!to!the!Nile!(1300!BCE).!!
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Historical)Overview)of)the)18th)Dynasty)
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Overview+of+the+social,+political,+military+and+economic+structures+of+the+
18th+Dynasty+
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18th!Dynasty!Egyptian!society!was!a!highly!stratified!and!complex!hierarchy,! dominated!by!the!pharaoh!and!his!court!! Beneath!him!political,!economic,!religious!and!military!structure!carried!out!the! administration!of!Egypt!! • Social!status!played!an!important!part!in!the!lives!of!ancient!Egyptians!!
• Although!there!was!usually!low!social!mobility,!some!men!of!exceptional!ability! achieved!this! !
Women!!
• Women!in!Egyptian!society!derived!their!social!status!from!the!men!they!belonged! to!! • In!general!they!played!no!role!in!the!bureaucracy,!but!high!ranking!women!could! serve!as!members!of!religious!cults! • !The!highest!ranking!woman!was!the!‘great!royal!wife’!
• Tiye!was!the!great!!royal!wife!of!Amenhotep!III!and!carried!out!important!religious! and!diplomatic!roles!in!her!husband’s!reign!! • Her!son’s!wife!Nefertiti,!went!on!to!play!a!great!role!in!Akhenaten’s!reign,!maybe! even!acting!as!coMregent!! en t •

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Economy!!
• Egypt’s!prosperity!was!largely!dependent!on!the!efficient!production!and! distribution!of!grain!as!a!staple!of!the!economy!! • This!explains!the!importance!of!the!Vizier!and!highMranking!members!of!the!civil! administration,!including!overseers!and!treasurers.!! • They!were!supported!by!a!vast!bureaucracy!of!officials!such!as!scribes!!
• Pharonic!building!programs!featuring!the!construction!of!temples,!tombs!and! palaces!employed!a!host!of!workers!from!all!ranks!of!society!! • Here!there!were!architects,!stonemasons,!artists,!carpenters,!metal!workers!and! sculptors!who!produced!great!masterpieces!for!which!this!period!Is!renowned!! !
Military!!
• Some!of!the!most!important!people!in!this!period!belonged!to!the!religious!and! military!groups!! • The!increasing!prominence!of!Amun!throughout!this!period!ensured!status!and! wealth!to!high!ranking!officials!! • The!military!which!was!responsible!for!the!creation!and!maintenance!of!the!empire,! also!enjoyed!the!benefits!of!high!social!rank!! !
Mass!
• At!the!bottom!of!the!Egyptian!social!ladder!was!the!great!mass!of!the!population,! unskilled!workers,!especially!farmers,!on!whose!labour!the!rest!of!Egypt!depended! on!!!!
• Other!workers!included!fishermen,!herders!and!other!food!producers!
• Below!them!again!was!the!army!of!servants!and!slaves!who!waited!on!their!masters!!
Evidence:!

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Seen!in!number!of!titles!accumulated!during!their!lives!which!they!liked!to!display! on!their!tombs!! Role+of+Amun+and+the+Amun+Priesthood+

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en t The$power$of$the$Amun$priesthood.$
• Decreased!in!strength!and!power!when!Atenism!was!introduced;!the!persecution!of!
Amun!had!a!detrimental!affect!on!the!Amun!priesthood!as!they!would!have!been!rid!
of!employment!and!therefore!also!income.!They!lost!their!wealth,!status,! prominence,!administrative/financial!posts!and!rank.! • AmunMRe!was!the!main!god!and!was!a!combination!of!local!god!Amun!and!the!sun! god!Re!who!was!associated!with!kingship.! • The!kings!relationship!wit!Amun!that!were!most!emphasized,!shown!through! numerous!buildings!dedicated!to!Amun.! • Amun!was!used!to!promote!and!support!foreign!wars,!trade!expeditions!and! building!programs.!Victory!spoils!were!dedicated!to!Amun!temples!which!were! administered!by!the!Amun!priesthood,!which!gained!them!great!wealth!and!prestige! and!made!them!more!powerful!than!the!king.!! • Priesthood!ranks!shrunk!as!they!used!to!previously!be!highly!thought!of!as!
Akhenaten!cut!off!financial!support!for!all!priesthoods!except!for!the!priesthood!on!
the!sun!disc.!Akhenaten!did!not!close!down!other!god’s!temples/priesthoods!
(strategically?)!but!the!cut!off!funding!did!that!naturally!–!passive!aggressive.!

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Roles+of+the+king+and+relationship+to+the+gods,+especially+Amun+

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Relationship!of!the!king!to!Amun!!
• Religion!and!politics!were!closely!linked!in!New!Kingdom!Egypt!$
• King!was!both!head!of!state!with!the!chief!god!Amun!as!chief!god!$
• In!the!18th!Dynasty!the!cult!of!Amun,!enjoyed!the!preeminent!position!of!state!cult!$
• According!to!ideology,!the!pharaoh!attained!his!right!to!rule!form!Amun!$
• Earlier!in!the!dynasty,!the!concept!of!divine!oracles!or!prophecies,!in!which!the!god! made!known!his!choice!of!pharaoh!had!been!developed!$ • This!divine!right!to!rule!was!renewed!at!regular!intervals!by!special!kingship!festivals! such!as!the!Heb!Sed!and!Opet!festival!! • Another!important!feature!was!the!king’s!relationship!with!Amun!to!his!warrior! pharaoh!image!! • According!to!this!Amun!directly!inspires!campaigns,!assured!victory!and!received! spoils!of!war!! • Booty!was!dedicated!to!Amun!in!his!temples,!especially!at!Karnak,!which!was!built! with!the!rich!resources!of!conquest!and!decorated!with!scenes!of!the!king’s!victories!! • The!relationship!between!the!king!and!the!Amun!cult!was!an!independent!one!!
• The!king!promoted!Amun!and!appointed!the!Chief!Priest,!who!in!turn!supported!the! king!he!priesthood!of!Amun,!basked!in!the!glory!and!wealth!of!their!king!! Evidence:!
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Akhenaten’s*father,*Amenhotep*III*claimed*to*be*the*divine*child*of*Amun* in*a*series*of*relief*on*the*walls*of*his*temple*dedicated*to*Amun*at*Luxor! Overview+of+religious+beliefs,+cults+and+practices+of+the+18th+Dynasty+
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Background)and)Rise)to)Prominence)
Family+background+and+evidence+for+early+years+
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Son!of!Amenhotep!III!and!Queen!Tiye!with!8!sisters!including!Sitamun,!Iset,!
Henuttaneb!and!Bakhetaten,!and!1!brother!Thutmose.!
Birth!name!was!Amenhotep!IV,!second!son!of!Amenhotep!III!and!his!wife!Tiye!!
Was!probably!born!around!year!18!of!his!father’s!reign!when!the!family!lived!in!
Memphis!(north!of!Egypt)!and!probably!trained!as!a!priest!of!Re!at!Heliopolis.!
After!Thutmose’!death,!Akhenaten!became!heir!–!possible!coMregency!between!him!
and!his!father.!
Expressed!attachment!to!the!town!and!its!cult!–!possibly!because!of!his!father’s!
increased!emphasis!on!solar!theology.!
Because!of!his!later!religious!learning’s,!Akhenaten!could!have!been!previously!
trained!as!a!priest.!
Rise!to!prominence:!mention!of!coMregency!with!Amenhotep!III!indicated!by!a!relief!
showing!two!kings!one!of!which!is!definitely!Amenhotep!III.!As!Akhenaten!was!not!
Amenhotep!III’s!firstMborn!son,!a!coMregency!might!have!been!used!to!strengthen!
Akhenaten’s!rise!to!prominence!(a!coMregency!occurs!when!the!community!is!not! confident!in!the!quality!of!the!heirs!future!reign).! If!the!coMregency!was!short!then!Akhenaten!is!only!responsible!for!the!changes!he! made!but!if!the!coMregency!were!long,!Amenhotep!would!have!played!a!role!in!the! reforms.!
Others!believe!however!that!by!building!a!palace!at!Heliopolis!he!was!expressing!an!
attachment!of!the!town,!which!may!have!been!established!in!his!youth!!
When!Amenhotep!III,!Tiye!and!their!family!moved!to!Malkata!from!Memphis!to!their!
new!palace,!Akhenaten!presumably!went!with!them!too!!!
Akhenaten!probably!began!his!married!life!with!Nefertiti!at!Malkata,!and!then!
moved!to!East!Karnak!as!soon!as!the!palace!there!was!completed.!!

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Question!of!a!coMregency!
• Circumstances!of!Akhenaten’s!ascension!to!the!throne!are!unclear!!
• Some!believe!he!came!to!the!throne!immediately!after!his!father’s!death!
• Others!believe!that!he!shared!a!coMregency!in!the!last!years!of!his!reign!!
• Main!piece!of!evidence!is!from!3rd!Pylon,!the!larger!figure!is!clearly!Amenhotep! while!the!smaller!and!all!but!erased!figure!is!believed!to!be!Akhenaten!! • As!Akhenaten!was!not!Amenhotep’s!eldest!son,!coMregency!may!have!occurred!to! strengthen!his!claim!to!the!throne.!! • Debate!over!length!of!coMregency,!some!suggest!2!while!other!think!12!!
• If!coMregency!was!short!then!Akhenaten!alone!would!have!been!responsible!for!
Atenism!!
• If*it*was*long,*then*there*is*a*possibility*that*Amenhotep*influenced*

Akhenaten’s*decision*to*move*to*Atenism!
Evidence:$

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Redford!suggests!it!is!unnecessary!to!explain!Akhenaten’s!devotion!to!the!sun!cult!as! its!influence!was!widespread!throughout!Egypt! A!wine!jar!seal!was!found!bearing!the!inscription!‘the!estate!of!the!true!king’s!son!
Amenhotep’,!indicates!that!he!lived!there!before!!!
Third!Pylon!at!Karnak,!shows!a!relief!with!the!figure!of!two!kings!!
A!docket!found!attached!to!an!Amarna!letter!written!shortly!after!the!death!of!
Amenhotep!III!has!damage!that!made!it!unclear!whether!the!date!is!2!or!12!!

Support!for!12!years!!
• Raymond!Johnson!says!the!art!of!both!reigns!is!similar!and!that!the!artistic!changes! occurred!over!the!same!period!of!time!(most!experts!do!not!support)!! en t Support!for!2!years!!
• !John!Harris!uses!a!passage!from!El!Amarna!where!the!king!refers!to!Amenhotep!II!in! the!same!breath!as!his!dead!ancestors,!to!suggest!that!his!father!had!died!prior!to! his!reign!beginning!

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Marriage:+Queens+and+consorts+

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Relationship$between$Akhenaten$and$his$queens$and$consorts.$
• Issue!of!whether!Nefertiti!and!Smenkhkare!were!the!same!person.!
• Issue!of!whether!Tadukhepa!and!Nefertiti!were!the!same!person.!!
• Issue!of!whether!Kiya!(mother!of!Tutankhamun)!and!Smenkhkare!were!the!same! person.! • Smenkhkare!was!most!likely!a!coMregent/successor!to!Akhenaten!who!is!also! suggested!to!be!a!bother!of!Akhenaten!or!Tutankhamun.!! • Problematic!evidence!of!a!letter!written!by!an!Amarna!queen!to!the!Hittite!king! requesting!a!marriage!alliance!with!his!son;!could!this!be!Nefertiti!or! Ankhesenamun?!This!would!mean!that!an!Egyptian!queen!felt!politically!powerful! enough!to!attempt!to!arrange!an!alliance!with!a!neighboring!power.!! Nefertiti$$
• Akhenaten!married!Nefertiti!either!before!the!throne!or!early!in!his!reign!!
• Her!origins!are!a!matter!of!debate!and!there!are!many!theories!about!her!identity!!
• Her!name!means!‘beautiful!woman!has!come’!which!has!led!to!speculation!that!she! was!not!of!Egyptian!birth!! • Has!been!argued!that!she!may!have!been!the!Mitanni!princess!Tadhukhipa,!sent!to!
Egypt!for!a!diplomatic!marriage!!
• When!Akhenaten!and!Nefertiti!moved!to!Akhetaten,!Nefertiti’s!name!was!changed! to!have!‘Aten’!adding!NeferM!neferuaten! • Around!year!12!a!plague!struck!Akhetaten!killing!her!second!eldest!daughter!and!
Akhenaten’s!mother!Queen!Tiye!!
• Several!other!younger!daughters!also!die!!!
• Unsure!of!what!happened!to!her!near!the!end!of!Akhenaten’s!reign!!
• For!a!while!it!was!thought!she!had!had!fallen!from!grace!and!replaced!by!Meritaten,! but!this!was!mistaken!identity!! •
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A!royal!lady!disappeared!and!Meritaten!took!her!place,!but!it!was!not!Nefertiti!who,! rather!Kiya!! May!have!been!buried!in!the!royal!tomb!of!Amarna,!but!this!is!uncertain!!
Some!speculate!her!funerary!items!may!have!been!used!for!the!burial!of!
Tutankhamun!
No!mummy!has!been!identified!as!Nefertiti!!
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Kiya$$
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en t Lesser!ranked!wife!of!Akhenaten!!
Little!was!known!of!Kia!before!the!research!of!J.!Harris!who!pieced!together!6!
artefacts!bearing!her!name!!!!
• She!was!very!attractive!and!wore!a!distinctive!wig!and!stylish!earrings!
• Thought!to!be!the!foreign!princess!sent!from!Mitanni!to!marry!Amenhotep!III!!
• Thought!to!have!held!considerable!power!!
• Her!titles!were!described!on!of!the!calcite!pots!as!‘Great!beloved!wife!of!the!King!of!
Lower!and!Upper!Egypt,!who!lives!on!truth,!Lord!of!the!Two!Lands.’!!
• This!shows!her!importance!in!relation!to!Nefertiti!!
• Was!she!the!mother!of!Tutankhamun,!Nefertiti!is!only!ever!shown!with!six! daughters?! • Some!believes!if!she!was,!then!she!would!have!gained!considerable!power!as!a! result! • The!disappearance!of!Kia!came!between!year!8!and!11!of!Akhenaten’s!reign!!
• Her!name!was!replaced!by!that!of!her!Akhenaten’s!daughter!Meritaten!
• Perhaps!after!her!death,!Meritaten!took!over!the!title!as!queen!!!
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Theories!about!her!death/disappearance:!
• Fell!out!of!favour!with!the!royal!regime!!
• Nefertiti!grew!jealous!and!had!her!killed!!
• She!died!during!childbirth!!
Mother!of!Tutankhamun?!
• If!Akhenaten!was!the!father!of!Tutankhamun,!Kiya!remains!the!most!likely!mother!as! it!is!thought!she!did!have!a!daughter!with!Akhenaten!and!possibly!two!sons!$ • If!she!did!give!Akhenaten!a!son,!then!it!would!explain!her!favourable!titles!$
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But!there!is!no!mention!of!Kiya!in!the!tomb!of!Tutankhamun,!which!could!mean!she! is!not!the!mother.!Or!that!being!the!wife!of!a!heretic!king,!led!to!her!name!been! removed!from!history.!!

Meritaten$$
• The!first!born!of!the!six!daughter!of!Nefertiti!and!Akhenaten!!
• Name!means!‘Beloved!of!Aten’!!
• Married!Akhenaten’s!coMruler!Smenkhare!!
• They!ruled!together!for!about!four!years!!

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Also!evidence!to!support!that!she!may!have!been!married!to!her!father!at!some!
point!after!the!displacement!or!death!of!Nefertiti!!

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en t !Ankensenpaaten$aka$Ankhesenamun$$
• Third!of!known!daughter!of!the!pharaoh!Akhenaten!by!Nefertiti!!
• Believed!to!have!been!married!firstly!to!her!own!father!and!then!to!for!a!short!while! to!Smenkhare!after!Akhenaten’s!death!and!then!to!Tutankhaten!!! • After!their!marriage!they!changed!their!names!to!Ankhesenamun!and!Tutankhamun!!
• The!couple!only!had!two!children,!who!both!died!!!
• When!Tutankhamun!dies!she!married!Ay!and!died!during!or!shortly!after!his!reign!!
• The!document!found!in!Amarna!is!extraordinary!as!nothing!like!it!had!occurred!
• Egyptians!thought!of!themselves!above!all!other!nations!!
• Suppilililumas!was!at!first!was!reluctant,!but!he!eventually!sent!one!of!his!sons!
Zennanza.!He!was!murdered!on!his!way!there!!
• Some!believe!that!the!writer!of!the!letter!could!have!been!Nefertiti,!but!it!more! likely!to!be!Ankhesenamun!as!she!had!no!legitimate!successors!after!her!husband’s! death!!!!!!

Despite!intimate!scenes!with!Nefertiti,!there!is!evidence!to!suggest!that!Akhenaten! had!other!minor!wives!apart!from!Kiya! Do

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Evidence:$
M Historian!Aldred!argues!that!the!title!of!courtier!Ay!were!similar!to!those!of!Yuya,! father!of!queen!Tiye,!from!this!he!believes!that!Nefertiti!was!the!daughter!of!Ay!! M Wilson!asserts!she!was!Akhenaten’s!sister,!but!Nefertiti!does!not!claim!the!titles!
‘King’s!Daughter´!or!King’s!Sister’,!so!she!could!not!be!daughter!of!Amenhotep!III!
and!Tiye!
M These!included!2!calcite!pots,!two!gypsum!fragments!from!Amarna,!a!block!from!
Hermopolis!and!a!piece!of!wood!!
M Several!unknown!portraits!of!an!Amarna!female!are!also!thought!to!be!Kia!
M Reeves!suggests!she!may!have!been!promoted!to!the!rank!of!‘wife’!when!she! produced!children!!! M !Thomas!argues!that!perhaps!the!mourning!scene!depicting!the!royal!pair!involved! the!death!of!Kia!after!giving!birth!to!Tutankhamun!!! M Many!of!her!monuments!were!found!to!be!rededicated!to!Meritaten!!
M Scholars!have!looked!at!the!Funeral!scene!in!the!Royal!Tomb!at!Amarna!which! shows!a!woman!holding!a!baby!in!her!arms,!being!shielded!by!the!sun!by!a!fan.!This! indicates!royal!personage,!but!it!is!unsure!whether!the!figures!are!Kiya!and!a!young!
Tutankhamun!or!a!nurse!and!the!baby!Meketaten!!!
M A!document!was!found!in!the!ancient!Hittite!capital!of!Hattusa!that!dates!to!the!
Amarna!period.!
M Addressed!to!the!Hittite!king!Suppilililumas!I!it!reads!‘My!husband!has!died!and!I! have!no!son.!They!say!about!you!that!you!have!many!sons.!You!might!give!me!one!of! your!sons!to!become!my!husband.!I!would!not!wish!to!take!one!of!my!subjects!as! mu!husband.’!!! M

A!relief!in!the!tomb!of!Ay!at!Amarna!depict!another!name.!Ipy!‘A!royal!monument’!
‘A!true!Favourite!of!the!King’*

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Titles+and+changes+to+his+royal+image+overtime+

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Changes$to$Akhenaten’s$titular$over$time.$
• Kanakht!Quaishuty:!“Strong!bull!with!lofty!double!plume”.!
• Wernesytemipetsut:!“Great!kingship!in!Karnak”.!
• Wetjeskahuemiunushema:!‘Who!elevates!the!crowns!in!Thebes”.!
• NeferkheperureEwarne:!‘Beautiful!are!the!manifestations/sole!one!of!Re’.!!
• Akhenaten:!‘Servant!of!the!Aten’.!
• Amenhotep!IV!
• Merytaten:!‘The!strong!bull,!beloved!of!Aten’.!
• Wernesystemakhetaten:!‘Great!kingship!in!Akhetaten’.!!
• Wetjesrenenaten:!‘Who!displays!the!name!of!the!Aten’.!
• It!was!part!of!the!Egyptian!upper!social!rank!to!have!several!names,!which!were! displayed,!on!their!tombs.!! • Did!he!change!his!name!over!time!to!reinforce!the!revolutionary!religious!and!socioM political!changes!he!made?$ • Names!reflect!the!initial!intention!to!start!change!religious!beliefs!!

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Changes$to$Akhenaten’s$royal$image$over$time.!
TRADITIONAL!ICONOGRAPHY!
AKHENATEN’S!ICONOGRAPHY!
Royal!nemes,!khat!or!bag!headdress!and!
Initially!followed!traditions!as!seen!in!the!
Pharaonic!crowns!all!baring!the!uraeus,! first!scene!of!the!tomb!of!the!vizier!Ramose! which!was!a!protective!device!in!the!form!of! at!Thebes,!however!changed!as!also!seen!in! a!spitting!cobra.! the!second!scene!of!this!same!tomb.!
Sometimes!shown!as!a!sphinx:!a!military!
Scene!one!of!this!tomb!shows!‘Amenhotep! symbol,!reflecting!role!as!conqueror!and! IV’!sitting!on!a!throne!but!in!scene!two! protector!of!Egypt.! ‘Akhenaten’,!Nefertiti!and!their!children!are! standing!at!the!window!of!appearance!giving! gifts!to!the!tomb!owner!beneath!the!Aten’s! rays.! False!beard,!short!kilt,!bull’s!tail!and!often!
Akhenaten!shown!with!long,!thin!head,!
carried!a!crook!and!flail.! supported!on!an!elongated!neck,!almond! eyes,!fleshy!lips,!tender/feminine,!swelling! breasts,!broad!hips,!plump!thighs!and!long! spindly!legs.!
Seated!on!throne,!smiting!the!enemy!or!
Iconography!of!his!wife!and!daughters!are! striding!purposely!forward.! similar!to!this!innovative!style.!!
Explanation$for$changes$$
!
Akhenaten!was!really!a!woman!!

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19th!century!French!scholar!Eugene!Lefebvre!thought!the!feminine!physique!and!the! fact!that!he!was!occasionally!shown!in!long!clinging!robes,!meant!he!was!a!female!! Akhenaten!suffered!from!a!physical!disorder!!
• In!1927!anatomist!Elliot!Grafton!Smith!suggested!that!the!king’s!abnormalities!were! as!a!result!of!Frohlich’s!Syndrome! • In!a!male!the!sufferers!experienced!large!buttock,!distortion!of!the!skull!and!fat!in! the!pubis,!breast!area!and!thighs!! • In!addition!the!sexual!organs!do!not!mature!at!puberty!and!become!sterile!!
• However!we!do!know!that!Akhenaten!had!six!daughters!by!Nefertiti!!

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• More!recently!Canadian!scholar!Alwyn!Burridge!has!suggested!that!Akhenaten! suffered!from!this!genetic!disorder! • Symptoms!include,!elongated!fingers!and!toes,!tall!slender!stature!and!abnormally! elongated!skull!! • Causes!heart!problems!which!may!have!led!to!the!early!death!of!his!daughters!
• He!wanted!to!reinforce!his!own!religious!changes!through!additional!reformative! image!changes.!! !
Evidence:$
• An!early!unfinished!relief!from!Karnak!also!shows!the!pharaoh!in!the!smiting!pose!!
• Tomb!of!vizier!Ramose!shows!two!juxtaposed!scenes;!one!with!Akhenaten!as!a! seated!pharaoh!in!traditional!style,!and!the!other!of!himself!and!queen!Nefertiti! standing!at!the!window!of!appearances!shown!in!new!iconography!!
• Reeves:!‘the!concept!of!eternity!is!abandoned!in!favour!of!an!obsessive!attention!to! detailing!of!the!here!and!now…!heaven!and!earth!were!now!the!same’! • A!colossal!statue!from!East!Karnak!gave!claim!to!the!idea!that!Akhenaten!wanted!to! show!feminine!attributes! • Archaeologists!were!confounded!by!it!but!it!is!now!believed!to!be!a!depiction!of!
Nefertiti!
!

Early+building+program+including+East+Karnak+
• Dedicated!to!the!Aten.!
$
Included$four$temples:$
GemMpaMAten!!
• The!largest!of!these!is!called!the!GemMpaMAten!(Aten!is!found),!which!dates!to! around!year!2!and!built!to!the!east!of!the!Amen!temple!! • The!temple!had!a!large!open!court!with!28!statue!bases!and!25!fragmentary!colossal! statues!off!the!king!(or!queen)!in!the!extreme!style!! • Fragmented!scenes!show!the!HebMSed!festival!being!celebrated!by!the!king!and! queen! Rudmenu!
• Meaning!(enduring!in!monuments)!!

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Built!maybe!in!year!3!!
Located!near!the!Tenth!pylon!!
The!function!of!this!building!is!unknown!!
Decorated!featuring!the!king!making!offerings!in!roofless!kiosks!!!
Shows!police!or!and!armed!troops!running!along!side!Akhenaten’s!chariot!or!bowing! down!low!in!the!presence!of!the!pharaoh!! Tenimenu!!
• Meaning!(exalted!in!the!mountains)!!
• Built!possibly!year!3!!
• Located!near!Tenth!pylon!!
• No!inscriptions!indicate!the!function!of!this!building!!
• Wall!decorations!show!the!royal!domestic!apartments!and!activities!that!took!place! there!e.g.!baking!bread!or!making!wine!! •
•

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• Meaning!(mansion!of!the!benMben!stone)!!
• Built!approximately!year!4!!
• Linked!to!the!sun!cult!at!Heliopolis!
• Possibly!built!with!an!obelisk!or!some!other!depiction!of!the!benMben!focus!of!the!
benMben!cult!in!Heliopolis!!
• Peculiar!as!it!consisted!of!a!roofless!colonnade!of!square!piers!decorated!with! scenes!of!Nefertiti’s!personal!worship!of!the!Aten!! • Other!temples!were!built!at!Amarna,!Heliopolis,!Memphis,!Hierakonpolis!and!at!the!
Nubian!site!of!Sesebi!!!
• The!Aten!temples!signified!a!departure!from!traditional!architecture!as!they!were! open!to!the!sky,!in!contrast!to!the!roofed!dark!chambers!of!the!Amun!sanctuaries!! W.!Murnane,!points!out!that!a!fragmentary!inscription!there!imposed!a!tax!on!other! temples!and!districts!to!support!the!new!Aten!cult!! Talatat!blocks!and!sunken!incisions!

Transfer+of+capital+to+Akhetaten:+political+and+religious+motives+
!
Akhetaten:!‘Horizon!of!the!Aten’.!
No!previous!settlement,!nor!previously!dedicated!to!any!god/s:!signified!total!focus!
on!the!Aten!to!the!exclusion!of!all!other!gods/cults.!
• Included!lavish!offerings!for!the!new!temples!to!the!Aten.!
• Bounded!by!stelae!which!was!each!elaborately!carved!with!the!king’s!funeral! announcement!of!the!founding!of!Akhetaten!and!a!vignette!showing!the!royal!family! worshipping!the!sun!god.!!
Possible!motives/theories:!
• Religious:!
M Act!of!a!religious!madman.!
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The!reason!for!the!move!was!to!honour!the!Aten.!Akhenaten!needed!a!new! site!to!enforce!the!new!religion!and!move!away!from!the!preMexisting! polytheistic!worship.*This!was!a!way!to!ensure!that!the!people!would!follow! and!comply!with!his!reforms,!so!as!to!not!displease!the!God.! M The!translation!of!Akhetaten!and!the!geographical!features!(vast,!limited! shade)!of!the!chosen!site!support!the!argument!that!his!motives!were! religious.!!
M The!Aten!commanded!him!to!build!the!city!
M Became!the!centre!of!the!Aten!cult!and!worship.!
Political:!
M Determined!to!keep!political!power.!
M Felt!threatened;!prevented!an!attempt!of!assassination.!
M Increased!worship!to!himself!and!the!Aten;!reinforced!religious!focus!on!the!
Aten,!political!reforms!and!social!changes!to!Egypt’s!culture.!
M Suggestion!that!Akhenaten!was!fleeing!from!assassination!attempts!!
M Moved!to!curb!the!power!of!the!Amun!priesthood:!Given!great!authority!in! previous!dynasties,!members!of!this!priesthood!held!some!of!the!most! powerful!administration!positions!in!EgyptM!gaining!influence!in!more!than! just!the!religious!sector.!! M The!move!supported!Akhenaten’s!attempts!to!increase!the!divinity!of! kingship!and!power!of!the!pharaoh.!! M Emphasis!of!the!triad!
M The!main!religious!ritual!in!the!city!was!the!procession!of!Akhenaten!and!
Nefertiti!through!the!city!on!their!chariot.!
M The!Window!of!Appearances!through!which!Akhenaten!received!offerings! and!communicated!with!visitors!emphasized!him!as!divine.! •

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Evidence:$

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Donald!Redford!in!Akhenaten,!the!Heretic!King:!‘Akhenaten!states!that!he!is!the! sun’s!son!and!the!Aten!told!him!to!construct!and!rule!Akhetaten’.!! Persecuted!the!Amun!cult!and!other!previous!religious!traditions.!

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“Whether!there!were!political!as!well!as!religious!motives!for!this!drastic!decision! remains!unknown,!although!the!king!appears!to!hint!at!religious!reforms!in!the! decree!inscribed!on!a!series!of!‘boundary!stelae’!Van!Dijk.!
SouthMEast!boundary!stela:“a!new!city,!dedicated!to!the!Aten,!under!the!command!of!
his!father,!ReEHarakhti”!!
Great!Temple!to!the!Aten!was!the!central,!most!important!feature!of!the!city.!
It!was!positioned!strategically!so!as!to!allow!the!sun’s!rays!to!pass!through!and!meet! with!the!boundary!stela.! Mallinson!suggests!that!this!reveals!that!the!entire!foundation!had!been!conceived! as!one!vast!temple.! Reeves!supports!this,!citing!text!on!the!SouthMEast!boundary!stela!as!evidence:!
Worse!than!anything!“heard!by!any!king!to!wear!the!white!crown”!
“What!could!have!been!worse!than!regicide?”!Reeves!!
“he!was!now!moving!cleverly!and!decisively!to!outflank!the!opposition.”!Reeves!
Reeves:!“it!may!well!have!been!this!resistance!which!hardened!the!king!in!his! resolve”!! Reeves:!“it!was!ancestor!worship!writ!large,!emphasizing!the!divine!power!of! kingship.”! !

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SouthMEastern!boundary!stela!

Akhetaten:+function+and+layout+

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en t • New!religious!and!political!purposes.!
• Strategically!located!between!agricultural!land,!the!Nile!and!cliffs.!
• Sections!included:!
The!North!City:!comprised!an!administrative!complex!and!storage!magazines.!Some!upper!
class!citizens!had!villa’s!there!and!was!the!main!residence!for!the!royal!family.!
!
The!North!Palace:!Residence!of!Queen!Kiya!(evidence!for!her!significance).!
!
The!North!Suburb:!Residential!area!designed!for!lower!class!citizens.!
!
The!Central!City:!Administrative!centre!of!Akhetaten,!planning!is!evident!in!the!aerial!layout,! the!window!of!appearance!in!the!kings!house!seen!in!many!reliefs!from!officials’!tombs!was! most!likely!located!here!and!was!surrounded!by!police!barracks,!administrative!offices,! archives!and!a!dormitory!area.!The!window!of!appearance!probably!located!in!the!kings! house!in!the!central!city!which!was!probably!also!surrounded!by!police!barracks.!The!small!
Aten!Temple!was!also!within!this!place.!!
!
Great!Aten!Temple:!‘The!house!of!the!Aten!in!Akhetaten’,!contained!hundreds!of!offering!
tables!and!is!shown!in!many!reliefs!of!tombs.!
!
The!South!Suburb:!Residential!region!for!upper!class!citizens.!
!
Kom!elMNana:!Included!a!large!stone!temple,!bakery!and!garden.!
!
MaruMAten:!Two!adjacent!buildings!containing!pavilions!and!small!shrines!dedicated!to! various!women!including!Kiya.! !
The!Worker’s!Village:!Houses!surrounded!by!a!wall!with!a!chapel!outside!of!the!wall!for!the!
workers’!use.!!
!
Great!temple!of!the!Aten:!innovative!design!represented!religious!innovations!and! challenged!traditional!artistic!decorations!as!Akhenaten!placed!colossal!statues!of!himself! among!the!temple.!It!also!had!a!sanctuary!and!offering!tables!to!offer!sacrifices!to!the!Aten.!
• Theory!that!the!major!buildings!and!boundary!stelae!were!located!in!a!symbolic! pattern!(from!an!aerial!view)!that!in!affect!made!them!all!component!parts!of!a!huge! Aten!temple.!This!might!have!been!because!Akhenaten!wanted!to!make!the!city! appealing!from!an!aerial!view!to!impress!the!sun!god!in!the!sky!(Michael!Mallinson).! !
Evidence:!
• Scenes!of!the!rituals!conducted!in!the!temple!are!shown!in!some!of!the!officials’! tombs!! • According!to!Kemp,!it!is!unknown!whether!there!were!flagpoles!!
• Says!the!long!temple!was!a!string!of!6!courts!open!to!the!sky!and!connected!by!a! passage!way!! • Kemp!says!the!1700!tables!were!‘a!symptom!of!obsession’!!

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Argues!evidence!of!a!stepped!platform!at!the!6th!court!which!may!have!held!a!gold! table!! Believes!no!other!pharaoh!had!done!anything!like!this!!
Suggests!that!Akhenaten!presented!everything!in!Akhetaten!to!the!Aten;!in!previous!
temple!only!a!portion!was!offered!!

Religious+policy:+reforms,+nature,+importance+and+impact+of+Aten+ worship+ Th

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Methods!of!worship!!
M The!royal!family!acted!as!the!intermediary!between!the!people!and!the!Aten!!
M There!is!evidence!that!the!traditional!religion!wasn’t!completely!abolished!!
M Most!come!to!the!conclusion!that!the!people!of!Egypt!didn’t!like!the!new!religion,! this!is!based!on!evidence!of!destruction!of!Akhetaten!immediately!after!his!death!! M However!Barry!Kemp’s!view!differs!!!!
M First!stages!of!Akhenaten’s!new!religion,!the!Aten!was!a!principal!god!!
M Then!he!removed!all!other!god!as!soon!as!he!was!in!his!city!(possibly!year!9/10),! particularly!against!Amun,!as!the!priesthood!was!continuing!in!opposition!to!the! king’s!new!belief!!
M Orders!went!out!from!the!palace!to!go!out!and!smash!up!divine!statues!and!hack!out! names!and!images!of!these!gods!wherever!they!appeared!on!temple!walls,!obelisks! and!shrines!!
M There!was!a!focused!attack!on!divine!birth!scenes!of!Amenhotep!III!and!that!of!
Hatshepsut!in!Luxor!!!
M The!plural!for!gods!was!also!implemented!!
M There!was!also!no!toleration!for!any!mythological!fantasies!!
M Small!personal!items!such!as!pots!for!eye!makeMup!and!commemorative!scarabs! were!buried!in!the!ground!and!destroyed.!! M Some!removed!the!names!or!signs!of!other!gods!like!Amun!off!these!items!as!they! were!fearful;!! M The!streets!were!filled!with!pharaoh’s!soldiers!!
M The!population!also!had!to!deal!with!the!danger!of!malicious!informers!!
Impact$on$priesthood$$$
M Priests!either!lost!their!jobs!or!they!became!less!significant!!
M Akhenaten!and!Nefertiti!were!the!high!priests!!
M Some!may!have!found!work!in!the!new!Aten!temples!but!the!great!majority!would! have!faced!considerable!hardship! M There!is!a!real!lack!of!evidence,!meaning!that!we!do!not!know!the!full!extent!of!the! impact!! M We!can!deduce!that!the!withdrawal!of!the!pharaoh’s!patronage!however!would! have!impacted!a!lot!on!the!other!priesthoods!! M He!also!taxed!the!other!priesthoods!to!support!the!Aten!religion!!
M !No!evidence!to!suggest!that!Akhenaten!closed!the!other!temples!

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Amun!priesthood!lost!the!most!as!it!had!risen!to!a!position!of!prominence!during!the!
New!Kingdom,!especially!during!the!reign!of!Thutmose!III!reign!!!
Amun!was!credited!with!victories!over!the!Hyksos!and!Egypt’s!other!enemies!!
One!perspective!is!that!they!waited!for!this!period!to!be!over!!
The!reforms!had!a!significant!and!long!term!effects!on!the!Amun!priesthood!as!they! never!returned!to!the!strength!that!they!had!before!! Th

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M Reeves!believes!that!the!closure!of!these!temples!impacted!on!the!economy!as!they! served!as!economic!units!and!Akhenaten!was!not!interested!in!taxation! M Shrines!found!in!private!homes!and!chapels!!
M Recent!Amarna!excavations!revealed!shrines!to!the!royal!family;!were!found!in!all! classes!of!homes!! M Chapels!from!the!worker’s!village!and!the!city!also!contained!small!limestone!stelae! with!representations!of!gods!such!as!Toth!and!Ptah! M Kemp!believes!that!the!people!would!have!grown!to!love!and!accept!the!Aten.!‘if! history!had!run!a!different!course…!it!is!possible!to!imagine…that!the!Aten!would! have!developed!a!truly!popular!aspect’!!
M Evidence!of!this!is!from!two!papyrus!letter!written!by!minor!officials!to!their! relatives!of!the!Aten.!In!them!the!god!is!portrayed!as!a!bestower!of!blessings.!!!!! M ‘the!new!royal!family!dominated!every!aspect!of!life…’!–!Reeves!!
M !‘the!god!of!Akhenaten’s!religion,!is!Akhenaten!himself’!–!James!Allen!!
M ‘rather!cold…seems!to!show!no!compassion’!–!Redford!
M ‘henceforth!there!would!be!recognized!but!a!single!power!and!that!was!Akhenaten! himself’!!!M!Reeves!! M Reeves!believes!that!this!is!evidence!of!the!people!being!‘fearful’!of!the!new!religion!!
M Picture!painted!by!Manetho!of!Hyksos!mentioned!that!‘they!set!the!towns!on!fire.!
Pillaging!the!temples!and!mutilating!images!of!the!gods’!!!
$
Religious$Reforms.$
• Akhenaten!instituted!reforms!in!religious!policy;!the!architecture!and!decoration!of! his!buildings!at!East!Karnak!indicated!that!the!Aten!was!now!the!supreme!god!in! Egypt.!
Period$
Features$
Years$1L4$
•
Other!gods!shown!on!king’s!
reliefs.!
•
Aten!is!depicted!as!a!falcon! headed!ReMHorakhty!and!referred!to!as! ‘living!sun!disc’.!
•
First!representation!of!the!Aten! as!a!sun!disc!with!downward!extending! arms.!
•
Aten’s!name!first!appears!in!a! double!cartouche!to!indicate!Aten’s! kingship!and!the!spiritual!coMregency!of!
Akhenaten!and!Aten.!
Years$5L8$
•
Fewer!gods!depicted.!

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Plural!form!‘gods’!is!no!longer!
used!in!religious!inscriptions.!
Years$9L12$
•
Persecution!of!Amun.!
•
Other!gods!removed.!
•
New!version!of!the!Aten:!‘Living!
Disc,!Ruler!of!the!two!horizons,!rejoicing! in!the!Horizon’.! •
Atenism!replaces!Amun!religion!
as!the!state!cult.!
• Atenism!was!introduced!gradually,!eventually!replacing!the!previous!polytheistic! religion!and!Amun!cult.!Did!Akhenaten!do!this!strategically!and!purposely!to!prevent! assassination?!
• Religious!reform!of!the!Aten’s!name!strengthened!and!accounted!for!the!new! religious!focus!of!only!the!Aten.! • Maybe!Akhenaten!only!began!the!persecution!of!Amun!in!his!9thM12th!year!of!reign! because!by!this!time!he!had!earned!the!trust!and!respect!of!Egypt.! • Only!Akhenaten!could!communicate!with!the!Aten/have!a!personal!relationship!with! the!Aten!on!behalf!of!the!people.!Before!everyone!could!have!a!relationship!with! the!gods.!Demolished!individual!worship!through!depicting!himself!as!the!son!of!the!
Aten.!
• The!role!of!a!god!as!a!helper!of!the!poor!was!removed.!
• King!and!royal!family!procession!replaces!great!festivals!of!New!Kingdom!Egypt.!!
• Divine!triad!was!kept!consistent:!on!purpose?!Strategic?!This!was!defined!through! the!coMregency!between!Akhenaten!and!the!Aten!as!well!as!Nefertiti!as!some!point.!! • Aten!temples!were!now!open!roof:!enabling!the!Aten!to!shine!down!on!them!and! the!offering!alters.! • The!architectural!layout!of!temples!was!reversed.!
!
Impact$of$Aten$worship.$
• Aten!was!a!form!of!the!sun!god!Re.!
• Would!have!depended!on!employment!and!beliefs!on!individual!or!group!as!to!how!
Atenism!impacted!them.!
• The!persecution!of!Amun!had!a!detrimental!affect!on!the!Amun!priesthood!as!they! would!have!been!rid!of!employment!and!therefore!also!income.!! • Aten!represented!with!rays!adoring!its!subjects!and!often!forming!a!triad!with!
Akhenaten!and!Nefertiti.!
• Atypically!was!not!represented!with!a!body!like!previous!gods.!

+
Artistic+innovations+and+development:+representation+of+the+Aten,++

$
Artistic$innovations$and$developments.$
• Developed!out!of!techniques!already!in!use.!
• The!intimacy!of!human!relationships!was!rarely!shown!before!the!Amarna!period.!
• Egyptian!canon!of!proportions!ignored!(for!example!in!Nefertiti’s!representation!as! the!same!size!as!her!husband).! • Akhenaten!appears!to!be!responsible!for!the!style!adopted!by!Amarna!artists! indicated!by!an!inscription!on!stela!stating!that!Bek,!one!of!Akhenaten’s!sculptors! was!personally!instructed!by!the!king.!

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Talatat!reliefs!and!later!reliefs!from!Akhetaten!bear!depictions!of!the!Aten!as!a!globe! not!just!as!a!flat!disc!and!wearing!the!uraeus!(something!pharaohs!were!depicted! with!in!traditional!iconography)!with!spreading!arms!ending!in!human!hands.!!
In!all!reliefs,!these!hands!caress!Akhenaten!and!Nefertiti,!offer!the!ankh!and!hover!
over!their!children.!
Like!the!Aten,!Akhenaten!was!depicted!in!the!traditional!style!in!his!early!years!of!
reign!shown!in!reliefs!at!East!Karnak!where!he!resembles!his!father!and!other! predecessors.! Revolutionary!iconography!was!adopted!firstly!in!East!Karnak!and!included:!
• Scenes!that!was!common!in!private!tombs.!
• Nefertiti!depicted!in!ways!that!were!usually!reserved!for!the!king!like!smiting! enemies.! • Nefertiti!worshipping!the!Aten!without!the!presence!of!the!king.!
• The!daughters!of!the!king.!
Akhetaten!was!accompanied!by!revolutionary!aspects!such!as:!
• Nefertiti!shown!on!the!same!scale!as!Akhenaten.!
• The!depiction!of!emotions!felt!by!the!royal!family.!
• The!entire!royal!family!shown!with!extreme!physiques!and!facial!features! common!to!Akhenaten.! • The!introduction!of!3D!representation.!
• The!divine!triad.!!
The!portrayal!of!the!royal!family!at!Akhetaten!as!growing,!changing!and!aging!–!
previous!tradition!of!presenting!the!royal!family!stayed!unchanging.!!

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Representations$of$the$Aten$$
M Aten’s!iconography!was!very!rigid!and!limited!and!focused!more!attention!on!the! king!! M Represented!as!s!solid!disk!and!always!directed!to!the!royal!family!!
M Initially!depicted!as!falcon!headed!god,!ReMHorakhty!
M By!the!time!the!temples!were!completed!the!Aten!had!on!the!form!that!it!would! maintain!for!the!rest!of!the!reign!! M Later!reliefs!from!Akhetaten!show!Aten!as!a!globe,!not!just!a!flat!disc,!wearing! uraeus!and!with!spreading!arms!ending!in!human!hands! M In!all!reliefs,!these!hands!caress!Akhenaten!and!Nefertiti,!offer!the!ankh!to!their! noses!and!hover!over!their!children!! M In!the!tombs!of!Huya!and!even!Akhenaten’s!mother!Tiye,!were!offered!this!sign!of! life!by!the!rays!of!the!Aten!! Akhetaten+and+the+royal+family+and+the+natural+world+
Representations$of$Akhenaten$and$the$royal$family$$
M The!king!(and!other!members)!were!depicted!in!a!new!form!which!combined!both! male!and!female!aspects!as!a!religious!statement!about!the!king’s!role!! M Early!in!his!reign!Akhenaten!was!depicted!in!the!traditional!way!resembling!his! father! M New!royal!themes!included!using!the!royal!chariot!for!procession!and!not!for!war,! surrounded!by!attendants!and!always!with!the!Aten!! M More!scenes!of!family!life,!often!including!the!daughters!of!the!king,!always!with!the!
Aten!!

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Intimate!displays!of!emotion,!as!well!as!scenes!of!eating!and!drinking!!
Scenes!of!Nefertiti!smiting!the!enemy!!
Scene!of!Nefertiti!making!offerings!with!her!daughter!!
Offering!food!or!incense!or!homage,!no!longer!face!to!face,!but!reaching!up!to!the!
sun!disc!and!being!caressed!in!return!by!rays!of!light!!

The$Atenist$triad$$
M Consisted!of!Aten,!Akhenaten!and!Nefertiti$
M Each!of!the!three!was!equated!with!one!of!the!principal!members!of!primary!
Heliopolitan!mythology!$
M The!Aten!was!the!creatorMgod!Atum,!Akhenaten!Atum’s!offspring!Shu!and!Nefertiti! as!the!goddess!Tefnut$ M The!birth!of!his!six!daughters!Akhenaten’s!vision!of!the!Heliopolitan!Ennead!(nine! gods!of!creation)!would!be!complete!!$ Th

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M The!move!to!Akhetaten!was!accompanied!by!the!introduction!of!the!new!and! extreme!style!which!featured:! M Nefertiti!shown!on!the!same!scale!as!Akhenaten!in!reliefs!!!
M Entire!royal!family!being!shown!as!with!the!extreme!physiques!and!facial!features! that!are!common!to!Akhenaten!! M The!introduction!of!3D!representation!!
M Late!Amarna!style!saw!a!softening!in!some!of!the!extreme!areas!of!royal! iconography!that!had!characterised!the!earlier!part!of!the!reign!! M The!human!figure!grew!more!aesthetically!pleasing!!
M The!royal!family!was!also!seen!to!grow,!change!and!age!
M The!previous!tradition!of!presenting!the!royal!family!as!unchanging!and!ageless!was! abandoned!by!artists!at!the!time!! Representations$of$the$natural$world$$
M Based!on!Akhenaten’s!adherence!to!maat!which!encouraged!a!tendency!towards! realistic!depictions!of!nature!! M Motifs!uncovered!at!the!palace!in!Akhetaten!were!in!a!naturalistic!manner!not!seen! in!Egypt!before!! M Themes!include!animals!awakening!to!the!sun!and!horses!shown!front!on!instead!of! in!profile.!!! M It!may!be!that!Akhenaten’s!conception!of!maat!(truth)!encouraged!the!tendency! towards!realistic!depiction!in!Amarna!art! Why$are$the$changes$in$art$so$significant?$
M Represent!the!only!known!break!with!traditional!forms!throughout!the!whole!of!the!
Pharonic!Period!!
M Emphasise!the!joy!and!beauty!of!nature!!
What$did$Amarna$art$express?$
M Temple!and!tomb!sculptures!and!reliefs,!placed!an!unprecedented!emphasis!on!the! relationship!between!the!Aten!and!the!royal!family!! M
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The!art!is!used!to!serve!as!religious!propaganda!like!never!before!!
The!usage!of!birds,!animals!and!plants,!represented!the!land’s!abundance!and!
bound!animal!captives!represented!the!king’s!dominance!over!his!enemies!

Foreign+policy:+SyriaJPalestine+and+Nubia+

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Controversy!on!whether!Akhenaten!was!a!pacifist;!too!preoccupied!with!religious! changes!to!care!about!foreign!affairs,!or!was!a!great!military!leader.!Evidence! suggests!he!was!very!diplomatic!(next!dot!points).!
He!founded!a!town!at!Sesebi!(rededicated!to!the!Aten).!
Argued!that!Akhenaten!was!sensitive!to!Egypt’s!interests!and!monitored!the!balance! of!power!in!the!near!east.! Evidence!comes!from!Amarna!letters.!
Akhenaten!was!the!first!pharaoh!to!adopt!the!similar!policy!or!resettling!in!Nubia!
rebels!in!Palestine.!
Akhenaten!is!known!to!have!fought!at!least!one!war!against!the!Hittites.!
Akhenaten!is!shown!riding!his!chariot!and!killing!prisoners!in!reliefs.!
Evidence!of!complaints!of!vassal!kings!had!encouraged!the!view!that!Akhenaten!
neglected!his!empire.!!
Akhenaten!followed!his!father’s!policy!of!maintaining!diplomatic!relationships!to!
avoid!warfare!in!the!near!east.!He!married!a!Mitannian!princess!(Tadukhepa)!and! continued!the!diplomatic!correspondence!with!Egypt’s!vassals.!! Akhenaten!maintained!Egypt’s!influence!on!Syria!Palestine,!Levant!and!Nubia.!!

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Foreign$policy$in$Nubia$$
• Akhenaten!maintained!a!traditional!foreign!policy!in!Nubia!including!the! construction!of!town!and!military!campaigns.!! • Vassal!kings!complained!to!the!king!that!the!Nubians!
• Military!campaigns!
!
Foreign$policy$in$SyriaLPalestine$
• Akhenaten!has!been!long!blamed!for!losing!Egypt’s!sphere!of!influence!with!Syria!
Palestine.!
• Egypt!encountered!difficulty!in!maintaining!control!over!the!distant!parts!of!its! sphere!of!interest!in!Syria!Palestine!particularly!in!the!face!of!Hittites.!! • Egypt!could!afford!to!keep!vassal!states!begging;!there!was!nothing!that!they!could! offer!Egypt!! • But!Hittites!were!a!threat!in!this!time,!and!this!is!why!he!is!criticized!

Evidence:$
M Buhen!stela!
M Redford!‘the!unfulfilled!pleas!by!troops!are!so!characteristic!of!the!Amarna!letters! do!not!indicate!the!king’s!disinterest,!but!rather!his!indecision…!part!of!the!problem! lay!in!the!fact!that!he!relied!upon!!
M Letter!250!Amarna,!correspondence!with!king,!shows!a!fear!!
M Akhenaten!did!reply!to!some!letters!(Aziru!of!Amurru)!later!!
M Not!much!evidence!of!military!action!(letter!saying!you!haven’t!responded!to!my! letters)! M
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But!we!don’t!have!all!the!letters!as!the!Amarna!letter!were!found!in!Amarna,!so!we! cannot!come!to!a!conclusion!! Gardiner!positive!!
Reeves!does!not!believe!that!the!Amarna!was!n!
Reliefs!on!talatat!from!East!Karnak!reveal!a!war!of!battle!fought!against!Hittite!and! other!Asiatic!soldiers.!Akhenaten!himself!is!shown!riding!his!chariot!and!killing!his! prisoners.!!

Changes+to+afterlife+beliefs+and+funerary+customs:+royal+and+nonJroyal+ tombs+ Osirian!beliefs!and!practices!were!abandoned.!

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The*revolutionary*feature*of*Amarna*beliefs*was*that*hopes*for*an* afterlife*now*focused*exclusively*on*the*world*of*the*living.**** The*prayers*for*survival*in*the*afterlife,*once*addressed*to*funerary*goods* such*as*Osiris,*were*now*directed*to*Akhenaten*himself** •

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According!to!Jan!Assman!there!was!no!afterlife!at!all.!!
Hopes!for!an!afterlife!now!focused!exclusively!on!the!world!of!the!living.!
Prayers!for!survival!in!the!afterlife!were!now!directed!to!Akhenaten.!
Burial!practices!appear!to!have!undergone!few!changes.!Mummification!continued!
to!be!practiced!in!the!traditional!ways!along!with!certain!decorative!features!of! tombs.! Amarna!tomb!reliefs!demonstrate!noble’s!sense!of!dependence!on!Akhenaten!for! their!existence!in!the!afterlife.! In!place!of!traditional!representation!of!the!tomb!owner!at!work!and!play,!or!joining! the!gods!in!scenes!from!the!Book!of!the!Dead,!Akhenaten!and!the!royal!family! dominate!the!reliefs.!!
Did!Akhenaten!strategically!keep!some!aspects!consistent!along!with!his!reforms!to!
prevent!a!repulse!to!him!and!his!changes?!

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Nefertiti!takes!place!of!the!four!protective!goddesses!on!the!corners!of!Akhenaten’s! sarcophagus!found!in!the!royal!tomb.+ The$royal$tomb$
• Lies!in!a!narrow!side!valley!leading!off!from!the!Royal!Wadi!
• Amarna!tomb!reliefs!demonstrate!the!nobles’!sense!of!dependence!on!Akhenaten! for!their!existence!in!the!afterlife!! • In!place!of!the!traditional!representation!of!the!tomb!owner!at!work!and!play,!or! joining!gods!in!scenes!from!the!Book!of!the!Dead,!Akhenaten!and!the!royal!family! dominate!the!reliefs.!!
• They!are!shown!engaged!in!a!variety!of!public!and!private!activities,!especially!the! royal!procession!from!the!palace!to!the!Great!Aten!Temple!! • The!tomb!owner,!now!a!tiny!figure,!is!depicted!in!a!subservient!role,!either! attending!upon!the!royal!family!or!being!rewarded!by!then!for!services!offered.!! • Akhenaten!also!chose!not!to!be!buried!in!the!Valley!of!the!Kings!(the!only!king!to!do! so)!! •
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The!tomb!is!hidden!in!the!hills!that!border!the!abandoned!city!of!Akhetaten,!aligned! with!the!sun!so!that!the!spirit!would!rise!each!day!with!it! He!also!implemented!family!type!themes!for!the!reliefs!in!the!tomb!itself!
A:!the!Anteroom!which!contained!reliefs!on!the!wall,!including!Akhenaten!and!
Nefertiti!offering!to!the!Aten!
Chamber!I:!two!mains!scenes!of!Akhenaten,!Nefertiti!and!5!daughters,!making!
offerings!to!the!Aten!in!a!temple!court!
From!the!presence!of!nearby!Amarna!tombs!it!is!clear!that!Akhenaten!intended!this!
site!as!the!new!Valley!of!the!Kings!!
This!was!to!fulfil!his!boundary!stelae!pledge!by!preparing!in!the!surrounding!cliffs!a!
series!of!tombs!for!various!members!of!the!royal!family!!
The!intended!occupants!would!have!included!his!mother!Tiye,!Nefertiti!and!their!
daughters!

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en t Non$royal$tombs$$
• There!seems!to!be!no!signs!of!a!dedicated!cemetery!for!the!ordinary!classes!!
• Several!ushabti!figures!belonging!to!these!people!have!survived,!but!the!actual! location!of!their!whereabouts!is!a!mystery!!! • Of!the!bulk!of!nonMroyal!tombs!at!Akhetaten,!belong!to!Akhenaten’s!high!officials!
• They!were!cut!into!cliffs!in!two!separate!ranked!groupings:!the!Northern!Tombs!(25)! and!the!Southern!Tombs!(18)!! • The!tombs!followed!the!pattern!of!tombs!that!were!built!in!the!earlier!18th!Dynasty!!
• In!the!scenes!of!these!tombs!the!tomb!owner!is!shown!in!a!small!scale!
• The!bulk!of!the!space!was!given!to!depictions!of!the!royal!family!
• Many!of!the!views!include!images!of!the!Great!Aten!Temple!
• Normally!there!would!be!scenes!of!the!deceased!standing!before!the!traditional! funerary!gods;!but!these!tombs!do!not!have!them!! • Instead!there!are!images!of!the!king!and!queen!making!abundant!offerings!to!the!
Aten!!
• As!a!result!the!king!was!used!as!an!agent!by!which!people!could!attain!personal! immortality! • This!reflected!the!Old!Kingdom!belief!that!individual!survival!after!death!was! dependent!of!the!king!! • They!also!offer!gifts!to!the!regime!officers!of!gold!collars!and!others!for!loyalty,!from! the!Window!of!Appearances!! • Any!mention!of!these!officials!beyond!these!tombs!however!are!minimal!!!
• Many!of!these!tombs!have!been!desecrated!!
Sources:$
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According!to!Jan!Assmann,!the!nature!of!Akhenaten’s!monotheism!meant!that!there! was!only!one!time!and!place!and!no!afterlife!! A!prayer!in!the!tomb!of!Ay!petitions!Akhenaten!for!a!‘life!prolonged!by!thy!favours…! grant!me!pure!food!which!has!been!placed!before!thee!from!the!surplus!of!thy! father!Aten.’!

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The!text!on!the!ushabti!of!the!concubine!Pya!reads!‘May!she!serve!the!Disc!when!he! rises!in!the!morning!to!take!his!form!in!life…’! Two!hundred!smashed!ushabtis!have!been!recovered!from!the!royal!tomb!at!
Akhenaten.!!
Tomb!scenes!depict!funerary!furniture!and!other!goods!being!brought!to!the!tomb! in!the!usual!way!! The!royal!tomb!at!Amarna!contains!no!Amuduat!(passage!from!the!Book!of!the!
Dead)!!
The!badly!damaged!scenes!show!Akhenaten!and!the!family!worshipping!the!rising! and!setting!Aten!! There!are!also!two!unusual!scenes!in!which!the!king!and!the!queen!and!courtiers! mourn!the!deaths!of!Mekhataten!and!possibly!Kiya!! Egyptologists!like!Geoffrey!Martin!have!suggested!that!the!new!form!of!the!tomb! was!constructed!so!that!the!Aten’s!rays!could!be!allowed!uninterrupted!access!! Mallinson!believes!that!the!royal!tomb!served!as!focus!for!the!architectural!scheme! at!Akhetaten.!That!the!beams!of!the!Aten!were!in!fact!to!flood!out!of!the!tomb!and! on!to!the!city!!!!!!

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Role$of$Nefertiti.$$$
• Theories!of!Nefertiti’s!background:!
A Nefertiti!was!the!name!given!to!Tadhukhepa!who!was!betrothed!to!Amenhotep!
II!but!after!his!death,!married!Akhenaten.!
A Nefertiti!was!the!daughter!of!Ay!(who!was!the!brother!of!queen!Tiye,!making! her!and!Akhenaten!cousins).!Queen!Tiye!was!originally!a!commoner,!which!in! this!theory!would!make!Nefertiti!also!originally!a!commoner.!
A Nefertiti!was!a!daughter!of!Amenhotep!II.!
A Nefertiti!descended!from!AhmoseENeferatri.!!
• Also!changed!her!name.!
• Depicted!worshipping!the!Aten!alone.!
• Has!her!own!cartouche.!
• The!image!of!Nefertiti!appears!nearly!twice!as!often!as!that!of!her!husband.!
• HewetMbenben!was!reserved!for!her!personal!worship!of!the!Aten.!
• She!is!depicted!in!headMsmiting!scenes!and!similarly!to!Akhenaten!with!elongated! neck!and!head.! • She!is!always!drawn!on!the!same!scale!as!Akhenaten.!
• While!most!often!shown!wearing!her!characteristic!blue!platform!crown,!Nefertiti! occasionally!wears!crowns!normally!worn!only!by!the!king.!! • Nefertiti!takes!place!of!the!four!protective!goddesses!on!the!corners!of!Akhenaten’s! sarcophagus!found!in!the!royal!tomb.! • Nefertiti!acted!as!a!queen!regnant!(ruling)!during!Akhenaten’s!reign.!
!
The$issue$of$possible$coLregency$between$herself$and$Akhenaten.$
• The!existence!of!several!rings!from!Akhetaten!inscribed!in!the!female!form,!Ankhet! kheperure!have!been!cited!as!evidence!of!coMregency.!! • Scenes!from!year!12!Huya!and!Meryre!tombs!show!Akhenaten!virtually! superimposed!on!Nefertiti,!possibly!signifying!a!unity!(Nicholas!Reeves).!This!type!of! depiction!was!radical.!

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There!is!a!theory!that!Nefertiti!ruled!as!Ankhkheperure!Smenkhkare!after!her! husbands!death!based!on:! A Nefertiti’s!special!name,!Nefernefuraten,!was!the!same!as!the!name!first!used!by! the!coMregent!Smenkhkare.! A Smenkhkare!also!used!Nefertiti’s!epithets.!
A Smenkhkare!also!used!the!name!Ankhkheperure!that!was!sometimes!written!in! the!female!form!Ankhet!kheperure!(name!inscripted!on!rings!as!evidence!for! Nefertiti!and!Akhenaten’s!coMregency).!
A A!unfinished!stela!belonging!to!soldier!Pase!shows!two!kings!usually!seen!as!
Akhenaten!and!another!male!coMregent!which!is!now!thought!to!actually!depict!
Nefertiti,!and!the!‘two!kings’!are!positioned!in!stance!that!would!encourage!a! notion!of!homosexuality!–!if!the!coMregent!was!a!woman,!this!stance!would! make!more!sense!as!others!argue!that!it!is!Nefertiti!simply!wearing!a!king’s! crown!as!coMregent.!! Who!was!Akhenaten’s!successor?!
A After!he!died!in!year!17,!a!pharaoh!named!Smenkhkare!who!ruled!for!a!short! time!before!being!succeeded!by!Tutankhamun!succeeded!him.! A Akhenaten!was!initially!succeeded!by!his!female!coMregent/had!a!threeMyear! reign!concurrent!with!the!last!years!of!Akhenaten’s!reign!that!was!then! succeeded!by!Smenkhkare!and!his!wife!Meritaten.!
A His!coMregent!Nefertiti!who!then!continued!to!rule!as!Smenkhkare!while!her! daughter!Meritaten!acted!as!her!royal!wife!initially!succeeded!Akhenaten.!! Th

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Evidence$for$Nefertiti$being$coLruler:$
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Evidence$for$Nefertiti$being$coLruler:!
Evidence!against:!
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• At!Karnak,!at!both!the!front!and!back!
• Redford!suggests!that!he!sees!no! of!the!temple!to!Amun,!Akhenaten! problem!with!the!name!Nefer! built!several!large!structures!to!Ate.! neferuaten!being!shared!by!Nefertiti!
Sections!of!his!buildings!were!later!
and!the!male!Smenkhare,!as!the! used!as!fill!for!the!second!pylon!and! name!is!also!shared!by!two!of! are!now!being!reconstructed!by!the! Nefertiti’s!daughters!!
Akhenaten!Temple!Project!!
• A.!Dodson!argues!that!an!inscription!
• Scenes!show!!Nefertiti!worshipping! on!a!box!from!Tutankhamun’s!tomb! the!Aten,!sometimes!accompanied! shows!that!Meritaten!had!been! by!a!daughter! married!to!!the!successor,! Smenkhare!–!so!he!was!probably!
• She!is!depicted!twice!as!many!time! male!!! as!Akhenaten,!and!these!scenes! were!part!of!gigantic!pillars!over!10! • Tomb!55!in!Thebes!reveals!a!body! metres!in!height!! first!identified!as!a!mature!woman,! but!later!identified!as!a!young!man! • In!a!scene!from!a!block!at!Heliopolis,! who!died!during!the!Amarna!period.! Nefertiti!is!shown!in!a!typical!warrior!
Medical!tests!show!that!he!is!a!close!
king!pose,!symbolically!striking!an! relation!of!Tutankhamun.!The! enemy!! sarcophagus!appears!to!have!been! • Nefertiti!is!shown!in!active!roles,! made!for!a!pharaoh.!Whose!body!is! such!as!driving!her!own!chariot!! it,!if!not!Smenkhare’s?! • She!also!wears!a!variety!of!crowns!

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Evidence$for$Nefertiti$and$Smenkhare$being$
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There!is!no!evidence!to!prove!that!
Smenkhare!was!a!male!!
The!coMregent!had!the!same!name!as!
Nefertiti.!It!seems!unlikely!that!a!
male!would!use!the!description!

N.!Reeves!points!out!that!when!the! body!was!discovered!in!1907,!two! doctors!unanimously!declared!that!it! was!female.!He!argues!that!at!this! time!bodies!were!shipped!to!Cairo!
Museum!and!not!even!labelled!
properly,!so!that!the!young!mummy! identified!as!male,!may!not!have! been!the!same!one.!!

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not!previously!worn!by!queens.!She! has!her!own!distinctive!crown,!that! is!very!similar!to!the!blue!war!crown! that!a!pharaoh!wore!! In!the!two!Amarna!tombs!of!Ay!and!
Panhesy,!she!is!depicted!wearing!the!
pharonic!crown!of!atef.!In!an! inscription!from!Panshesy’s!tomb! says!that!‘all!things!she!says!are! done,’!in!other!words!that!she!was! $ obeyed!! In!some!reliefs,!she!appears!to!be! nude!to!the!waist!like!the!king!! At!Amarna!Nefertiti’s!name!is! enclosed!in!twin!cartouches!like!that! of!a!pharaoh!!
The!Aten!is!also!shown!presenting!
the!ankh!to!both!Nefertiti!and!
Akhenaten!!
Relief!show!both!Nefertiti!and!
Akhenaten!riding!in!the!state!
palanquin!(official!royal!carrying! chair)!! A!relief!showing!two!royal!figures!in! an!intimate!pose,!could!be!Nefertiti! and!Akhenaten!as!coMrulers.!!
A!scene!from!the!tomb!of!the!noble!
Meryre,!shows!both!Akhenaten!and!
Nefertiti!enthroned!and!holding!
hands,!mirror!images!of!each!other!
Two!British!historians,!H.!Smith!and!
J.!Samson,!argue!that!Nefertiti! assumed!the!role!of!coMregent!and! probably!later!became!pharaoh!as!
Smenkhare!

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‘beloved!of!Akhenaten’,!or!the!same! name!as!the!pharaoh’s!wife!! Records!of!the!Horus!name!of!
Akhenaten’s!successor!sometimes!
shows!a!sign!to!indicate!that!a! masculine!name!had!been!made! feminine.!

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Role+of+the+royal+family!!
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Akhenaten!chose!to!express!the!intimate!relationships!he!shared!with!his!family!and! the!importance!in!his!reign.! There!is!a!religious!role!played!by!Akhenaten’s!parents!who!were!influential!in!the! development!of!the!new!religion.! The!two!daughters!formed!part!of!a!divine!triad!with!their!parents.!
Some!evidence!suggests!that!Akhenaten’s!attempted!to!secure!the!succession!by!
engendering!a!male!heir!with!one!or!more!of!his!own!daughters.!
Queen!Tiye!played!a!significant!diplomatic!role!in!her!husband’s!reign!conducting!
correspondence!with!the!Mitannian!king!Tushratta.!This!may!be!why!Tashrutta’s! daughter!Tadhukhepa!joined!Akhenaten’s!harem!after!the!death!of!his!father.! Problematic!evidence!of!a!letter!written!by!an!Amarna!queen!to!the!Hittite!king! requesting!a!marriage!alliance!with!his!son;!could!this!be!Nefertiti!or! Ankhesenamun?!This!would!mean!that!an!Egyptian!queen!felt!politically!powerful! enough!to!attempt!to!arrange!an!alliance!with!a!neighboring!power.!! Role!of!the!royal!family!was!dynastic,!diplomatic,!artistic,!religious!and!political.!
Akhenaten’s!children!feature!more!prominently!than!any!previous!king’s!children.!
King!and!royal!family!procession!replaces!great!festivals!of!New!Kingdom!Egypt.!!

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Great$Royal$Wife$
• She!was!depicted!as!equal!with!the!pharaoh!
• Her!role!is!emphasized!through!frequent!mention!of!her!in!relics!and!artworks.!She! is!even!shown!worshipping!the!Aten!alone.! • She!is!depicted!as!powerful!in!her!own!right.!!
• She!had!an!important!role!in!promoting!the!new!religion!and!methods!of!worship.!
• Titles!include:! o Daughter!of!Gods! o Ruler!of!the!Nile! o Empress!of!the!Mediterranean!
• Never!given!the!title!“God’s!Wife!of!Amun”!!
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Religious$Roles$and$Contributions$
• Helping!Akhenaten!fulfil!maat!by!worshipping!and!pleasing!the!Gods.!!
• Nefertiti!shown!worshipping!alongside!her!husband!and!on!her!own.!(Hewet!MbenM ben!temple)$! • She!served!as!the!female!element!in!the!divine!triad:!Aten,!Akhenaten!and!Nefertiti!
• Changed!her!name!to!Nefer!neferuatenENefertiti!meaning!“The!Aten!is!radiant!of! radiance!(because)!the!beautiful!one!has!come”!! !

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• The!royal!family!appear!frequently!in!reliefs:!different!from!previous!reigns!where! there!was!a!focus!solely!on!the!pharaoh.! • Intimate!family!scenes!became!characteristic!of!Amarna!art.!They!are!shown! embracing,!worshipping!together!and!participating!in!activities!together.! • Nefertiti!depicted!as!a!fertility!symbol.!
• Year!14:!Death!of!2nd!daughter,!Meketaten.!Scenes!from!Amarna!show!a!rare!insight! into!the!private!life!of!the!royals,!recording!the!mourning!of!the!family.!! • Akhenaten!showed!great!respect!to!Nefertiti!and!emphasised!her!through!frequent! appearance!in!reliefs!and!mention!of!her.!Also!images!of!the!couple’s!affection!for! one!another!were!popular!in!Amarna!reliefs.!!
Sources:$
• Love!poem!to!Nefertiti!from!Akhenaten:!“And!the!Heiress,!Great!in!the!Palace,!Fair! of!Face…”! • She!appears!on!the!4!corners!of!Akhenaten’s!sarcophagus!!
• In!reliefs!and!statues!from!the!time!she!is!the!same!height!and!size.!Sometimes!it!is! difficult!to!tell!the!pair!apart.!! • Example:!A!“house!altar”!depicting!Akhenaten,!Nefertiti!and!3!of!their!daughters.!!
• Depictions!show!her!wearing!a!unique!blue!crownM!similar!to!the!blue!war!crown.!
She!is!also!shown!in!attire!reserved!for!pharaohs!and!in!warrior!pharaoh!poses.!!
• Reliefs!of!the!royal!couple!making!offerings!to!Aten:!
• Banquet!Scene!in!tomb!of!Huya!
• The!Aten’s!rays!touch!Akhenaten!and!Nefertiti.!!
• SouthMEastern!boundary!stela!

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Made!dramatic!changes!to!traditional!titles!indicating!the!direction!of!his!reign!
His!early!building!program!(consisting!of!the!4!temples!dedicated!to!the!Aten!at!
Karnak)!has!revealed!the!move!towards!Akhenaten's!monotheistic!views!and!his! gradual!transformation!of!Egypt.! Religious!reform!had!a!HUGE!impact!on!Egypt!at!the!timeM!completely!changing! existing!longMheld!traditions.!Egyptians!had!to!comply!to!such!changes!to!ensure! their!own!security!and!prosperity.!Although!great!efforts!were!made!to!undo!
Akhenaten’s!changes!to!religion!in!succeeding!reigns,!the!‘damage’,!which!he!had!
caused,!took!quite!some!time!to!reverse.!Akhenaten’s!religious!reforms!were!a! burden!for!those!who!succeeded!him!and!aimed!to!remove!all!traces!of!them.!! His!changes!to!art!seemed!to!have!had!a!lasting!impactM!evident!in!Tutankhamun’s! tomb! The!city!Akhetaten!had!limited!impactM!abandoned!at!the!conclusion!of!his!reign.!
Nefertiti’s!important!role!was!one!which!reflected!the!power!of!royal!women!at!this!
time!and!continued!throughout!the!dynasty.!
Akhenaten!placed!importance!upon!the!royal!family!as!having!a!close!relationship!
with!the!gods!and!was!a!way!of!addressing!the!rise!in!personal!piety.!!

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Elements!of!Akhenaten’s!foreign!policy!continued!into!succeeding!reigns.!(although! some!of!his!successors!adopted!more!of!a!militaristic!approach! Assessment+of+his+life+and+reign+

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en t During!his!brief!time!as!pharaoh!Akhenaten!changed!state!religious!policy,!promoting! worship!of!the!Aten!to!the!exclusion!of!all!other!Gods.! !
• A!new!capital!was!established!and!an!innovative!style!of!art!and!architecture!was! introduced.! • Burial!beliefs!and!customs!were!significantly!altered,!eliminating!Osiris!and!the!
Underworld!from!funeral!texts.!Private!tombs!were!decorated!with!scenes!of!the!
royal!family!and!for!the!first!time!were!positioned!to!the!east.!!
• There!is!debate!over!whether!Akhenaten’s!reign!can!be!called!‘revolutionary’!
(meaning!radical!new!changes)!as!historians!have!identified!many!aspects!to!be!
‘reactionary’!instead.!!
$
Wilson$(1971)$
“…the!slow!disintegration!of!the!Empire!in!Asia!as!a!result!of!…the!indifference!and!
preoccupation!of!the!pharaoh”!NEGATIVE!
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Gardiner$(1972)$
“It!may!even!be!doubted!whether!the!much!vaunted!Egyptian!empire!even!existed.!It!is!
wrong!to!regard!Akhenaten!as!the!sole!pharaoh!responsible!for!the!loss!of!Egyptian! prestige.”!!MORE!POSITIVE! $
Redford$(1987)$
“The!unfulfilled!pleas!by!troops!that!are!so!characteristic!of!the!Amarna!letters!do!not! indicate!the!pharaoh’s!disinterest!but!rather!his!indecision…Part!of!the!king’s!problem…lay!in! the!fact!that…he!relied!upon!intermediaries!to!communicate!news!and!to!advise!him!on!a! course!of!action”!! “A!man!deemed!ugly!by!the!accepted!standards!of!the!day,!secluded!in!the!palace!in!his! minority,!certainly!close!to!his!mother,!possibly!ignored!by!his!father,!outshone!by!his!brother! and!sisters,!unsure!of!himself,!Akhenaten!suffered!the!singular!misfortune!of!acceding!to!the! throne!of!Egypt!and!its!Empire.”!! !
“To!me!it!is!the!art!associated!with!his!program!that!remains!Akhenaten’s!single!most!
important!contribution”!!
Thomas$(1988)$
“These!hardly!seem!to!be!the!actions!of!a!monotheist,!visionary!or!messiah!born!out!of!his! time,!but!more!those!of!a!political!opportunist,!dogmatically!and!rationally!imposing!his! will.”!!
NEGATIVE!
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Steindorff$and$Seele$(1963)$
“…when!once!he!had!embarked!on!a!purpose!he!held!to!it!with!tenacity!and!carried!it! through!unwaveringly!with!nothing!short!of!fanaticism”!NEGATIVE! +

Legacy+

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In!Akhenaten’s!case!–as!with!other!pharaoh’s!–!there!was!a!very!deliberate!attempt! to!leave!an!indelible!mark!on!the!world!of!his!time!! Such!a!legacy!can!be!viewed!in!both!the!short!term!and!the!long!term!!
The!parameters!defining!‘short!term’!and!‘long!term’!are!open!to!interpretation!!
Short!term!could!be!applied!to!the!end!of!the!18th!dynasty!(Ay!and!Horemheb)! referred!to!as!the!‘post!Amarna!period’!! Long!term!can!be!applied!to!the!19th!dynasty!until!the!present!
It!was!common!practice!for!New!Kingdom!pharaohs!to!highlight!their!own!
achievements,!sometimes!at!the!expense!of!their!own!predecessors!

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en t The$return$to$orthodoxy$$
• In!the!years!immediately!following!the!death!of!Akhenaten,!the!court!returned!to!
Memphis!and!the!traditional!cults!were!reinstated!!
• Tutankhaten!and!his!queen,!Ankhesepaaten,!clearly!signalled!this!return!to! orthodoxy!by!changing!their!names!to!Tutankhamun!and!Ankhesenamun!and! moving!to!Thebes!!
• Tutankhamun’s!Restoration!Stela!and!the!later!Coronation!Edict!of!Horemheb!speak! of!Akhenaten’s!reign!as!a!bad!time!! • It!seems!highly!unlikely!that!Tutankhamun!was!the!instigator!of!the!Stela!and!many! scholars!agree!that!this!was!the!work!of!Ay!or!Horemheb,!who!at!the!time!acted!as! advisors!to!the!young!king!!
• Some!of!the!claims!about!the!confusion!and!corruption!of!the!Amarna!years!in!these! inscriptions,!are!hard!to!substantiate!;!they!may!have!an!element!of!propaganda!in! them!!
• It!was!common!practice!for!New!Kingdom!pharaohs!to!highlight!their!own! achievements,!sometimes!at!the!expense!of!their!own!predecessors!! Th

Religious$legacy$$
• Akhetaten!may!have!been!abandoned!by!the!court!but!it!continued!to!be!inhabited! for!some!years!as!excavation!at!the!site!has!shown!! • !!The!Aten!cult!was!not!abolished;!it!was!tolerated!and!coexisted!with!other!cults!for! a!number!of!years!! Horemheb’s$rejection$of$Atenism$$
• The!effects!of!Akhenaten’s!reign!were!clearly!still!being!felt!some!fifteen!years!after! his!death,!when!Horemheb!succeeded!to!the!throne!! • Horemheb!began!the!systematic!destruction!of!Akhenaten’s!monuments!and! continued!the!policy!of!restoring!traditional!cults!! • He!dismantled!the!Aten!temples!at!East!Karnak!and!used!their!talatat!blocks!as!fill!in! the!pylons!he!added!to!the!temple!of!Amun!at!Karnak! • Hymns!from!this!period!maintain!the!concept!of!the!Aten!as!a!deity,!but!the!Aten! cult!is!no!longer!dominant!! The$Ramesside$reaction$$

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The!Ramesside!kings!continued!the!destruction!of!Akhenaten’s!monuments!and! were!responsible!for!the!systematic!and!almost!total!annihilation!of!the!city!of! Akhetaten!
For!more!than!a!century!afterwards,!the!ruins!were!used!as!a!quarry!for!the!building!
of!the!site!of!Hermopolis,!a!few!kilometres!to!the!north!of!Akhetaten,!across!the! river.!! Other!temples!of!the!Amarna!period!at!Memphis!and!Heliopolis!were!also! destroyed,!probably!around!the!same!time.!! Seti!I’s!Abydos!temple!was!dedicated!to!no!fewer!than!seven!gods,!while!Ramesses!
II’s!mortuary!temple!at!Abu!Simbel!features!statues!of!Ptah,!Amun,!ReMHorakhty!and!
Ramesses!himself.!
Amun!had!been!restored!as!the!chief!god!of!Egypt,!but!in!the!early!19th!Dynasty!
there!was!a!greater!emphasis!on!the!worship!of!other!gods!as!well!!
This!has!been!seen!as!a!deliberate!policy!designed!to!avoid!the!concentration!of!
power!in!one!cult,!such!as!the!Amun!cult,!which!may!have!been!partly!responsible! for!Akhenaten’s!revolution!! The!reaction!against!Akhenaten!and!his!reign!was!finally!completed!under!these!
Ramesside!kings!!
This!signalled!once!and!for!all,!that!as!far!as!the!traditionalists!were!concerned,!
Akhenaten!and!his!immediate!successors!were!to!be!condemned!to!oblivion!

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In!the!King’s!List!compiled!in!this!period,!which!give!the!legitimate!rulers!of!Egypt,!
Horemheb’s!name!is!shown!immediately!after!that!of!Amenhotep!III!
“Akhenaten!was!unable!to!deal!with!one!of!the!most!essential!aspects!of!Egyptian! religion!…death!and!life!after!death.!In!the!period!after!the!Amarna!interlude!the! traditional!religion!was!reinterpreted!in!reaction!to!Akhenaten’s!doctrines…!the!cult! of!Osiris!became!much!more!important!than!before!the!Amarna!Period”!–!Martin! ‘the!land!was!in!confusion,!the!gods!forsook!the!land…!their!temples!and!shrines!had! fallen!into!neglect’!–!Restoration!Stela!officially!written!by!Tutankhamun!(thought!to! have!rally!been!done!by!Ay!and!Horemheb)!!

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Ancient+and+modern+images+and+interpretations+of+Akhenaten+
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Royal!title!

Title!of!Amenhotep!IV!

Meaning!!

Titles!of!Akhenaten!!

Meaning!!

Hr!
Horus!!

Kanakht!Quaishuty!

Meryaten!

The!strong!bull,! beloved!of!Aten! Nebty!
(Beloved)!of!
the!two! ladies! HrMnbw!!
Horus!of!
Gold!!
Nswt!bity!
He!of!the!
Sedge!and!
the!Bee!–! throne!name! S3!R!!
Son!of!Re!–!
personal! name! Wernesytemipetsut!!

Strong!bull!with! lofty!double! plume!
Great!Kingship!in!
Karnak!!

Wernesytemakhetaten!!

Great!Kingship!in!
Akhenaten!!

Who!elevates!the! Wetjesrenenaten! crowns!in!Thebes! Who!displays!the! name!of!Aten! NeferkheperureMwaenre!

Beautiful!are!the! NeferkheperureMwaenre! manifestations!of! Re!!
The!sole!one!of!
Re!
Amun!is!satisfied!! Akhenaten!!
The!god!who!
rules!in!Thebes!

Beautiful!are!the! manifestations!of! Re!
The!sole!one!of!
Re!
Servant!of!Aten!

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Amenhotep!!
Netjerheqawaset!