The Egyptian Amarna Period

Surprisingly, today we have a lot to thank the Egyptian god Aten for. Much of what we know about 18th dynasty Egypt is a result of the backlash that came from the elevation of Aten as Egypt's premier, and only, diety during this time. Akhenaten, the king who decreed this, was thoroughly despised by the powerful priesthoods of the other gods. This set in motion a series of events that has led to some of the most important discoveries in all of archeology.

When the priests began to make trouble, Akhenaten simply had a new city constructed at what is now called Tel-Amarna, but was then called Akhetaten (Horizon of Aten). The king then moved himself, his family and the court there. No doubt the treasury, tribute and the royal income followed, proving once again "its GOOD to be king"! Akhenaten's motives are still argued today, and range from madness to religious visionary, along with political genius. This last view has some evidence to back it up. One of the greatest finds at the Amarna site is a cache of over 300 "letters" , actually clay tablets, that contain the diplomatic correspondence between the court and other provinces and nations. This is a unique find of almost incalculable historical value, and predates the Greek Golden age by almost a millennium. The amazing bust of Nefertiti,(top right) wife of Akhenaten, was also discovered at Amarna, along with many other busts in various stages of production at the workshop of a man named Tutmose. Again, an amazing object, one of the earliest pieces of art that we can connect with the artist. The artist who created the gold funerary mask of King Tut (bottom right) is unknown, but we do have the mask, and for that we may have to thank the distaste of latter Egyptians for all things connected with Aten and the reign of Akhenaten. All other known tombs of the Egyptian Kings were looted, sometimes repeatedly, in antiquity.

[Note: place your cursor over the king for a recent reconstruction of how he may have looked in life.]

After the death of Akhenaten, his name, religion and city were abandoned and scorned by the outraged priesthoods. A campaign to eradicate his memory and destroy his city is what we have to thank for preserving the many priceless artistic and historical objects that we have today, as well as, yet another lesson for us all on unintended consequences. Click on "links" for more on Amarna.

Digital restoration of Tel-Amarna (Horizon of Aten)

(Image courtesy Paul Docherty - click here for his Amarna 3D site)