When was akhenaten pharaoh

The royal tomb intended for Akhenaten at Amarna did not contain a royal burial, which prompts the question of what happened to the body. Several scholars have suggested that a skeleton found in tomb KV55 in the Valley of the Kings could belong to Akhenaten, because the tomb contained numerous grave goods including the coffin in which the remains were found belonging to Akhenaten and other Amarna period figures.

However, like many topics pertaining to Akhenaten, this issue remains the subject of much scholarly debate. Montserrat, Dominic Akhenaten: History, Fantasy and Ancient Egypt. London: Psychology Press. Redford, Donald B Akhenaten: The Heretic King.

Ancient Egyptian Literature Vol. Berkeley: University of California Press. Like the iconography of her husband, that of Nefertiti changed considerably over time, begging the question, what did she actually look like? We might hope she ressembled the beautiful bust in Berlin, but this clearly dates to late in the reign, when her image had mellowed.

Early on in the reign she is represented in rather a severe manner, with poky facial features and oversized ears placed high on her head. Exploring the Amarna gallery in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, the early images of Nefertiti are glaringly obvious.

Was this really monotheism before its time? This period of two millennia between Akhenaten and an early Christian community at the site hammers home just what a vast period of time Egyptian history covers. After all, by the time Akhenaten ruled Egypt, the Great Pyramid at Giza was already over years old. It is hardly surprising that a historical figure from so long ago, who clearly chose to break with convention, has been so heavily mythologized, even by academics, who can be just as guilty of creative interpretations of the past as writers, artists and composers.

The difficulty is that there are so few hard facts known about his reign, so imaginations run wild. We expect that of an artist, but hope not to find an academic guilty of this. This radical departure in art, particularly the distorted body shapes, has long left Egyptologists mystified.

His chest is sunken, yet there is something feminine about its form. Why Akhenaten chose to depict himself and others this way is a mystery. However recent study of a mummy found in KV 55, in the Valley of the Kings, which some believe is Akhenaten, show no signs of serious physical deformities.

Kemp writes in his book that if it is true Akhenaten was not deformed then we have to look into the psyche of the man to find the answers to this mystery. He is one of a kind, on the edge.

He wants you to feel uncomfortable and yet — as conveyed through the relaxed poses and overt affection for his family as found in some of the art to love him at the same time. Regardless of whether or not Akhenaten wanted people to love him, recent research shows that the people who built his new city, out in the desert, paid a steep price. Recent research published in the journal Antiquity shows that the common people at Amarna suffered from nutritional deficiencies and a high juvenile mortality rate, even by the standards of the time.

The temples and cults of the gods were restored and people shut up their houses and returned to the old capitals at Thebes and Memphis. Over time, the process of restoration of traditional cults turned to whole-scale obliteration of all things associated with Akhenaten. His image and names were removed from monuments.

His temples were dismantled and the stone reused in the foundations of other more orthodox royal building projects. The city of Akhetaten gradually crumbled back into the desert. His name and those of his immediate successors were omitted from official king-lists so that they remained virtually unknown until the archaeological discoveries at Akhetaten and in the tomb of Tutankhamun made these kings amongst the most famous of all rulers of ancient Egypt. The British Museum.

Great Russell Street, London. Tel: The British Museum is free to everybody and opens at 10am every day. Tel: A varied collection from Egypt consisting of approximately 36, objects dating from the Palaeolithic to the Roman period. Search term:. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience.

Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets CSS if you are able to do so. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving. The appeal of the Amarna period Some people are drawn by interest in Akhenaten himself or his religion, others by a fascination with the unusual art which appeals strongly to the tastes of modern viewers and provides a sense of immediacy rarely felt with traditional Egyptian representation.

Religious reforms The Egyptians had traditionally worshipped a whole pantheon of gods who were represented in human or animal form or as animal-headed humans.