Focus: Background and Rise to Prominence Flashcards
(7 cards)
Family Background + Early Years
Born Amenhotep IV, the second son of Amenhotep III and Tiye, around year 18 of his father’s reign in Memphis. His older brother, Thutmose, died young but he had eight other sisters.
- He may have been trained as a priest in the Temple of Re at Heliopolis
- Donald Redford suggests this may just be a theory to explain his intense solar theology
- Amenhotep III, Tiye, and their family moved from Memphis to Malkata (West Thebes)
- Akhenaten moved with them, as indicated in a wine-jar seal inscription (“the estate of the true king’s son Amenhotep”)
Co-Regency
There is much debate about Akhenaten’s accession to the throne.
- Firstly, it is questioned whether he came to the throne upon his father’s death or whether there was a period of co-regency (2-12 years).
- Co-regency may have been necessary to strengthen his claim to the throne as he was not the eldest son.
- If the co-regency was for a long period, Amenhotep III would have still been senior co-regent when Amarna policies came into place.
EVIDENCE: Third Pylon Relief at Karnak
- Figures of two kings: the larger one clearly Amenhotep III, and the second one (though erased) identified as Amenhotep IV
EVIDENCE: Letter to Akhenaten from Tushratta, King of Mitanni
- Refers to Amenhotep III’s funeral and requests a continuation of good relations with Egypt
Physical Appearance
It is plausible that Akhenaten had a rare genetic syndrome like Froehlich’s, Barraquer-Simons, or Mafran’s, making him more susceptible to sudden death due to a weak cardiovascular system.
He also may have had keratoconus (abnormally cone-shaped corneas), making him blind for most of his adult life.
Descriptions by Historians
- a creature of “sick ugliness and nervous decadence” (Walther Wolf)
- “The king was…represented with a receding forehead, a lined and haggard face, a long nose, thick lips, slanting eyes, a hanging overgrown jaw, and hollow cheek…His neck was shown as lean and arching, emerging from pronounced collar-bones…His breasts were prominent, his paunch pendulous, his buttocks large, and his thighs inflated above spindle shanks.” (Aldred)
EVIDENCE: Tomb 55 Skeleton
- Harris and Hussein’s unpublished radiographic study displays the same dilicocephaly (long-headedness) and prognathism (long profile, with the angle of the face projecting forward from forehead to chin) → more moderate appearance in accordance with his sculptures
Thebes
Akhenaten aimed to erect structures open to the sky for the Aten’s worship within the Karnak temple complex at Thebes, the realm of Amun.
- “It was worse than those things heard by any kings who had ever assumed the white crown [of Upper Egypt]” (Amarna Boundary Stela, Year 5) → in reference to Akhenaten’s opposition to his exploits in Thebes
- Abandoned Thebes to Amun’s priests, Akhenaten was seeking to lose his principal opposition and reap the opportunities of the construction of his god’s new city
Nefertiti
Her name means “the beautiful woman has come”.
Debated Origins
- Nefertiti was the name given to Tadukhepa, a Mitannian princess betrothed to Amenhotep III but married to Akhenaten.
- Nefertiti was a daughter of Amenhotep III by a minor wife. (Akhenaten married his sister ewwww…but not surprising)
- Nefertiti was descended from Ahmose-Nefertari (prominent queen of the early 18th dynasty), evidenced by her title, “The Heiress”.
- Nefertiti was daughter of Ay, who was the brother of Tiye. His title, “God’s Father”, could be considered to mean this.
EVIDENCE: Bust of Nefertiti
Discovered in 1912 in the workshop of sculptor, Thutmose, in Akhetaten.
Kiya
- Bore the title “Greatly Beloved Wife”.
- Scholarly opinion points to her being mother of Tutankhamun and possibly Meritaten and Ankhsenpa’aten (previously thought to be by Nefertiti).
- No evidence of role
- Died year 12 of Akhenaten’s reign
EVIDENCE
- Block at the site of Hermopolis (located across the Nile from Akhetaten)
- Identified on several items from the northern palace, the great palace and the great temple at Akhetaten
Tadukhepa
Mitannian princess from the land of Naharin, sent to marry Amemhotep III but transferred to Akhenaten after his father’s death.
- Historiography: Some think she may be the same person as Kiya or even Nefertiti herself.
