The Stormy Reign of Akhenaton and his Queen

He was often referred to as the “Heretic King.” Akhenaton the Pharaoh may well have been the the first ruler of any culture to embrace monotheism. As coregent with his father the Pharaoh Amenhotep III, Akhenaton showed no tendency towards a desire to change the religion of Egypt. It was only after his marriage to his Queen Nefertiti that his views towards religion changed and he began to worship the sun disk guide Aten to the exclusion of the Egyptian pantheon. He then renounced his royal name, Amenhotep, assuming the name Akhenaten which meant “He Who Serves Aten.” Nefertiti changed her name to Nefer-Nefru-Aten , or “Beautiful is the Beauty of Aten.”

The priests of Thebes considered the actions of the Pharaoh heresy, prompting Akhenaten to set up a new court on the east bank of the Nile near what is now Amarna. The king’s power could not be disputed although his monotheistic philosophy was questioned by many. The Egyptian people still felt compelled to follow Akhenaton and nearly 20,000 made their home in Akhenaten el-Armana, a tremendous urban city filled with amazing art and architecture.

Akhenaten’s faith in the sun disk god, prompted changes in Egyptian art. For the first time, Egyptian artists were compelled to craft art centered on the celebration of life rather than death. Frescoes and stone wall reliefs were common forms of art during this period. They were decorated with paintings and text and often used to commemorate an historic event. They were crafted both for religious and decorative reasons.

Little of the Pharaoh’s 17-year reign remains. the Egyptian priesthood sought to eliminate any evidence of the ‘heretic Pharaohs’ monotheistic legacy. Very few artifacts from the. Of his reign remains intact. An Egyptian wall relief depicting a playful, quiet moment of this royal Egyptian family is housed in the Altes Museum in Berlin. The artifact is significant because it demonstrates a shift in artistic style from traditional ‘staged’ poses to a more naturalistic scence.

hieroglyphics within the wall relief suggest that the change in style was at Akhenaton’s direction. In the scene he is is seen kissing one of his daughters. Nefertiti sits across from him, another daughter plays with her earring. However, not all conventions of Egyptian art are completely abandoned. The children are depicted as much smaller than the King and Queen even though they were full grown at the time. This is symbolic of their lesser stature to the King and Queen.

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