Akhenaten

Changes to Egyptian Religion

Akhenaten (born Amenhotep IV) was a revolutionary force during his rule of Egypt from 1353-1336 BCE. For a time he was able to 'convert' Egyptian religion to a monotheistic faith worshiping only the sun deity Aten. As show of his devotion he renamed himself-the name Akhenaten means 'beneficial to Aten'. Despite the radical nature of his changes, he was not an impulsive ruler. He planned carefully, carrying out stages of change in a deliberate and concise manner. For instance, before starting a major phase of religious reform, he waited for the high priest of Amun (the previous head god in the Egyptian culture) to be away on a quarrying expedition. Hence, the priest, a key adversary to the reform, was removed from the situation while Akhenaten was shutting down Amun temples.

Moving the Egyptian Capital

Akhenaten also moved the capital of Egypt from Thebes. He built a city to the north, naming it Akhetaten, unsurprisingly another tribute to Aten, the name means "horizon of the Aten". It lies near the bank of the Nile halfway between Thebes and Memphis (in between the present cities of Luxor and Cairo). The modern name of the site is Tell el-Amarna. Historians often refer to the reign of Akhenaten as the Amarna period. Both of these changes did not last past his reign.

Lasting Change to Art

The change that did last was his contribution to art. He was a believer in Ma'at or divine truth. Thus, art became less formal and rigid and took on a more naturalistic feel. One of the greatest examples of this is a sunken relief image of Akhenaten with his wife Nefertiti with their daughters. It is carved into painted limestone. One child is shown being held, another sitting on her mother's lap. This type of informal positioning of figures simply had not been done when representing a royal family.

Also, more variety in style appears throughout his time period. The statues of Akhenaten are very different from previous pharaohs. Instead of the typical toned physique, his hips are wide and his belly pouches. His face too has a strange, exaggerated shape. Later works depicting him do not show the same intense exaggerations and the thought is that some of it may be stylized or symbolic. Whether he looked this way or not, the statues were made according to his orders. Hence, proving is direct involvement in the shift of art styles. The openness of style and content continued after his reign, even though the capital was moved back to Thebes and the polytheistic faith took back up.

Although many of his changes didn't last, it is a testament to a pharaoh's power and the cleverness of Akhenaten's mind that he was able to make such radical changes at all. To take the faith of a very religious people and attempt to morph it shows a boldness of personality (whether a person believes they are the son of a god or not). Especially, when there was great power in the hands of the Amun priests who were not at all happy with the changes. Akhenaten's commissioned artworks show a step in an unexpected and different direction. They throw convention to the winds, and let the artist create a piece that shows Egyptian life beyond rigid and static royal figures. It brings the viewer into the informal family life, showing pharaohs as actual people and give Akhenaten an unusual tangibility unique among pharaohs.

More Egyptian Art History: The Statue of Khafre

Sources:

Stokstad, Marilyn Art History: Volume 1 ,3 ^rd edition, Pearson Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River, NJ 2008

Dunn, Jimmy "The Amarna Period" Tour Egypt

The Amarna Project

Artwork Mentioned

The relief of Akhenaten

Akhenaten Statue

Extra (for some laughs): One person's theory about Akhenaten and UFOs