Amarna: A Guide to the Ancient City of Akhetaten
Sophie Kazan
Anna Stevens
2021, AUC Press, 978-9-77416-982-3, $39.95 hb.
This book pertains to the reign of Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, during the 18th dynasty or New Kingdom. Though telling a story dating back to the 14th century BCE, the reader learns how Amenhotep IV, or Akhenaten as he was later known, distanced himself from the royal seat in Thebes and from the traditional deities worshiped by his forebearers. Instead, he established the monotheist cult of worship to the solar god, Aten, and he founded a new city of Akhetaten (modern-day Amarna), where Akhenaten lived with his family. Part academic-reference, part field-guide, this book presents a dramatic and exciting story. Additionally, the surviving artifacts from Amarna express a fascinating renaissance in art, portraying a more informal and realistic esthetic. Scenes representing the royal family, for example, appear less ceremonial and more emotive than previously. Armana provides tremendous insight for Egyptologists and scholars into daily life in Egypt 3,000 years ago.
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