Akhenaten syllabus outline and sources Flashcards
Provide two sources on Akhenaten’s family background
- Redford- “conspicuous by his absence from the monuments”
- Grew up in a palace in Thebes- wine-jar seal states ‘estate of the true king’s son Amenhotep’
Who was the royal wife, and a prominent consort? Provide a piece of evidence for each
Queen Nefertiti
- House altar of Akhenaten, Nefertiti and three of daughters
Princess Kiya
- The name Kiya found on many cartouches
Describe Amenhotep IV’s changes to royal image with the use of three sources
- Changing name from Amenhotep IV to Akhenaten
- Representation of king altered; narrow upper torso, wider hips, and outer lower belly, of feminine qualities, something which predecessors avoided
- He only associated himself with the Aten
Provide a source which demonstrates the style of his early building program
Sun temples at East Karnak was innovative. It had sunstone talatat blocks, sandstone blocks and sunken reliefs
Provide three evidence’s describing his transfer of capital to Akhetaten, and determine whether they are a political or religious motive
- Jubilee in third year with numerous changes made. Statues absent from shrines, other gods were removed, Nefertiti played prominent role, proceedings were solely dedicated to the Aten (political and religious)
- Sun temples (religion)
- Scenes on relief, depicting the rays of the sun god shining upon Akhenaten (religion)
Name three sources which emphasise the layout and function of Akhetaten
Windows of appearance- royal family political
Clay Amarna Tablets found here- foreign correspondence
Aten worship
List three pieces of evidence which communicate Akhenaten’s religious reforms
- Dvivine triad
- The Great Hymn to the Aten
- Aten was depicted in the form of a solar disc, with hands at the tips of rays of light that were often extending ankh symbol towards the pharaoh.
Provide six pieces of evidence which demonstrate his artisic innovations and development
- Sun temple innovations- sunstone talatat blocks, sandstone blocks, sunken reliefs
- Talatat blocks inscribed with rituals, Akhenaten and family, processions and scenes
- Depictions of Akhenaten in feminine ways
- Inclusion of the royal wife; same size as Akhentaten
- Iconography
- Aldred- “court, open to sunlight”
Name two sources which reveal foreign policy
- Amarna letters tell lots about Egypt’s foreign relations with Babylonia, Mitanni Assyria and other countries
- Reliefs depict Egyptians besieging cities, while Akhenaten himself is shown riding in his chariot and killing prisoners.
Name two sources which reveal the changes Akhenaten made to afterlife beliefs and funerary customs
- The Great Hymn to the Aten was found engraved in Ay’s tomb. Written by Akhenaten, key quote from it; “Creator of all life”
- Differing funerary practices; No day of judgement, No weighing of the heart, No afterlife hosted by numerous deities, No underworld of Osiris
Use four sources to describe how prominent Nefertiti’s role was.
- Redford says that Nefertiti had an “unexpectedly prominent role”
- Had her own temple
- Appeared on the talatat twice as often as Akhenaten does
- Included in the divine triad
What two sources reveal the role of the royal family?
- Windows of appearance
- Stela of the rays of the Aten bestowing upon the royal family
List seven sources which aid in providing an assessment of Akhenaten’s life and reign
- Shrines within homes
- Deconstruction of temples
- Name removed from the King’s list
- Faced and name etched out from various artworks
- Innovative art and architecture styles
- Redford- dismantled “the socioeconomic system”
- Redford- “disrupted the running of the state”
- Redford- buildings were “hastily designed and assembled”
Name four ancient sources which demonstrate his image and reputation
- Tut- period of ‘sickness’
- Horemheb- period of ‘corruption’
- Ramesside era- ‘the criminal’
- Removal from the King list
Name three modern sources which demonstrate his image and reputation
- Weigall interpreted Akhenaten in the light of his own Victorian values
- Breasted called him ‘a brave soul’ and ‘ the world’s first individual’
- Redford- “disrupted the running of the state”
