Research+Wiki

= ** ﻿ ** Changes in the Amarna Period =

The Amarna period has a relatively short timeline in the context of Egyptian history. It represents a change in religion and art, although these two topics are related, my focus is on the artistic changes of the time. This period takes place during the end of the 18th dynasty, roughly from the end of the reign of Amenhotep III through the reign of Tutankhamun, the dates are listed in the chart below. I use the word roughly because the dates are debated as to when the Amarna period started. In order to understand the changes in this period it is important to first talk about traditional Egyptian art and the kings who ruled during the Amarna period. For this reason this wiki is separated into several parts. In the first part I talk about traditional Egyptian art, mostly in the form of paintings or reliefs and how they were created. In the second part I focus on Amenhotep III and Akhenaten, the two kings preceding the change in art style to a new more realistic style known as Amarna. In the last part the concentration is the change to Amarna style and the change back to tradition.

**Traditional Egyptian Art**

Traditional Egyptian art is one of the most recognizable styles of art. It fits a certain formula which is relatively easy to distinguish from other styles. This style looks simplistic compared to the typical western idea of art as three dimensional. Egyptian art is two dimensional, it looks flat, and there is no attempt to show how things are in reality. Even though the art is two dimensional, certain tricks were used to show depth. One of the ways they did this was by overlapping objects with the object in front being closest. Another way this was done was by piling objects on top of each other with the object on the bottom being closest (Gay 1994).

The human figure was shown in partial profile so that some parts of the body were in profile while others remained in a front view. The head was drawn in profile and the eye shown in front view. Parts of the torso were in front view while other parts of the torso, arms, and legs were in profile. The hands and feet were sometimes shown with two left or two right hands and feet. This was done in part because certain objects were supposed to be held in specific hands, sometimes hard to depict in two dimensions (Gay 1994).

Even though Egyptian art looks simple and almost repetitive, it’s actually quite complex. A lot of time was taken to prepare drawing surfaces and to make sure the finished product was acceptable. Before a drawing started, a grid system was first laid out to set a base line and to ensure space was used efficiently. There is evidence for the grid in unfinished works. These unfinished works were largely found in tombs where if the person who the tomb was being built for died before it was complete, work ceased. The grid was also used in depicting the human form to get the right proportions. Even when depicting the king who was made larger than everyone else, the grid was used to make the proportions right (Gay 1994). Check out this wiki for some information on functional aspects of art within Ancient Egyptian society.

(Campbell 1960:10)
**Amenhotep III**

Amenhotep III, sometimes referred to as Amenophis III, ruled Egypt for almost 40 years. “The heb-sed was a very ancient ritual designed to re-invigorate a king by ritual means, ideally after 30 years on the throne, but ‘topped up’ by further heb-seds if the king lived long enough”(Watterson 1999:36). At around year 30 of his reign, Amenhotep III celebrated his first heb-sed festival. In artistic depictions of the king after this festival he is portrayed as a young boy, having been “restored symbolically to youth” (Watterson 1999:36). He had two more heb-sed festivals in years 34 and 37 of his reign. Festivals are a big part of Egyptian life, this wiki talks about some other festivals. In the closing years of Amenhotep III reign he stressed his divinity and was worshiped with Amun. His final year of rule is unclear and may have ruled alongside his son Akhenaten for an undetermined amount of time in what is called coregency.

**Akhenaten**

Amenhotep IV, who later changed his name to Akhenaten, took the thrown after Amenhotep III. But, there is some controversy over when Akhenaten reigned over Egypt. The discrepancy is if Amenhotep III and Akhenaten reigned separately or if there was a period of coregency and how long it lasted. There are two main sources for proof for and against the coregency hypothesis. The first is the Amarna letters, which were given that name because they were found at the site of Amarna. Some letters say Amenhotep III, but the time coincides with the end of his reign and the beginning of Akhenaten’s reign. So, it is uncertain if it is referring to Amenhotep III or Akhenaten (Campbell 1960). The second source is Amarna art. There are depictions of Amenhotep III in the new style commonly associated with Akhenaten. It is unclear however, if Amenhotep III had a role in the new art style or if it was only Akhenaten. If it was Akhenaten who had the upper hand, these depictions were probably in memory of Amenhotep III (Johnson 1996). “Akhenaten’s chief sculpture Bak, in an inscription carved on the rocks of Aswan, boasts proudly that it was the king himself who taught the rudiments of their arts... It remains unclear whether this was the flattery of an obsequious court artist anxious to please his master…or whether the king did indeed take a close interest in the arts” (Malek 2009:266).

During Akhenaten’s reign, he made many changes. He changed the long accepted religious views from polytheism to monotheism, declaring there is only one god, Aten. He also declared that he was the only intermediary between the people and the god. This change in religion was not widely accepted. It did away with the idea of an afterlife, a long practiced idea in Egypt, to be replaced by a desire to exist under Aten. This wiki talks more in depth about the Egyptian view of the afterlife. Evidence shows that the poorest Egyptians never accepted the new idea of a sole deity. They continued with pre-Amarna beliefs of multiple gods (Malek 1999). For more information on Egyptian religion please look at this wiki.

Akhenaten abandoned the capital at Thebes and moved north to Akhetaten, meaning ‘The Horizon of the Aten’. This new site was later known as Amarna or el-Amarna and is one of the few planned cities in ancient Egypt. In image 1 below from Google Earth you can see the archaeological site of Akhetaten and the modern city to the North. In image 2 the two cities of Amarna and Thebes are highlighted. If you would like to know more about some other Ancient Egyptian cities take a look at this wiki.



Stela of a Middle Kingdom official Abydos, Dynasty 12, ca. 1954 B.C. Painted limestone, 41 x 19 5 /8 in. Gift of Edward S. Harkness, 1912 []

Akhenaten sacrificing a duck Dynasty 18, reign of Akhenaten (ca. 1349-1336 B.C.), ca. 1353-1336 B.C. Limestone, h. 9 5/8 in. Gift of Norbert Schimmel, 1985 []



**Amarna Art**

Amarna art is the name given to the art style perpetuated by Akhenaten. It doesn’t abandon all aspects of traditional Egyptian art, but there are very noticeable differences. The grid system was still in use. However, evidence shows the proportions are different. Objects and especially the human form were now shown in a more realistic natural way. The difference is easy to see, figure 1 shows a piece in the traditional art style and figure 2 shows the new Amarna style. The new style uses more curves to accentuate aspects of the human form whereas the traditional style uses a lot more straight lines. This is evident in depictions of the royal family and especially Akhenaten. It is thought that Akhenaten may have had some kind of physical condition that caused his body to appear distorted which may have led to his early death. It may have been his insistence to be portrayed in the way he actually looked that was a catalyst for the new realistic Amarna style. With the religion changed to worship only one god, many scenes that show the presence of multiple gods in traditional art were abandoned to show only Aten. Many scenes of the royal family now depicted everyday life with the rays of the sun disk Aten shining down in the form of hands, being the only part of the scene not realistic.

Paintings and sculptures were not the only art affected by the new style. Egyptian glass manufactured during the Amarna period was very strong. Tomb architecture was also changed, but it is thought to be the weakest aspect of Amarna art, possibly because so much of it was destroyed after Akhenaten’s reign (Malek 1999). Architecture was much more popular during other periods of Egyptian history and is talked about more in depth in this wiki.

**Return to Tradition**

Shortly before he died, Akhenaten gave his oldest daughter away to be married to a man named Smenkhkare. He then named Smenkhkare his co-ruler, which only lasted a few years, until Akhenaten's death. The changes made by Akhenaten were not very popular and the return to tradition happened shortly after his death, during the reign of his successor and son, Tutankhamen. The deities that were abandoned during the reign of Akhenaten were returned and the capital taken back to Thebes. Tutankhamen took the crown at a very early age and many of the changes he made to return to tradition were believed to be done through coercion from advisors. In the tomb of Tutankhamen, which is the only tomb of the time to be found intact, there is evidence of both Amarna style art and traditional art. The Amarna style art found in the tomb is probably from the early years of his reign and the others were probably made after the change back to tradition (Malek 1999). Sometime after the reign of Tutankhamun “a wave of destructive rage was unleashed against Akhenaten and his monuments. Temples and palaces bearing his name were demolished and his inscriptions and statues defaced or smashed into small pieces” (Watterson 1999:103). Even with all the destruction of so many Amarna style works and the fact that the style only lasted a short time compared to the traditional style, there are an abundance of works and pieces left for us to appreciate.

**Conclusion**

According to the recent studies and analysis of the Amarna period it appears that the biggest factor in the changes during this time comes from the beliefs of Akhenaten. Whether or not he was influenced by his father in a coregency or even by his mother, Tiye, who had very strong religious beliefs, ultimately it was Akhenaten who orchestrated the change in art and religion. As I mentioned earlier these views were not accepted by everyone and it didn't take very long after he died that traditional Egyptian views of religion and art started to return. Those changes that are known as the Amarna period are synonymous with Akhenaten. Because of this he is viewed in two ways, as a hero and as a religious fanatic. A hero in the way he simplified religion by claiming the sun disk Aten was the sole god and by creating a revolutionary new art style that depicts things in a realistic way. He is viewed by others as a fanatic and heretic king because he forced his religious and artistic beliefs onto the kingdom. The questions and debates surrounding Akhenaten and the Amarna period may never be resolved, probably from lack of ancient texts. All we can do is make our own interpretations of the artifacts and limited ancient texts and make our own decision.

Here's a video I found at [|__www.ancientartpodcast.org__]. It gives a pretty good summary of Akhenaten and the Amarna style. It also gives some more examples of Amarna style art.

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**Works Cited **

Articles

Campbell, Edward F. "The Amarna Letters and the Amarna Period." The Biblical Archaeologist 23.1 (1960): 1-22. Print. Cooney, John D. "Amarna Art in the Cleveland Museum." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 55.1 (1968): 2-17. Print. Johnson, W. R. "Amenhotep III and Amarna: Some New Considerations." The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 82 (1996): 65-82. Print.

Books

Málek, Jaromír. Egyptian Art. London, England: Phaidon, 1999. Print. Robins, Gay, and Ann S. Fowler. Proportion and Style in Ancient Egyptian Art. Austin: University of Texas, 1994. Print. Watterson, Barbara. Amarna: Ancient Egypt's Age of Revolution. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Tempus, 1999. Print

Websites

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. . The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: Metmuseum.org. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. []. Livingston, Lucas. "Episode 21: Akhenaten and the Amarna Style." //Ancient Art Podcast//. 28 May 2009. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. .