Amarna Style

Amenhotep IV (c. 1351–1336 BCE) assumed the throne shortly before the death of his father. In the fifth year of his reign, Amenhotep IV instituted radical changes. He changed his name to Akhenaten (or Akhenaton), instituted a monotheistic religion, and founded a new capital at Akhetaten (modern Tell el-Amarna). These political and religious moves dramatically affected the forms, styles, and iconographies of all Egyptian art and architecture as well as all other cultural practices. Known as the Amarna period (after his new capital) or the Great Heresy, this period of radical changes for an otherwise conservative nation, has sparked debate among scholars as to the reasons for the changes, the meanings of the resulting artistic forms, and the relationship between this monotheistic interlude and the religion of the Israelites.

Background

During the Amarna period, sanctioned worship was limited to one aspect of the sun god, the Aten (also spelled Aton), and all other gods were banned. The traditional Egyptian pantheon of many gods (polytheism), was erased (sometimes literally off monuments), the effigies of the gods destroyed, and the celebration of all religious festivals including their processions and public holidays ceased. Only the supremacy of the sun god (Re)—but in its aspect as the Aten—was maintained in the center of religious life of Egypt. The venerable tradition that the pantheon of gods was the offspring of the mythical twin gods, Shu and Tefnut, who first emerged from the Creator god, Atum, was subverted. The creator god was replaced by the Aten and the roles of Shu and Tefnut were assumed by the king, Akenaten, and his queen, Nefertiti (later renamed Neferneferuaten). In effect, Egypt had assumed a monotheistic religion with the life giving radiant disk of the sun, the Aten, at its center and the king and queen as the only mediators.

A direct result of Egyptian polytheism was the role of priesthoods who controlled large parcels of land and substantial wealth and who could exert influence outside religious spheres. By eliminating all other gods, Akhenaten no longer needed the numerous priesthoods. Likewise, neither Memphis (the traditional administrative seat of Egyptian power) nor Thebes (its spiritual center) seemed appropriate as a capital to Akhenaten. Both were tainted by the visual memory and physical presence of the old gods. Consequently, Akhenaten founded a new city, called Akhetaten, about midway between Memphis and Thebes. This naturally created unrest, especially among temple administrators in Thebes. While Akhenaten ruled from Akhetaten, he eventually made his queen, Nefertiti, a co-regent who resided in Thebes and helped to maintain stability. This placed unprecedented power in the hands of a woman ruler: Nefertiti ceased to be a queen (those roles were assumed by Akhenaten’s and Nefertiti’s daughters) and became a de facto equal to Akhenaten.

Overview

The most striking changes in the representation of human figures came in the proportions of the body. This can most easily be seen comparing the colossal statues of Akhenaten from Karnak with that of his father from Luxor. While artists did maintain the use of gridlines, mixed front and profile perspectives to depict the essential forms (twisted perspective) when needed, and the use of hierarchical scale (i.e., more important figures drawn larger), the Amarna artists changed the proportions of the figures, creating softer forms with greater naturalism and a heightened sense of movement. In group compositions, especially of the royal family, such as the famous shrine stele from Amarna, the figures show greater intimacy: a touch, an embrace, or even a kiss.

The most profound changes introduced by the Amarna style are the subjects and meanings of the images. All representations now centered on representations of the Aten, whose rays literally offer the life-giving force of the sun. While representation of the Egyptian gods were lacking, those of the royal family, especially the king were prevalent, primarily because of his role as earthly mediator between the masses and the Aten. This is most evident in burials where Osiris was replaced by the Aten and Akhenaten. Afterlife was in the temples and palaces where the sun lived and moved through its cycle. It was through the teachings of Akhenaten, who figured prominently in tomb decoration, that the afterlife could be achieved. Correspondingly, the decoration of the palaces and some tombs depicted lush flora and fauna typical of Upper and Lower Egypt. In the temples, displays of food and drink were accompanied by incense and floral bouquets in adoration of the Aten. These were meant as tangible proof of the Aten’s power and a contrast with the surrounding desert.

In choosing to found a new capital city, Aketaten, Akhenaten gave physical form to his beliefs, but made concessions with regard to resources and location. Although the limits of the landscape coordinated with the positioning of urban spaces, such as the Temple of the Aten, and suburban spaces, such as the Royal Tomb, to create a virtual representation of the life-giving Aten, construction had to move quickly. Rather than large megalithic block, which required intensive labor and large workforces, new blocks that could be rapidly produced and easily moved by one or two people (talatat blocks) were employed.

Within the city, the role of the king as physical manifestation of the Aten was played out at the Window of Appearance in the Great Palace. This was a balcony that straddled the Royal or Ceremonial Road, so that the masses could see the king as the emerging sun above during processions. The form of temples inverted the traditional form (from open courtyards to closed columnar shrines) with vast offering tables set in courtyards separated by pylons. Called Houses of the Sun-Disk, the temples relied on the open sky as its natural sanctuary.

Bibliography

Dodson, Aidan. Amarna Sunrise: Egypt from Golden Age to Age of Heresy. Cairo: American U in Cairo P, 2014. Print.

Dodson, Aidan. Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, and Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation. Cairo: American U in Cairo P, 2009. Print.

Hoffmeier, James K. Akhenaten and the Origins of Monotheism. New York: Oxford UP, 2015. Print.

Kemp, Barry. The City of Akhenaten and Nefertiti: Amarna and Its People. London: Thames, 2012. Print.

Manniche, Lise. The Akhenaten Colossi of Karnak. Cairo: American U in Cairo P, 2010. Print.

Robins, Gay. Proportion and Style in Ancient Egyptian Art. Austin: U of Texas P, 1994. Print.

Seyfried, Friedericke, ed. In the Light of Amarna. 100 Years of the Nefertiti Discovery. Petersberg: Imhof, 2010. Print.

Verner, Miroslav. Temple of the World: Sanctuaries, Cults, and Mysteries of Ancient Egypt. Cairo: American U in Cairo P, 2013. Print.