Akhenaten

Figure 2.1 The names of the Aten: (a) earlier form in use from about regnal years 3 to 9.

Translation something like 'Re'-Harakhy (lit. Re'-Horus-of-the-twin-horizons), who rcjoices in his name as Shu- (lit.

illumination) who-is-from-the-Aten (= sun- disc)'. Akhenaten, in the form of the god Shu, elevates the twin cartouchcs of the Aten, and is flanked by his own titles and those of Nefertiti. Drawing of an alabaster block from Amarna, formerly in the collection of K.R. Lepsius, now in the Agyptisches Museum, Berlin, inv. 2045. Figure 2.1 (b) Later form in use from about regnal years 9 to 17. Translation something like 'Re'-ruler-of-of-the-twin- horizons, who rejoices in the horizon in his name as Re'-the-father-who- returns-as-Aten (= sun-disc)'.

are hard to translate (see Figure 2.1a). The orientation of the Gem-pa-Aten

is sig­nificant. Its axis is towards the rising sun in the east, rather than to the west like the rest of the Karnak shrine. So Akhenaten's first major building projcct turns its back on the temple of Amun, perhaps anticipating the events later in his reign.

The Karnak monuments have yielded some of the most iconic images of Akhenaten (see Plate 2.1). Apparently showing him with both male and female physical characteristics, they have spawned a host of theories about Akhenaten's sexual biology and orientation. The colossi like the one in Plate 2.1, originally over 4 metres tall, were in fact the appropriate format for showing the ruler as divine, the king appearing in creator-god form. Akhenaten's allegiancc to the Aten is shown by the cartouches of the Aten he wears inscribed on his torso. This

Plate 2.1 Colossus of Akhenaten from the south colonnade of the Gem-pa-Aten temple at east Karnak, as displayed in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, c.

1962, inv. JE 49529.

elegant visual pun of the Aten being written on the pharaoh's body prefigures the idea of Akhenaten as the physical agent for the Aten that becomes so important later in his reign.

On some of the Karnak reliefs, Akhenaten appears with a consort, Nefertiti. Her prominence here anticipates her importance on official monuments throughout Akhenaten's reign. Her name, 'The-radiant-one-has-come', is curi­ous. Other Egyptian names ending in -iti honour important goddesses, such as Bastiti, 'Bast-has-come'. The nefer- element of the name has associations with beauty, completeness and vitality, and becomes a much-used word in the vocabu­lary of the Aten cult. Although Ncfertiti's name is unusual and her parentage and origins are unknown, there is no evidence that she was a foreigner, as has been suggested (often in support of dubious racial theories). These first images of

Nefertiti at Karnak emphasise her harmonious union with her husband and role as fertile consort. A number of fragmentary scenes from Karnak show the couple about to get into bed (see Figure 2.2). At least six surviving daughters were born to the couple. The eldest three were born by about year 6 or 7 of the reign, c. 1347 bce: Meritaten ('Beloved-by-Aten'), Meketaten ('Protected-by-Aten') and Ankhescnpaaten ('She-lives-through-the-Aten'). Egyptian iconographic codes show offspring as young children in relation to their parents, so these images may not be reliable indicators of the children's ages. Akhenaten and Nefertiti may have had sons too, but Egyptian artistic decorum at this period would prevent them from having the same presence as daughters in official contexts. Other than at Karnak, early artistic representations of Akhenaten and his relatives are con­ventional (see Figure 2.3), but these soon give way to a modified style reflecting the changc in religious beliefs developed by the king.