Lecture on Amarna Period, Akhenaten, and King Tutankhamun

Introduction

3,000 Years of Continuity: Artistic and architectural continuity in ancient Egypt
Exception: Amarna Period as a brief but significant exception
Key Figures: Akhenaten and King Tutankhamun

Religious Shift: From polytheism to monotheism (worship of Aten, the solar disk)
Political Changes: Moved the capital to a new site called Tel el-Amarna
Artistic Revolution: Significant style change
- Departure from traditional 18-square grid system
- Naturalistic, fluid, and curved lines
- Relaxed and informal representations of the royal family
- Example: Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and their daughters depicted with naturalistic features

Relief Carving: Akhenaten and family
- Depicts naturalistic scenes, relaxed postures, and family interaction
- Hieroglyphs and symbols such as Aten (solar disk) in low and deep relief
Nefertiti's Plaster Bust: Created by Thutmose
- Unfinished eye indicates it was a model for reference
- Currently in Berlin, highly sought after by Egypt

Reversion: After Akhenaten’s death, capital moved back to Thebes and polytheism restored
Erasure: Akhenaten's name removed from king's list
Legacy: Akhenaten's wife Kia likely mother of King Tutankhamun

Brief Reign: Became pharaoh as a child and died at 18
Burial: Simple due to his unexpected death
- Death Mask: Made from hammered gold, semi-precious jewels, placed directly over mummy
Discovery of Tomb: Found by Howard Carter in the 1920s

First Wave: Discovery led to fascination, especially in the 1920s
Second Wave: 1970s, driven by US and Egyptian diplomatic efforts
- Art and Artifacts Indemnity Act: Insured transport of artifacts to the US
- Blockbuster Exhibition: Exhibited in major US cities, a turning point for museum exhibitions
- Commercialization: Emergence of non-specialist interest in museums
- Impact: King Tut's exhibition as the first blockbuster

King Tut’s Importance: Although not a significant pharaoh in his time, his tomb's discovery and the subsequent 'Tut-mania' have made him pivotal to modern Egyptology and museum culture.