Scan barcode
jdintr's review
4.0
There are many pharaohs that come to mind before the heretic, Akhenaten: Rameses II, Hatchepsut, Khafre of the Great Pyramid of Giza, and even a few of the heretic's direct descendants: Tutmose and Amenhotep III. But when it comes to royal couples, Akhenaten and his beautiful queen, Nefertiti, reign supremem.
There is a lot of literature on the couple and their time ruling Egypt. To summarize, the pharaoh (who was crowned Amenhotep IV before changing his name to acknowlege the one god) consolidated the worship of gods into the worship of Aten, the sun with warm hands at the end of its rays, and went so far as to move the kingdom's capital from Luxor/Thebes to a site now known as Al Amarna then known as "Akhetaten."
What the Darnells bring to the story is a bit of new evidence. Subsequent pharaohs dismantled the heretic's capital city, and removed many references to the royal couple during the subsequent, short reign of their son, Tutankhamum, and thereafter. What archaeologists have found in recent years is the remains of those temples were used as filler material for the pylons and buildings of later dynasties. This has opened a host of new clues about the couple and their grandiose intentions, as well as a peek into life in Akhetaten.
The second element cleverly spun into this book is the Darnells' structure. Each chapter begins with a detailed dramatisation from the lives of Akhetaten and Nefertiti: a chariot ride through the city, a coronation, even the workshop where the famous bust of Nefertiti was created. These scenes put the reader front and center into the world and the worldview of the subjects. The second part in each chapter goes into the archaeological evidence that underpins the descriptions.
What I think the Darnells (the galley I read from NetGalley identified John AND Colleen Darnell as the authors, not just the latter) achieved for me was an insight into the mind of Akhenaten. His heresy wasn't necessarily a rejection of Egyptian theology as it was a revelation of it. Akhenaten really did see himself as the embodiment of god--and in many respects, even conjugal relations, he and Nefertiti acted out the work of god.
I also "saw" the city of Akhetaten for the first time through their rich descriptions and detailed analysis.
Egypt's Golden Couple isn't just a look AT the lifetime of a fascinating royal marriage, it is a look INTO the minds that turned a great civilization on edge and created a new city, and a new ideology that fascinates still today.
There is a lot of literature on the couple and their time ruling Egypt. To summarize, the pharaoh (who was crowned Amenhotep IV before changing his name to acknowlege the one god) consolidated the worship of gods into the worship of Aten, the sun with warm hands at the end of its rays, and went so far as to move the kingdom's capital from Luxor/Thebes to a site now known as Al Amarna then known as "Akhetaten."
What the Darnells bring to the story is a bit of new evidence. Subsequent pharaohs dismantled the heretic's capital city, and removed many references to the royal couple during the subsequent, short reign of their son, Tutankhamum, and thereafter. What archaeologists have found in recent years is the remains of those temples were used as filler material for the pylons and buildings of later dynasties. This has opened a host of new clues about the couple and their grandiose intentions, as well as a peek into life in Akhetaten.
The second element cleverly spun into this book is the Darnells' structure. Each chapter begins with a detailed dramatisation from the lives of Akhetaten and Nefertiti: a chariot ride through the city, a coronation, even the workshop where the famous bust of Nefertiti was created. These scenes put the reader front and center into the world and the worldview of the subjects. The second part in each chapter goes into the archaeological evidence that underpins the descriptions.
What I think the Darnells (the galley I read from NetGalley identified John AND Colleen Darnell as the authors, not just the latter) achieved for me was an insight into the mind of Akhenaten. His heresy wasn't necessarily a rejection of Egyptian theology as it was a revelation of it. Akhenaten really did see himself as the embodiment of god--and in many respects, even conjugal relations, he and Nefertiti acted out the work of god.
I also "saw" the city of Akhetaten for the first time through their rich descriptions and detailed analysis.
Egypt's Golden Couple isn't just a look AT the lifetime of a fascinating royal marriage, it is a look INTO the minds that turned a great civilization on edge and created a new city, and a new ideology that fascinates still today.
elzabetg's review
4.0
As a fan of the Amarna period, I was really taken by this book. It offered a different point of view of Akhenaten's reign than I have previously been exposed to and made me think a lot differently of the royal pair, and of how they are depicted in the art of the time. Peeling back the layers of hieroglyphs and comparing/contrasting with contemporary theology, history of the time fleshed them out as more than just weirdos or rebels against the prevailing order.
The narrator...read the book.
Story: 5 stars
Narration: 3 stars
The narrator...read the book.
Story: 5 stars
Narration: 3 stars
fallingdownrabbitholes's review
4.0
I was provided an advanced copy from NetGalley and St. Martin’s press. All these opinions are my own. Thank you!
As someone who has been fascinated by Ancient Egypt since childhood, I have began to read up on Ancient Egyptian history in the past few months. I wanted to expand my learning beyond what I learned in brief lessons I had in high school. Before reading this book, I took a couple courses learning the overall history of Ancient Egypt. I tried to take courses that took into account recent developments of findings in Ancient Egypt. I have also been reading articles from perspectives of Egyptians as they learn about their ancestors history. While the overall history of Ancient Egypt is a lot to take in, I enjoyed these courses immensely. However, I wanted to start reading books and literature that examined specific points in Ancient Egyptian history. When I came across this upcoming book providing a history on Akhenaten and Nefertiti, I was very excited to read this. I was lucky enough to be provided the advanced copy by NetGalley and I dived right in to discover the lives of these fascinating rulers.
The book starts each chapter with a narrative that looks into the lives of how Ancient Egyptians lived based in many historical articles. This openings allowed for me to get a glimpse into how the Ancient Egyptians lived. Past books I have read on Ancient Egypt have been hard for me to read as they are filled with facts and dates that start to get confusing for me. As someone who is just reading about Ancient Egypt, this is a great book to start with as it is easy to read and it provides readers with translated writings from the Ancient Egyptians. The authors provide a lot of context and explanations on some of the complex matters they discuss. This helps the reader understand the social and political impacts of phrases used in the book. When talking about the lives of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, the authors show us every aspect of these two historical figures reign and their impacts on Ancient Egyptian history. In the past courses I have taken, the names of these two have come up in various lectures but it was so amazing to find a book that brought together recents findings and discoveries of these figures. I enjoyed this book immensely and it allowed me to learn so many new facts about Ancient Egypt that I never knew before.
As someone who has been fascinated by Ancient Egypt since childhood, I have began to read up on Ancient Egyptian history in the past few months. I wanted to expand my learning beyond what I learned in brief lessons I had in high school. Before reading this book, I took a couple courses learning the overall history of Ancient Egypt. I tried to take courses that took into account recent developments of findings in Ancient Egypt. I have also been reading articles from perspectives of Egyptians as they learn about their ancestors history. While the overall history of Ancient Egypt is a lot to take in, I enjoyed these courses immensely. However, I wanted to start reading books and literature that examined specific points in Ancient Egyptian history. When I came across this upcoming book providing a history on Akhenaten and Nefertiti, I was very excited to read this. I was lucky enough to be provided the advanced copy by NetGalley and I dived right in to discover the lives of these fascinating rulers.
The book starts each chapter with a narrative that looks into the lives of how Ancient Egyptians lived based in many historical articles. This openings allowed for me to get a glimpse into how the Ancient Egyptians lived. Past books I have read on Ancient Egypt have been hard for me to read as they are filled with facts and dates that start to get confusing for me. As someone who is just reading about Ancient Egypt, this is a great book to start with as it is easy to read and it provides readers with translated writings from the Ancient Egyptians. The authors provide a lot of context and explanations on some of the complex matters they discuss. This helps the reader understand the social and political impacts of phrases used in the book. When talking about the lives of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, the authors show us every aspect of these two historical figures reign and their impacts on Ancient Egyptian history. In the past courses I have taken, the names of these two have come up in various lectures but it was so amazing to find a book that brought together recents findings and discoveries of these figures. I enjoyed this book immensely and it allowed me to learn so many new facts about Ancient Egypt that I never knew before.
jeffburns's review
2.0
Huge disappointment. It was on several "Best Upcoming Books" Lists. It turned out to be an incredibly boring textbook on hieroglyphics with almost new information and even less certainty. Lots of speculation. Could not finish.
amberleelettersandreads's review
2.0
This was a really dense read. I liked the concept of the chapter structures with a narrative account, then historical account, and occasionally their experiences in Egypt, but it just didn’t land for me. I would really only recommend this to those with a huge interest and background knowledge in Egyptology.
booknerd7820's review
4.0
I have long been obsessed with ancient Egypt and so I was thrilled to be able to read this latest nonfiction work about Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti.
Egypt’s Golden Couple is a refreshing and concise look at the family that eventually ended with Tutankhamun. Due to the intentional destruction of Akhenaten’s legacy, up until recently very little has been known about his decision to completely upend Egyptian religious tradition from a polytheistic/cult following society to one that solely worshipped a single deity and Akhenaten and his family as living avatars.
Using actual heiroglyphic texts and first hand evidence left behind in tombs and temples, the Darnells breathe life back into the reign of this forgotten pharoah. Descriptive scenes that imagine what jubilees and processions would have looked like do not detract from the very real archaeological science in the text, but instead work in favor of teaching this time in history to the masses.
Easy to read and follow, Egypt’s Golden Couple is a fascinating history book for anyone who is interested in Ancient Egypt. My only complaint is that my advanced copy did not have any photographic inserts, so I found myself googling images within every chapter, although this just further increased my interest in the subject.
Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and John and Colleen Darnell for this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
Egypt’s Golden Couple is a refreshing and concise look at the family that eventually ended with Tutankhamun. Due to the intentional destruction of Akhenaten’s legacy, up until recently very little has been known about his decision to completely upend Egyptian religious tradition from a polytheistic/cult following society to one that solely worshipped a single deity and Akhenaten and his family as living avatars.
Using actual heiroglyphic texts and first hand evidence left behind in tombs and temples, the Darnells breathe life back into the reign of this forgotten pharoah. Descriptive scenes that imagine what jubilees and processions would have looked like do not detract from the very real archaeological science in the text, but instead work in favor of teaching this time in history to the masses.
Easy to read and follow, Egypt’s Golden Couple is a fascinating history book for anyone who is interested in Ancient Egypt. My only complaint is that my advanced copy did not have any photographic inserts, so I found myself googling images within every chapter, although this just further increased my interest in the subject.
Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and John and Colleen Darnell for this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.