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A review by cancermoononhigh
Egypt's Golden Couple: When Akhenaten and Nefertiti Were Gods on Earth by Colleen Darnell, John Darnell
challenging
informative
medium-paced
2.5
This book covered a lot and I know that the authors don't have much to go one according to written thoughts and emotions but it was a very dry read. I did like how short the chapters were and I believe this was my first husband and wife writing duo.
*Egyptian Queens were not laying in bed when they gave birth, instead they would squatted atop of four decorated bricks
*The Eighteenth Dynasty pharaohs married into the same family from Ipu. Tiye and Nefertiti's queenship may have had less to do with beauty and more to do with their intellect and schooling.
*Amunhotep III was not the first pharaoh who claimed to be a scholar. Kings were expected to be literate and learned. A King's knowledge was not simply the product of book learning, memorizing religious treaties stored in temple library. He needed to be able to apply that information to the proper performance of ritual, the manipulation of objects, the reciting of magically powerful hymns, even the choice materials and plans for temple construction.
*It is difficult to estimate the age of the pharaohs at death. If Amunhotep III ascended the throne at an early age he would have been in his forties when he celebrated his first jubilee. Tiye may have been younger, for she died two decades after the celebrations at Malqata.
*By the fourth year of Amunhotep IV's reign , the woman who became one of the most visually prominent royal wives in Egyptian history came onto the scene, Queen Nefertiti. In the earliest representation of his reign he appeared alongside his mother Tiye. Tiye played an important part at court, participating in international negotiations. She and Nefertiti were members of the same family. After her marriage to Amunhotep she appeared at the kings side during every major event of his reign. Nearly every depiction of him included her in the role of the King's great wife.
*After 13 years on the throne Akhenaten was probably in his mid twenties, Nefertiti perhaps a bit younger. Despite their youth the King and Queen ruled as Gods on earth, their union had produced six princesses and a prince. Princesses Setepenre and Neferneferure were not yet five years old when they died. In two decorations along the royal tomb one can see Akhenaten and Nefertiti mourning the loss of their children. Princess Meketaten died no older than ten or eleven. No cause was given to the deaths of their daughters.
*Following the deaths of the daughter and the birth of their son was most likely around Regnal Years 13 and 14.
*Pharaohs deemed it perfectly acceptable to marry foreign princesses no Egyptian woman of any rank would be sent to wed a foreign ruler.
*Egyptian Queens were not laying in bed when they gave birth, instead they would squatted atop of four decorated bricks
*The Eighteenth Dynasty pharaohs married into the same family from Ipu. Tiye and Nefertiti's queenship may have had less to do with beauty and more to do with their intellect and schooling.
*Amunhotep III was not the first pharaoh who claimed to be a scholar. Kings were expected to be literate and learned. A King's knowledge was not simply the product of book learning, memorizing religious treaties stored in temple library. He needed to be able to apply that information to the proper performance of ritual, the manipulation of objects, the reciting of magically powerful hymns, even the choice materials and plans for temple construction.
*It is difficult to estimate the age of the pharaohs at death. If Amunhotep III ascended the throne at an early age he would have been in his forties when he celebrated his first jubilee. Tiye may have been younger, for she died two decades after the celebrations at Malqata.
*By the fourth year of Amunhotep IV's reign , the woman who became one of the most visually prominent royal wives in Egyptian history came onto the scene, Queen Nefertiti. In the earliest representation of his reign he appeared alongside his mother Tiye. Tiye played an important part at court, participating in international negotiations. She and Nefertiti were members of the same family. After her marriage to Amunhotep she appeared at the kings side during every major event of his reign. Nearly every depiction of him included her in the role of the King's great wife.
*After 13 years on the throne Akhenaten was probably in his mid twenties, Nefertiti perhaps a bit younger. Despite their youth the King and Queen ruled as Gods on earth, their union had produced six princesses and a prince. Princesses Setepenre and Neferneferure were not yet five years old when they died. In two decorations along the royal tomb one can see Akhenaten and Nefertiti mourning the loss of their children. Princess Meketaten died no older than ten or eleven. No cause was given to the deaths of their daughters.
*Following the deaths of the daughter and the birth of their son was most likely around Regnal Years 13 and 14.
*Pharaohs deemed it perfectly acceptable to marry foreign princesses no Egyptian woman of any rank would be sent to wed a foreign ruler.