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A review by jdintr
Egypt's Golden Couple: When Akhenaten and Nefertiti Were Gods on Earth by Colleen Darnell, John Darnell
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.