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 his
relief portrait carving features Queen Nefertiti presenting
an offering of lotus flowers and an unguent jar to the sun
god Aton. Aton was the disc of the sun whose rays terminated
in human hands offering the beneficent symbol of life and
fertility (ankh) wherever the ray came closest to the nose
of the devotee. Although the complete image of Aton is not
present here, one of his rays offer the inverted ankh as the
breath of life.
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Nefertiti, her name translates… "the beautiful one has come".
Any one who is even vaguely familiar with the artwork of ancient
Egypt knows the image of Nefertiti. Her unique and distinctive
crown towers above the timeless, regal beauty of her face.
Her most famous portrait was discovered by German archaeologists
in 1912 found face down buried in the studio of the sculptor
Thutmose. The portrait bust is hailed as a masterpiece of
world art but is only one of many depictions of the queen
that were created in the city. Statuary, painting and in particular
relief carving documented the life and style of this unprecedented
era in Egyptian history.
 efertiti
and her husband, king Akhenaton were at the core of a religious
and artistic revolution. Throughout the country the foundations
of a belief system that had been ingrained into the consciousness
of every Egyptian for over a thousand years was wiped out.
Up until this time Egyptians were free to worship a multitude
of elemental and mythical gods and goddesses that represented
diverse attributes of nature and man. Gods of Wind, storms,
music and dance, hunting and love, chaos and harmony all had
their own unique iconography. The supreme god of the time
was Amun "the hidden one" whose wealth and power were presided
over by his influential priesthood. The priests of Amun became
very wealthy and must have rivalled the power wielded by the
pharaoh in affairs of state. There is evidence to suggest
this dating back to Akhenatons father, the third Amunhotep
who began to have his own image carved under the rays of the
new solar deity in defiance of the established priesthood.
Some Scholars are almost certain that a co-regency existed
between the King Amunhotep and his son towards the later years
of his reign inspiring the ultimate break in convention. Akhenaton
was originally named Amunhotep the fourth. However, during
the fourth year of his own reign he changed his name, closed
the temples of Amun across the land and abroad, moved the
capital city several hundred kilometres downstream and built
an entirely new city with a new culture on virgin soil.
 ost
Egyptians could not grasp the concept of one god and in Egypt's
many cities and towns the population clung to their beliefs
even though it was now forbidden to do so. For those of the
population who were faithful to the king's new religion, an
era of sumptuous decadence prevailed. The artistic achievements
during this time display a relative freedom from the constraints
of style that had been in place before the pyramids were built.
Early portraiture of the royal family, who were central to
the cult of the Aton, bordered on caricature, softening as
the years progressed into some of the best examples of ancient
art ever created.
 one
were the images of pharaoh smiting his enemy with a club or
bow and arrow. In their place pharaoh nurses and kisses his
wife and children, he leisurely rides in a chariot with his
queen…royal tassels flapping in the breeze, feasting and solar
worship are everywhere. A delicate observation of nature in
all its Egyptian abundance translates not only in the imagery
of artworks but a poem attributed to Akhenaton himself. Called
the "hymn to the Aton" this body of words paints quite a romantic
picture of the natural rhythms of the land.
 t
must have been an exciting time to be alive in this new city
with Egypt still at the zenith of its power and influence
over Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cultures. One can imagine
the harbour of the city bustling with the movement of foreign
ships that had sailed for many months to bring trade and tribute
to the revolutionary royal family and their subjects.
t
was an era that eventually came to an end at the death of
Akhenaton coupled with the growing dissention throughout the
rest of the population who yearned for the old world order
to return. The return to the worship of Amun and the rest
of the pantheon of gods was imminent. The destruction that
Akhenaton's city suffered was brutal. Within a short passage
of time after his death, Akhenaton was classified as a heretic
and all the temples, palaces and major buildings were torn
down to the foundations. Statues and wall paintings were smashed
and most of the cut and decorated stones were recycled into
other buildings in other parts of Egypt. The whole site of
Akhetaton was totally abandoned until just over two hundred
years ago when a modern farmer stumbled across hundreds of
clay tablets containing the correspondence issued in the time
of Akhenaton. It was realised that this was the site of a
buried city and here was the state archives.
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