Pharaohs of the Sun

by Yvonne J. Markowitz

Book Overview

The fascinating Amarna Period of ancient Egypt comes to life through more than 250 beautiful works of sculpture, architectural elements, ceramic ware, jewelry, clothing, tools, and furniture from... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0821226207
• ISBN13: 9780821226209
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Bulfinch Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 4.27 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 10.5" x 11.4"
• Age Range: 13 years and up

Customer Reviews

A Model for Exhibition Catalogues

This is the finest exhibition catalogue for Egyptian art this reviewer has ever seen. The text is a monument of scholarship for the always-challenging Amarna period, and the objects are sensitively photographed and well explained. The book is also beautifully designed and printed. A must-have for the devotees of Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and Tutankhamen.

review of Pharaohs of the Sun

An intriguing account of the life and rule of Akhenaten, one of the most controversial figures in Egyptian history. Akenaten, who is widely credited with being the world's first monotheist, rejected the well-established pantheon of gods and Egypt's capital to establish a new religious and government center at Aketaten, the "Horizon of the Aten." The authors attribute this to the fact that the priesthood, especially that of Egypt's most powerful god Amun, had grown so as the threaten pharaonic power, and Akenaten's closing of the temples was designed to eclipse this threat.Much has been written about Akenaten's possible physical deformities, due to the appearance of surviving sculptures and paintings. The slack belly, prominent hips, almond-shaped eyes, long face, and large lips, not only of Akenaten but of other members of the royal family as well, have engendered discussions as to whether Akenaten actually appeared this way, or if he wished to depart from the traditional methods of depiction in Egyptian art. When Akenaten abolished the old system of worship, and set up the Aten, the disc of the sun, as the one true god, he also appointed himself as the sole intermediary between Aten and the people, thereby deifying himself in the process. (This deification of the person of the pharaoh was not without precendent. Akenaten's father, Amenhotep III, enjoyed such status in his lifetime.) The authors suggest that the unusual appearance of Akenaten was to give himself an instantly recognizable iconography appropriate to his divine status, much like the other gods' peculiar attributes, such as Osiris' mummiform body and green skin. This theory is supported by the fact that Akenaten's appearance in artworks changed throughout his reign, moving from relatively usual examples toward the most extreme depictions in the "high Amarna" style, before returning to a more traditional appearance before the end of his rule. The authors also note the continuing influence of the Amarna style for centuries after Akenaten's death, most notably in the tomb treasures of Tutankhamen.

Beautiful!

Published as a compliment to the "Pharaohs of the Sun" exhibition that has been making its way across the country this year, this book is a wonderful catalog of Amarnan art, including what lead up to the style change and how it affected art afterwards. It's full of beautiful color photos of all the masterpieces included in the exhibition, plus many other artefacts from the reigns of Amenhotep III, Akhenaten, and Tutankhamen. It also features 14 essays on Akhenaten, his city Akhetaten, and the radical changes he made in religion and art while he was pharaoh. This book is a "must have" for anyone interested in ancient egyptian art.

The radiance of Amarna!

This priceless book is a compendium of Amarna and contains short essays on its history, a tutorial on its artistic conventions, and a 265 piece catalogue of its artistic achievements. I myself viewed the Pharaohs of the Sun public exhibition numerous times, and without fail was stunned each time I stepped between the colossal sandstone statues of Akhenaten and entered the gallery. This catalogue details the exhibition with text from renowned Amarna scholars, beautiful color photography, and an item by item review of each piece in the collection. This book is beautiful and dazzling, and a must for Amarnaphiles. To make your informational and photographical collection of Amarna art complete, I also highly recommend two other titles to compile a trilogy of this genre: Akhenaten and Nefertiti - Cyril Aldred / Images of Beauty: The Royal Women of Amarna - Dorothea Arnold.

An Absolute

What a treasure! Whether you've seen the exhibition or not (I saw it and wrote about it at http://kate.stange.com/egypt/ps.htm), this is more than just a detailed catalogue of all the over 250 exhibition pieces. It is a full-colour, well-written wealth of Amarna information, including a wide variety of essays by all the most well-known Amarna scholars (Johnson, Redford, Lacovara, Mallinson, Reeves, Foster, Freed, Markowitz, Manuelian, Silverman, Kendall, D'Auria, Murnane), a glossary, list of excavations, miscellaneous reference information (such as cartouches of the royalty) and extensive bibliography (the bibliography alone is worth the purchase of this book). In the end, the over 400 colour plates (of sumptuous quality) probably show every Amarna piece I've ever heard of, and then some. They are the real treasure in this book.If you've never heard of "Amarna" or these pharaohs, this is a fantastic introduction to their unique piece of history and the stunning, unusual (for Ancient Egypt) art! You'll love it. Only it's a little too large to take to bed.