Was this built before or after his death?
It's likely that it was created while Akhenaten was still alive because after his death he was not a popular figure and people actually destroyed images of him. There is no evidence of images of Akhenaten being created after his death.
That's true, good point.
What is carved into his chest?
Those rounded carvings are known as cartouches. Cartouche is the French term for cartridge; its used by Egyptologists to describe the ornamental oval frame that surrounds the name of a king, a queen, or a deity in inscriptions.
Can you tell me anything more about Akhenanten?
Sure, Akhenaten is known as the "heretic pharaoh" because he broke with the traditional religious structure of the Egyptians. Originally named Amenhotep IV, when he came to power he changed his name to Akhenaten, which means, "the effective one/spirit of the Aten". Under his reign the people of Egypt were supposed to exclusively worship the Aten (a sun god that he put in place of Re or Ra) and Akhenaten had statues of other gods and goddesses destroyed so they could no longer be worshipped. Also, Akhenaten was married to the famous Queen Nefertiti.
It says on the description that it is the 'Torso of Akhenaten.' Who was he and what did he do?
Akhenaten was a pharaoh called, by some modern Egyptologists, the heretical king. He reigned during the 18th Dynasty and was the son and successor of Amunhotep III who you may have seen in other galleries. Akhenaten restructured the entire Ancient Egyptian religion around a single solar deity: the Aten. The capital city was moved to Akhetaten or modern Tell el-Amarna which is why Akhenaten's reign is referred to as the Amarna period.
Akhenaten's religion and very existence was rejected after his death which is why you see the cartouches chiseled off of this bust.
What are the carvings on the chest of the Torso of Akhenaten?
Those things on his chest are cartouches and they would have enclosed the pharaoh's name. They were likely chiseled out at a later date in an attempt to erase the memory of Akhenaten and damage his afterlife.
Why erase the memory?
Akhenaten was a controversial ruler. He championed the worship of a singular supreme deity, the Aten. This conflicted with preexisting Egyptian religious belief which supported the worship of many deities the most powerful at the time being Amun.
He actually had statues of other gods and goddesses destroyed. After Akhenaten's death, there was a strong push to reestablish the old pantheon and re-stabilize the territory. Egyptians believed that statues carried a part of the soul of the person and that by damaging it, you were symbolically damaging the deceased as well: In this case, erasing him.
Did Akhenaten actually have the unusual type of build shown in art?
Scholars believe that their exaggerated curves has a symbolic connotation. During his reign, Akhenaten made significant changes to the official religion in ancient Egypt.
One of the things that his new religion emphasized was the omnipotence of the king and queen. Part of this was a gender fluidity that suggested that each of them was an embodiment of everything.
Thank you! Nice chatting!
What tools were used to carve the Torso of Akhenaten?
The sculpture is carved from limestone. The ancient Egyptians would have used copper and bronze chisels for basic outlines, but all of the smooth surfaces were achieved by using sand as an abrasive.
Interesting.
Indeed! I find the smoothness of ancient sculptures really mesmerizing! In many cases, especially with limestone, they used to painted as well which also affects the surface.
Great speaking with you. Thanks for the info.
