The Amarna period is one of the most exciting and studied times in ancient history. The radical and highly polarizing Pharaoh Akhenaten, during his 17-year reign in 14th century Egypt, instituted a new national religion, a new approach to symbology, and left a massive impact on Egyptian art. Akhenaten himself is most famous for his strange and androgynous depictions in sculpture, including exaggerated facial features and an elongated head. The depictions of Akhenaten’s daughters with his royal wife Nefertiti have been an equal cause for debate. The first three of which, most famously their oldest Meritaten, were depicted in inscriptions and sculptures with massive bulbous skulls. What can archaeological evidence do to explain the cause of the elongated skulls of Akhenaten’s daughters and Amarna art?
Getting Up Close and Personal With a Non-gentle Giant
I look up into the mouth of jagged teeth and try to imagine seeing a living T. rex towering over me. It’s a terrifying…