July 14, 2007

Akhenaten's Mummy finally found? - Akhenaten is one of the most mysterious figures in ancient history. A Pharaoh of Egypt circa 1350 BCE, likely father of Tutankhamen, he founded an early form of monotheism, abandoning or smothering the pantheon of traditional gods for worship of one god, Aten, so that he was known later as 'that heretic'. His end, & the location of his remains, have been a mystery... perhaps until now.

He was a remarkable figure - not least for his apparently bizarre looks. He lead a political & religious revolution, & altered the way in which he & his court were depicted in art - introducing an extraordinarily naturalistic style that is unique in Egyptian history. Some consider him to be the archetype for the mythological Moses - or that Moses was one of his priestly followers (which would contradict accepted historical dating of Biblical figures) - & even that his beliefs were a direct influence on the monotheism of the Hebrew religion. His Prayer to the Aten is strikingly similar to Psalm 104. Many theories abound, some more tenable than others. But the mummy now being scrutinized as potentially his was actually discovered in 1907. Why has it taken so long to identify this mummy, and why has the announcement of the find come so soon after the discovery of the mummy of Queen Hatshepsut? Is Zahi Hawass simply grandstanding for the world's press - again?

posted by Hank Mabuse 17 years ago
  • Actually, this is an excellent post (I'm especially fascinated by the "Great Hymn" information, which I'd never heard of before,) and I hope that you're not disheartened by the reception. In general, weekends are exceedingly slow around here.
  • Yeah, Nick's right. On the weekends around here, it's as quiet as a ... tomb. GACK!!! Nevermind. Cool post. Egyptology is a fascinating study. I find it amazing that these people were buried under the assumption they were being given immortality, and in some small way, they have been granted it.
  • Not immortality as we would understand it, however. Spiritual immortality of a sort. It was a complex & ritualised sympathetic magic, as above-so below, sort of thing.
  • I hope that you're not disheartened by the reception. I think that the latest incarnation of Nostrildamus is rather familiar with the tendencies here.
  • It would be lovely if it were, but having read the article, I think there's probably only an outside chance of the mummy being Akhenaten. However, this gives me an excuse to link to the Philip Glass opera! Info and libretto here, prelude (more musical than visual) here.
  • Chymie, Chymie,is that you, Chymie? *puts out hand, groping in the dark
  • Ah, I see. That would be nine regenerations left, then.
  • Well, they're pretty sure they've identified Hatshepsut. The discussion of what his medical condition may have been strikes me as particularly fascinating. I remember reading similar investigtions into hat ailed Edgar Allen Poe.
  • Yeah, his hat was fucked, man.
  • Absolutely - them nineteenth century fellers used toxic amounts of pomade!
  • Not to mention the mercurous nitrate.
  • Awesome post. It's going to take me a while to get through it all, but I'm excited about it. Hatshepsut was my favorite ancient Egyptian as a child, and I'm fascinated by Akhenaten's monotheistic push.
  • And their horses were pretty spiffy, too. It's pretty certain from the artwork that stallions were used to pull the chariots. Apparently, horses were treasured by their owners. Two of Ramesses II's horses were named 'Theban Victory' and 'Mut is Content'.
  • 'Mut is Content' would be a great name for a band. Or a sockpuppet.