Egypt's Golden Couple: When Akhenaten and Nefertiti Were Gods on Earth

Historians of Ancient Egypt have a problem in that nearly everything that has survived from that period is the "official version," history as those in power wanted it to be remembered. The hieroglyphics carved into stelae and on temple columns, and the papyri scrolls that have survived over the centuries, were all written at the direction of the Pharaohs and their ministers and generals. There are no "tell-alls" describing life behind the scenes at the palaces in Thebes and Memphis, and there is no record of what the equivalent of the opposition parties might have thought about what was happening. Therefore historians have to do a lot of reading between the lines and suppositioning in their attempts to understand what was happening under the rule of the Pharaohs for more than two thousand years.John and Colleen Darnell have undertaken to research one of the toughest, albeit most fascinating, periods of Egyptian history: the Eighteenth Dynasty. During that dynasty Egypt gained an empire in the Middle East and became wealthier than ever before. At the height of the dynasty a Pharaoh named Amenhotep IV came into power. With his beautiful wife Nefertiti at his side, he attempted a religious revolution that would discard Egypt's traditional polytheism for a strict monotheism in which one god, Aten (the sun-disk) would hold sway. Changing his name to Akhenaton and building a new capital city called Akhetaton, he was successful for a few years, but after his death the traditionalists under the rule of his young son Tutankhamen managed to reassert control.The Darnells have done a massive amount of research in this well documented biography of Akhenaton and Nefertiti. Where the official story line leaves gaps they have used inference and imagination to help them fill in the lacunae. It makes for a well written and fascinating account of a tumultuous time in the long, long, history of Egypt.

The authors approach the story of Akhenation from a different angle - part history, part fiction. As well as relating the details of Akhenaten & Nefertiti'z reign, they include little vignettes about the people surrounding them, possibly to provide more of a background for the life & times of the pharoah. Having read more than a dozen books about Akhenaten, I was surprised to see this was the first one to insist that Nefertiti was Tut's mother; till now, every book I've read claims the mother was either unknown or possibly Kia, a secondary wife of the pharoah.

I will read anything that has to do with ancient Egypt and/or archaeology in that area. When I received a copy of “Egypt’s Golden Couple” from NetGalley, I couldn’t have been more excited to read it and learn more about Akhenaten and Nefertiti‘s reign in Egypt.It was so fun to learn things about topics you think you already know a lot about (who knew King Tut had so many sisters 🤷🏼‍♀️). It was quite interesting to learn how that King X broke with years of religious tradition and change the religion from a multi God to a single God version. (Oh and become that God too BTW- 🤔)It’s unfortunate that most of the writings and documentation from this period has been destroyed by subsequent Pharaohs. I can’t even begin to think about all of the history we have lost.I will actually be going to Egypt in a little over a week. It’s a trip of a lifetime that I’ve been dreaming of do for so long. Reading this and knowing that I will actually be able to see some of the locations identified in this book, created a more exciting reading experience. I can’t wait to actually walk in the footsteps of these “Gods” who once walked this earth. 👣

Revived the book on time we’ll packaged. I love ancient Egypt and it’s a great book to add to my collection

Book cover came bent and damaged. I gave as a Christmas gift.

The prose are beautiful! The authors take you on a wonderful journey through the Amarna period. Weaving through the past with present methods of how things were situated and up to date analysis of the hieroglyphics. The book gives you a more realistic (as possible) view of Akhenaten in context of what was happening at the time and what had happened in his past. A beautifully woven story. I highly recommend this book!

The authors have produced a fascinating and multi-layered book. I must say that their approach—a combination of narrative, history, art history, linguistic analysis, theology, and interpretive reasoning—brought these shadowy subjects to life in a way I have not encountered before. I highly recommend this book both to all who are neophytes as well as to all who are scholars (an appendix covering sources is as interesting and readable as the main text) of this period in Ancient Egyptian history.

This book gave an in-depth look at King Tut's parents. I know very little about Egyptian history, although I'd certainly heard of Nefertiti - and this book was a good way to learn more about both. I liked that the authors presented both views of Akhenaten. Was he a religious man who got rid of the corrupt priests and presented a monotheist vision to his people? Or was he an amoral dictator? I guess we can't know for sure, but the evidence was interesting to examine.Much of the description was very visual and the authors did a good job describing things. I would have loved to see pictures of everything (although some of what they described no longer exists).

A book that will please and challenge student and Egyptomaniacs no end, sumptuously illustrated with stunning plates

If you are interested or obsessed with the Amarna period and you already have books by Dodson, Gabolde, Redford, Reeves, Ridley, Tildesley, Wilkinson, etc... that you love, you'll find this book a must read too.The authors give their vision with excellent research, sources and a complete bibliography.They convince; serious business here.A must on Amarna.

The Darnells have made the "Amarna Revolution" come to life in a way I've never experienced before. I've been teaching and reading about this Golden Age of 18th Dynasty Egypt for a lifetime and this book has made me see,in great detail,what was really going on. The authors use their own archaeological experience,along with a broad understanding of the evidence that is actually there on the ground,to give us the best possible picture of what was going on in the minds of this extraordinay,if eccentric,couple. Only patient and attentive reading can get you through the text but I found the effort very well rewarded. This is the best book about Akhenaten and Nefertiti I've ever read.

Libro ben argomentato che si aggiunge alla pletora di pubblicazioni inerenti la coppia più famosa dell'antico Egitto.

The best thing about this book is that it’s written in an Everyman easy to read style. The chapters start with fictional accounts of what happened, then the supporting information is discussed to show how the accounts are based on facts. The great hymn to Aten is translated and can be read in full at the end of the book, this is worth buying the book for in its own right.