I often receive questions concerning my sources.
Here's my response:
The Akhet-Aten Home Page, partly due to its history, was never
intended to be a source for scholastic research. It is intended
as an introduction to the period, some information to pique people's
interest and then a set of resources to lead them on to find out
more. That's why I have included the vast link
list, discussion group, glossary
/ index and other research resources such as my For
Students and For Teachers pages,
and the books listed below. If you have a question
about a specific reference on my site, I will gladly tell you
what else I know about that particular topic, and give you references
to my sources. You can also visit my FAQ
for those that get most frequently asked. If you don't find your
answer there, perhaps the Discussion Group
is a good place to look.
Some Amarna-Related Booklists:
Books and references I have used in research
for this site (partial list):
Rita E. Freed, Yvonne J. Markowitz and Sue H. D'Auria, editors,
Pharaohs
of the Sun: Akhenaten, Nefertiti, Tutankhamen, Boston: Museum
of Fine Arts in association with Bulfinch Press / Little, Brown
and Company, 1999 -- What a treasure! Whether you've seen
the exhibition or not, 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.
Sir W. M. Flinders Petrie, Tell
el Amarna, Wiltshire, England: Aris & Phillips Ltd, 1894
-- This original excavation report is fascinating to read, with
some lovely painted pavement drawings in colour, as well as pages
upon pages of wine-jar sealings and such. A piece of excavation
history.
Richard Fazzini, Images
for Eternity: Egyptian Art from Berkeley and Brooklyn, New
York: The Brooklyn Museum, 1975 -- Very interesting selection
of pieces, including a few nice pieces from the Amarna period,
including a lovely blue monkey.
Nicolas Grimal, A
History of Ancient Egypt, Oxford: Blackwell, 1988 --
This was my very first introduction to the period (a single chapter).
In retrospect, I can see that much of the 'facts' are theories,
and he presents a very specific picture of the period, when most
of what he says is in fact under heavy debate (the Amarna
Discussion Group has taught me this best). However, it reads
well, includes a lot about the archaeological site itself (including
a map I have online) and I will always
favour the translation of the Great Hymn to
Aten that he chose.
Dorothea Arnold, The
Royal Women of Amarna, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of
Art, 1996 -- This is an exhibition book for a exhibition
I will always regret missing. It is beautifully illustrated and
very well-written and up-to-date with useful things like a Who's-who
of Amarna women and a section about Thutmose's workshop at Amarna.
It's an all-time favourite for me, as I love to browse the scrumptious
plates.
Joyce Tyldesley, Nefertiti:
Egypt's Sun Queen, New York: Viking, 1998 -- This is
a wonderful read, with lots of fascinating details that Tyldesly
takes the time to include. Well-references so you can look up
anything you're interested in for further information. Very good
for anyone just generally interested in Amarna, and not just Nefertiti.
William J. Murnane, Texts
from the Amarna Period in Egypt, Atlanta, Georgia: Scholars
Press, 1995 -- Wonderful for browsing if you have the time,
Murnane has included all the historically relevant texts found
dealing with Amarna and Akhenaten from Amenhotep III's time to
the aftermath, including tomb inscriptions from the Amarna rock
tombs, stelae, scarabs, wine-sealings... a fascinating look at
the primary sources for scholar's speculation.
Irmgard Woldering, The Art of Egypt: The Time of the Pharaohs,
New York: Greystone Press, 1963 --Not spectacularly well-written,
but has some nice plates.
Ray Winfield Smith, Emory Kristof, "Computer Helps Scholars
Re-Create an Egyptian Temple", National
Geographic, November 1970, Vol. 138, No. 5 -- Dated
by its reference to "a computer [that] was available in Cairo,"
it is nevertheless interesting. It discusses the reconstruction
of Akhenaten's temples at Karnak from dismantled blocks found
in other later constructions and scattered around Egypt. For more
information about Talatat, Redford's
book should be read (below).
Donald B. Redford, Akhenaten:
The Heretic King, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1987
-- Constroversial (as are most books re-telling the history of
Amarna), it is interesting for its concentration on the early
part of Akhenaten's reign while still at Karnak.
Seton Lloyd, The Art of the Ancient Near East, New York: Frederick
A. Praeger, 1963 -- This is a well-written, if badly referenced
(and somewhat out-of-date), account of ancient art history in
the Near East, with much more information in one section about
Amarna art than most books on the Amarna period include in total.
Christine Hobson, The
World of the Pharaohs, New York: Thames and Hudson, 1987
-- Includes an interesting blurb about Petrie, and nice illustrations.
Good over-all as a browsing book or as an introduction to Ancient
Egypt.
Kent R. Weeks, "Valley of the Kings," National
Geographic, September 1998, Vol. 194, No. 3 -- As always,
National Geographic has done a great job. The pictures are fantastic,
the article interesting.
---?---, "Tutankhamun's Golden Trove," National
Geographic, October 1963, Vol. 124, No 4 -- Great pictures,
especially the bust of Tutankhamun rising from the tomb and the
little duck on the last page.
Ian Shaw and Paul Nicholson, The
Dictionary of Ancient Egypt, London: British Museum Press,
1995 -- This is a good companion for looking up the this-and-that
and which-god-is-that-again? It's beautifully illustrated and
good for browsing, and though, as a dictionary, it doesn't have
all that much about Amarna and Akhenaten, what it has is compact
and useful.
Helen Gardner, Art through the Ages, New York: Harcourt, Brace
and Company, 1936 -- Old but good, with a fascinating discussion
of Amarna art in relation to other periods. Well-written and enjoyable.
It has been re-issued
many times, but I don't know how the newer versions compare.
Carol Belanger Grafton, Egyptian
Designs, New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1993 --
Good for clip-art creation and general decoration. Tells you which
gods are which.
Lawrence M. Berman, Bernadette Letellier, Pharaohs:
Treasures of Egyptian Art from the Louvre, Cleveland: Cleveland
Museum of Art, 1996 -- It has very nice prints from an
enjoyable exhibition I was lucky enough to attend. Includes the
pretty little Nefertiti-Akhenaten statuette where they hold hands
and the famous yellow stone sculpture of Akhenaten.
Robert Hari, New
Kingdom Amarna Period: The Great Hymn to Aten (Iconography of
Religion), Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1985 -- A catalogue
of interesting black-&-white pictures, including floor-plans
of Amarna architecture, photographs of the Amarna tomb walls,
and talatat. 43 b&w plates, 28 pages of text.
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