Akhenaten: History, Fantasy and Ancient Egypt [Hardcover]

Dominic Montserrat (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415185491 | ISBN-13: 978-0415185493 | Publication Date: August 15, 2000

The pharaoh Akhenaten, who ruled Egypt in the mid-fourteenth century BCE, has been the subject of more speculation than any other character in Egyptian history. This provocative new biography examines both the real Akhenaten and the myths that have been created around him. It scrutinises the history of the pharaoh and his reign, which has been continually written in Eurocentric terms inapplicable to ancient Egypt, and the archaeology of Akhenaten's capital city, Amarna. It goes on to explore the pharaoh's extraordinary cultural afterlife, and the way he has been invoked to validate everything from psychoanalysis to racial equality to Fascism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'I can thoroughly recommend the refreshingly idiosyncratic approach to the phenomenon of Amarna in Akhenaten. Dr Montserrat has clearly read both deeply and widely in areas which for many of us are very much at the periphery of our Egyptological interests.' - Egyptian Archaeology

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (August 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415185491
• ISBN-13: 978-0415185493
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,554,133 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Horrendously overpriced for a mere skimming of information, June 27, 2001

By 

Eric Wahl (Bozeman, MT, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Akhenaten: History, Fantasy and Ancient Egypt (Hardcover)

I couldn't agree more with the reviewer from Georgia who mentioned that this book is a great idea betrayed by an utter lack of thoroughness. Indeed, and without belaboring what has already been said in that review, this potentially valuable idea (for somebody else's book) is quite a frustrating read. And it does seem like more of an annotated bibliography than a real study of/comparison between competing notions of ideas about Akhenaten. While much of the information provided is interesting, there is basically no room for investigation, for follow-through, for earnest authorial postulation. Too, I found the book a lumpy piece of writing. For any American-educated scholar there seems to exist a wholly annoying and singular European mode of academc writing that would drive the MLA absolutely insane. Whereas parts of this book are utterly fascinating, such as the discussion of the aborted Akhenaten film script by the late Derek Jarman, such parts are touched upon ever so slightly . . . The idea of this book rates an A for me, but the combination of iffy execution and alarming brevity (and PRICE!) cause me to caution anyone, especially poor graduate students, from plunking down a veritable jackpot wad only to receive this disappointing scholarly effort.

27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great Idea Betrayed by Superficiality, Political Correctness, May 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Akhenaten: History, Fantasy and Ancient Egypt (Hardcover)

The idea of a book on the different interpretations and appropriations of Akhenaten and his religion is simply wonderful, and I learned a lot of names and titles from this book which will be useful for further research. The book is also well-produced, and contains some very good illustrations. But it is ultimately more frustrating than enjoyable. I was annoyed by the superficiality of EVERY discussion. The author simply tries to cover too much territory in only 184 pages of text, which means that none of it is covered well. A book of double the length would actually have been more readable if it had included more substantive discussions. Lists of names and titles with brief and superficial synopses quickly become tedious. Parts of this book read like an annotated bibliography. Also annoying is the author's totally needless use of postmodern academic jargon and his politically correct pandering to certain privileged minorities. His diplomatic pussyfooting is truly remarkable in his discussion of Afrocentrist interpretations of Akhenaten. He carefully avoids pointing out blatant falsehoods and distortions, and he treats the use of completely fictitious and childish etymologies as merely a charming Negro folk custom without commenting on whether such etymologies are a good method for unearthing historical facts. This is a tedious, grossly overpriced, and morally compromised book. A waste of time and money.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Akhenaten at his muliplicitous best, January 3, 2001

By 

"johnmorales" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Akhenaten: History, Fantasy and Ancient Egypt (Hardcover)

Dominic Montserrat has succeeded in bringing to us a survey of the different myths, legends and scholarship that have surrounded the elusive Akhenaten and the finds at Amarna. Starting out with the thesis that how people illuminate this historical figure is directly linked with who those people are and what they are trying to accomplish. He proves this through an entertaining look at all the incarnations Akhenaten has had in our society since his discovery over a hundred years ago--as political, social, religious and even sexual icon. I appreciated the tone of this work because it was neither condemning, condescending or mocking of these different views but rather did a good job of showing how varied groups viewed him as the hero in antiquity that lent validation to who they were (are). However, it is hard not to smirk at least at how seemingly diametrically opposed groups, such as Nazis and homosexuals, could both see Akhenaten as their distant progenitor. Montserrat also looks at the different depictions of this period in fiction and movies, and even the opera of Phillip Glass. He also puts the scholarship of Amarna in the context of the scholars who wrote it and the sources from which they got their information. It is interesting to see the changing views of this intriguing period of Egyptian history and why. Montserrat furthermore succeeds by offering no opinion of his own as to who he thinks Akhenaten was. This would only further muddy the water and cause him to become part of his own thesis. I agree with him to leave Akhenaten as perhaps all things to all people.

Well researched and well written! If you are interested in Akhenaten or in how historical figures are used in modern times, buy this book!!