Customer Reviews

Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation

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Based upon a singularly cogent, well-reasoned article by Aidan Dodson in a magazine of Egyptian history several months ago, I have been waiting with great anticipation the publication of his new "Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation". Finally, my waiting is over, and the new book is everything that I could hope for. In describing Dodson's approach to the complex history of the "Amarna Period" and its immediate aftermath during Egypt's Eighteenth Dynasty, I can do no better than quote from the author's preface: "very little of the Amarna story is indeed fact: much of what we think we 'know' is actually (more or less) inspired guesswork based on what Sir Alan Gardiner so rightly called the 'rags and tatters' that pass for the raw material of ancient Egyptian history writing. As such, scholarly interpretations can change radically overnight with the appearance of new hard evidence. Indeed, readers familiar with my previous published work on the period will doubtlessly be surprised that some or the key conclusions of the first half of this book are diametrically opposite to ideas I have vigorously propounded and defended over the past few decades. However, my change of views has been a result of the availablity of new data, and it is important to be prepared to reconsider one's position, even if it means repudiating long held-beliefs ... Inevitably there are areas where the view put forward is very much my own -- in some ways inevitably, given the lack of real consensus among Amarna Period specialists -- but I have aimed to indicate areas where alternative interpretations exist, and I have made references to them ... [W]here I put forward or support a view that differs from the received wisdom -- rare as that commodity is in Amarna studies -- it is because this is either what seems to produce the most coherent scenario, or what sticks most closely to what the bare evidence suggests. On the other hand, the overall picture put forward inevitably depends on assuming the correctness of certain hypotheses -- but with the acknowledgement that they are just that and do not claim to be 'facts,' whatever those might be!"

I suppose that Aidan Dodson would be the last to claim that his conclusions are cast in concrete and are the ultimate answers to the many questions that bedevil the study of the Amarna Period, but the analysis he presents is both highly detailed and persuasive. Obviously, all will not agree with all of his conclusions (such as that Smenkhare preceded Neferneferuaten, and that Neferneferuaten was indeed Nefertiti, and that she acted as co-pharaoh with both her husband Akhenaten and their son Tutankhamun), but none can deny that those conclusions have been achieved after careful consideration of a broad range of evidence, with the analysis given in a wonderfully coherent, detailed manner.

Seldom have I awaited a book with higher expectations, and seldom have such expectations been met and even exceeded in this manner.

Professor Dodson has brilliantly brought together the wealth of dated and current material on the enigmatic last years of king Akhenaten's reign and those of the following regents in Egypt's eighteenth dynasty. Like other scholars of the period, Dodson's thoughtful weaving together of the available evidence is based on certain assumptions, something he graciously admits, but anyone fascinated by Nefertiti, Akhenaten, and Tutankhamun will find this book thoroughly intriguing. It will be interesting to learn what other scholars have to say of Dodson's late Amarna scenario.

Two shortcomings: Some illustrations, especially those of N. de G. Davies' meticulous drawings of Amarna tomb paintings, are so small as to almost require magnification. (The interested reader can find full page reproductions of Davies' drawings in "The Rock Tombs of El Amarna" republished by The Egypt Exploration Society, 2003-2005.) And it is a question in the mind of this writer why Dodson does not mention the recently revealed absence of much of the ribcage of Tutankhamun's mummy--an almost certain indication of some kind of mortal accident.

All in all Amarna Sunset is a book to heartily recommend.

I read the original article by this author when it appeared in "Kmt" magazine and was quite excited to get the book. Once it did arrive, however, I found it rather disappointing. The author has proposed a few new variations on the overall confusion of theories concerning the connections within the royal family of Amarna, but I found several of these variations lacking any real support. This book is certainly superior to the 4-hour "Discovery" channel recently aired, however. That program jumped to conclusions like crazy, conclusions that are actually speculations for the most part. Hiwass want the boy found in KV55 to be that of Akhenaten that he takes flimsy evidence and makes a definite conclusion, then he goes on to make others that are not backed by certain evidence. This book isn't that off-the-wall and/or prejudiced toward the author's ideas, but it isn't the revelation it appeared to be before it was published. I found it disappointing, but it is an okay book, just not an important one. Other reviewers state that it is very easy to read and comprehend, but as someone who has read and re-read everything I've ever been able to get my hands on concerning Akhenaten, I don't agree.

If you never appreciated just how time consuming and labour intensive the study of ancient Egypt has to be, then a read of Aiden Dodson's Amarna Sunset is in order. Here he not only presents us with the scant body of text available to us when trying to determine what did happen in the Egypt of the Pharaohs.

Perhaps few periods are as fascinating as the 18th Dynasty in ancient Egypt. It was the time when Egypt reached the pinicle of its power and prestige in the ancient world. There are also quite a number of vivid personalities who made their historic mark. There is Hatchepsur, the female pharaoh, whose monuments remain, Thutmose, Amenhotep and Akhenatun, one of the earliest royal monotheists, his wife Nefertiti and son Tutankhamun. Really most of the rulers of Egypt whose names resonate in the 21st century at all are members of the 18th dynasty. Probably only Ramses II and Cleopatra are missing.

Although Egypt reached its peak of influence during this period, under Amenhotep III, his son Akhenatun, through his embrace of a single deity, undermined the state in such a way with his religious experiment that the society that he ruled never really recovered. This book is about what happened after he died and how the 19th dynasty replaced the 18th.

Dodson's biggest service to the general reader is to explain how little we know about ancient Egypt. It really comes down to inscriptions on tombs, pottery shards, and a few documents that were left behind in Amarna, the capital that Akhenatun founded, which was soon abandoned after his death, archives and all. By relocating the capital and pursuing religious policies that were an anathema to many Egyptians, Akhenatun did much to preserve his time period for scholars of the future.

The diplomatic texts are nice to have as far as the insights they give to Akhenatun's reign and the practices of pharaohs, but the evidence that scholars have to work with are scant. The identities and relationships of the pharaohs that follow Akhenatun are not clear. Dodson concludes that Smenkhkare was the son or more likely the brother of Akhenatun and Nefertiti was the "male" ruler who followed (it was normal for the pharaoh to be referred to as a male even if she wasn't). Tutankhamun is thought to be the son of Akhenatun, but not by Nefertitti. Whether or not Tutankhamun's successor, Ay was the father of Nefertitti or a relative of Amenhotep III's wife, Queen Tiye is unclear as is the relationship of the last of the pharaohs of the 18th dynasty, Horemheb, who could have married up to the throne by taking up with one of the royal daughters.

How Egyptologists try to discern the truth of these basic bits of information is one of the key points of this book. It comes down to a careful read of tomb inscriptions, an examination of linguistics and the roots of various words and names, as well as the occasional bureaucratic record. Unlike say Rome and Greece where there are relatively speaking far more narratives and other texts, Egypt just does not have a straight history of various rulers and when it does, as is the case with Ramses II, it is more hagiographic than not.

This book details just how the Egyptian state returned to polytheism and all that this implied for society after the death of Akhenatun. Apparently the monotheist revolution was not a popular one, at least at the top of the social pyramid. Akhenatun, were it not for the fact that he created a new capital which was promptly abandoned would be forgotten today had he attempted his revolution in one of the more usual capital cities of Egypt. After his death he became an "un-person." In the 20th century he became one of the most famous pharaohs of all. Few 14th century BC rulers are portrayed as compellingly as Mika Waltari did in the Egyptian.

This, book, Amarna Sunset is a very compelling narrative, not only about the decline of the 18th dynasty, but also how we know what we now think we know. Although dry in some places, it is worth reading.

Such a fascinating period - but oh so much confusion. Aidan Dodson tries a new approach, new thoughts and lines of enquiry to try and clear the fog. But the holy grail of a definitive history of the 18th Dynasty remains forever on the horizon. Well worth a read, taking the study to new levels of analysis and detail and handsomely endowed with photos, maps and charts. And pleasingly, the author is prepared to go out on a limb and express a view. Looking forward to the next instalment of Amarna-analysis.

Aidan Dodson has written a thoughtful, insightful, and provocative book about Amarna and its most famous inhabitants; of course, it must, by its very nature, be at least slightly provocative simply because Akhenaten,
Nefertiti and Tutankhamun are complex mysteries themselves and will continue to be fascinating not only in the realms of history and archaeology but also in terms of cultural challenges to what we know about them, what we think we
know about them and the enormous amount of information about them which might appear during our lifetimes.
He says he has tried to write something for scholar and the interested reader alike and that Dodson has done very well. When I say you should read this fascinating, well-researched book I really mean you should read it over and over. I am on my fourth rereading and the elements which Dodson has offered up, linking a possible
scenario with a suggested visual clue (look at the Berlin stela, for example and how he interprets it), become even more complex and engaging.
Even if you are a follower of another Amarna scholar and feel as if you have a good understanding of this
troubled era, the challenges put forth by this author are good for your brain. Reread Aldred, Reeves, Kemp
(absolutely read Kemp), Tyldesley (fun, engaging!), and then, after you've digested these authors' viewpoints
and comparisons, reread AMARNA SUNSET.

We are on the cutting edge of new information about the players in the drama of the Aten worshippers. DNA
results, new-found talatat and inscriptions and re-examined antiquities are bound to alter theories about
who was whom; but, for an excellently well-thought-out thesis on Amarna, you ought to read this book and
follow-up on his footnotes, which are extensive and extremely helpful.
George Nourse

Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti,Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation is a historical study emerging from the latest research into the evidence of the pharaohs who governed Egypt in the fourteenth century B.C.E. A dramatic chronicle of political intrigue, Amarna Sunset explores the decline and end of Akhenaten's religious revolution - from the demise of the king's loved ones to efforts to place a foreigner on Egypt's throne to the rise of army officers, and presenting a theory that Nefertiti was the mother of Tutankhamun. A wealth of black-and-white photographs, appendices, and an index around out this intriguing and involving historical study and extrapolation. Amarna Sunset is an absolute "must" for college library Egyptology collections.

First rate book about the pharaoh Akhenaten's reign and the link to pharaoh Tutankhamun Good detail about the issues in this time period. I am not a scholar so I can't decide whether all the opinions are correct, but the author seems to me to be balanced and thoughtful. The book is extensively referenced for those who want to read the sources. The illustrations are unusually good.

All aspects of the ancient world have interested me... an interest that I've sustained over the past forty years, so obviously this has entailed extensive reading. I think we've arrived at a stage now where there's a need for scholarly works to be written in an interesting and accessible style to attract more people to this area, especially at a time where interest in the ancient world has dwindled. This is a well-reseached,comprehensive work by a first-rate egyptologist, but tends towards being as dry as the Sahara in places.

Although I haven't quite finished this book, I feel compelled to write a review. I'd give this book 4 out of 5 stars. The writing is great, the ideas pretty sound, and I only took one star away because some of the illustrations are hard to really examine without a magnifying glass - at least for these middle aged eyes, and because the book doesn't go into quite enough depth. To be fair in the preface, the author, Aidan Dodson forewarns that some of us may complain that he doesn't go into enough depth, while other will wonder why he belabors some parts.

The book is aimed at Amarnaphiles, of which I included myself. Those of us who are interested in the Amarna period know that there are as many theories to what happened as there are major characters who lived in the period. Since I don't want to diminish from the enjoyability of the book, I'll only gloss over what I found to be the really interesting parts.

Dodson theorizes, and backs his theory up well, that there were 2 kings between Akhenaten and Tutankhamun. Most Egyptophiles know about Smenkhkare, but there may still be a few who don't know about Neferneferuaten. There's a whole confusing history on this king. Was the king another name for Smenkhkare? For Nefertiti? For someone else? Dodson comes down on a firm identification and to this reader's joy included all of the prenomens for Neferneferuaten which help to narrow this king's identity. I won't spoil the book by saying who he identifies, but while I would have once agreed with him, I know disagree based on what we found from the DNA reports done on Tut and his family.

Dodson gives an overview of the tombs involved, from Kings Valley 23, 55, 57, 62 and 63 (Aye, Unconfirmed occupant - sorry Mr. Hawass, many of still think his identity is not who you think he is, Horemheb, Tutankhamun and a cache tomb respectively), West Valley 22, 25 (Amenhotep III and perhaps the beginning of Theban tomb for Akhenaten) and some of the Amarna tombs. He covers the death of Tut and the tomb he was ultimately buried in and considers which tomb may have originally been planned for him before his untimely death - and the implications of this.

This leads us to the Egyptian Queen letters to the king of the Hittites requesting a prince to be her husband in place of her dead husband - the Prince Zananza(sh) affair and this prince's death. By plague or murder? Sadly, not enough time is spent on this.

The history of Aye is explored, with some time spent on his different title, and what they may have meant, his wife (wives?) and at least one of his sons. This is as far as I've reached -though I can see that there is a very interesting section on Horemheb coming up that looks as if it segues into the beginning of the 19th Dynasty.

Sadly, the book was published just prior to the JAMA DNA report on Tut and his family, and I think the DNA analysis may change some of the conclusions arrived at. To Dodson great credit, he has changed his stance in the past once new information has surfaced, and I love to know if he has changed his thinking since February 2010. This is an author that I would LOVE to have over for dinner so I could talk to him about this book. I know my husband's eyes would glaze over, but it is one conversation that would be certainly be memorable for me!