Akhenaten

Egypt's False Prophet

Nicholas Reeves

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English

Thames & Hudson
01 March 2019

Biography: historical, political & military; History; African history; Ancient history: to c 500 CE

One of the most compelling and controversial figures in history, Akhenaten has captured the imagination like no other Egyptian pharaoh. Known today as a heretic, Akhenaten sought to impose upon Egypt and its people the worship of a single god - the sun - and in so doing changed the country in every way.

In this immensely readable re-evaluation, Nicholas Reeves takes issue with the existing view of Akhenaten, presenting an entirely new perspective on the turbulent events of his seventeen-year reign. Reeves argues that, far from being the idealistic founder of a new faith, Akhenaten cynically used religion for purely political ends in a calculated attempt to reassert the authority of the king. Backed up by abundant archaeological and documentary evidence, Reeves's closely written narrative also provides many new insights into questions that have baffled scholars for generations - the puzzle of the body in Tomb 55 in the Valley of the Kings; the fate of Nefertiti, Akhenaten's beautiful wife, and the identity of the mysterious successor, Smenkhkare; and the theory that Tutankhamun, Akhenaten's son and true heir, was murdered.

By: Nicholas Reeves
Imprint: Thames & Hudson
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm,
Weight: 250g
ISBN: 9780500294697
ISBN 10: 0500294690
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 01 March 2019
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Prologue • 1. Discovery • 2. Priestly Ambitions • 3. Solar Kings • 4. Revolution • 5. The Move to El-Amarna • 6. Utopia • 7. Religion, Art – Terror • 8. Royal Women • 9. Restoration and Oblivion • Epilogue

Nicholas Reeves is the director of the Amarna Royal Tombs Project, Valley of the Kings, and the curator of Egyptian and classical art at Eton College.

Reviews for Akhenaten: Egypt's False Prophet

'A tremendous read ... brings factional division in ancient Egypt vividly to life' - Birmingham Post ' Reeves leads the reader adeptly through archaeological finds and the latest research on the Amarna period ... an entertaining and informative volume' - Times Higher Education 'Presents ingenious archaeology as a racy, irresistible detective story full of hidden clues (and bodies), magic geometry and ruthlessness masked as mysticism' - New York Times Book Review