Abstract

The Amarna Period is one of the most widely studied periods of ancient Egyptian history, largely due to the wide variety of cultural material available from the eponymous settlement Tell el-Amarna, the ancient city of Akhetaten. However, there is a great deal of archaeological and textual evidence for during the Amarna Period activity outside of the city of Akhetaten. This thesis investigates the regional temples constructed by Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten throughout the course of his reign. It establishes a set of criteria to evaluate the archaeological and textual evidence for temple construction at different sites across Egypt in order to determine which structures constitute an Amarna Period construction as opposed to later reuse of Amarna Period materials taken from other sites. The thesis examines the regional temples first as a discrete group, to examine the geographic scope of Amarna Period temple activity, and then places the regional sites in comparison with the temples from Tell el-Amarna to assess the evolution of the architectural layout and iconographic program, thus elucidating the trajectory of the corresponding changes made to state theology throughout the Amarna Period. These transformations represent not only a religious revolution, in which the orthodoxy of New Kingdom state religion is supplanted, but also the acceleration of the pre-existing New Kingdom trend towards the solarization of state cults as well as the centrality of the person of the king in his role as the main officiant of cult.  

Degree Name

MA in Egyptology & Coptology

Graduation Date

6-1-2015

Submission Date

May 2015

First Advisor

Sabbahy, Lisa

Committee Member 1

Ayad, Mariam

Committee Member 2

Haikal, Fayza

Extent

83 p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Library of Congress Subject Heading 1

Tell el-Amarna (Egypt)

Library of Congress Subject Heading 2

Temple of Amenhotep IV (Thebes, Egypt).

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Not necessary for this item

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