23_Royal Historians, Poets, and Artists - Egypt

This lecture examines the literary and artistic legacy of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, rulers of Egypt at the end of the 14lh century B.c. The study of their reign reveals that they facilitated close connections between the Mesopotamian and Egyptian spheres of influence. Preserved in the Amama letters, one of the great archaeological finds of the late 19,h century, is the correspondence between Akhenaten’s court and the courts of the kings of Western Asia. The international character of the Amarna period—Akhenaten’s reign—is also revealed in the graphic and literary arts. The lecture moves to a close reading of Akhenaten’s “Hymn to the Sun.” That text has been compared to the great nature hymn of the Hebrew Bible, Psalm 104. The lecture concludes with a survey of modem literary and artistic responses to the rich culture of the Amama period.