Fragment of Akhenaten

This is a fragment of what used to be a limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉 statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 of the pharaoh Akhenaten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖! This (and many others like it) were found during Flinders Petrie and Howard Carter’s excavation at present-day Amarna in 1891, which in ancient times was called Akhetaten 𓈌𓏏𓉐𓇋𓏏𓈖𓊖. Akhetaten 𓈌𓏏𓉐𓇋𓏏𓈖𓊖 was the capital of Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 during the reign 𓋾𓈎𓏏 of Akhenaten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖. 

A Fragment of Akhenaten – many of Akhenaten’s statues were intentionally destroyed after his reign

Many of Akhenaten’s 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖 statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏪 not only have the faces destroyed, but are also in hundreds of pieces. This deliberate destruction of his statuary was an attempt to destroy his image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 so he would be forgotten from history. Images/statues of a person, and the name 𓂋𓈖 of a person held immense power in ancient Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 so if a name 𓂋𓈖 and image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 was destroyed, its power was removed! 

A Fragment of Akhenaten – a front view of the statue where the extent of the damage to his face can be clearly seen.

Why did Akhenaten’s 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖 successors want his image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 destroyed? Akhenaten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖 is infamous for completely changing the Egyptian pantheon from polytheistic worship of the traditional gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 to the monotheistic worship of the Aten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳 and people definitely did not like that! When Akhenaten’s 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖 son, Tutankhamun 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓏏𓅱𓏏𓋹𓋾𓉺𓇓 became the pharaoh, he reinstated the old religion and moved the capital of Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 back to Thebes 𓌀𓏏𓊖. 

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