Apogee and decline
Little is known about the last five years of Akhenaten's reign, or the three year period after his death leading up to Tutankhamun's accession to the throne. Many theories have been advanced and the uncertainty has been compounded by the appearance during these years of new royal personages whose origins and identity remain a matter for debate.
'The evidence that survives from the Amarna period is often badly damaged and in many cases throws up more questions than answers.'
Among them is Kiya, the mysterious secondary wife of Akhenaten. Who was Kiya and where did she come from? Prince Tutankhaten, better known as Tutankhamun is also intriguing. He is generally thought to be the son of Amenhotep III or the son of Akhenaten and Kiya, but careful investigation has thrown new light on his parentage. The king called Smenkhkare, thought to be a brother of Tutankhaten by most scholars is perhaps the most mysterious figure. His identity has often been confused with a female pharaoh who many scholars have identified as Nefertiti using a different name. I propose that this pharaoh is not Nefertiti, but quite a different person altogether. And I also suggest a radically different identity for Smenkhkare, which I have pieced together from the various sources available. Finally, I will offer my view of the reasons for the dramatic collapse of the first monotheistic experience in history.
The evidence that survives from the Amarna period is often badly damaged and in many cases throws up more questions than answers. Given this puzzling situation, I am presenting in this article some of my new views, which are often in complete disagreement with the theories of other scholars, but which may help us to understand the succession of events at the end of Akhenaten's reign.
Published: 2002-09-05
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