Akhenaten and Tutankhamum: Revolution and Restoration.

• Author: Kiser-Go, Deanna

Akhenaten and Tutankhamum: Revolution and Restoration. By David P. SILVERMAN, JOSEF W. WEGNER, and JENNIFER HOUSER WEGNER. Philadelphia: THE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM, 2006. Pp. xi + 196, illus. $24.95. [Distrib. by Hopkins Fulfillment Service, Baltimore]

Akhenaten and Tutankhamun provides a cohesive and useful summary of the Amarna Period, as illustrated by objects in the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Many volumes have been written about Akhenaten and his revolutionary changes to Egyptian culture, but such works tend to be either fully academic or woefully uninformed and intended for unaware laypeople. The authors of the book at hand have produced a highly readable volume that bridges the gap and covers the era's most important aspects, utilizing artifacts and records in the Penn Museum's collection, supplemented by ancient texts and recent secondary sources. All three writers are well qualified for such an endeavor, demonstrating experience in seemingly all aspects of Egyptian culture, except perhaps the nuances of the period's art. The statement that Nefertiti's bust "exemplifies" the early art style (p. 66) is inexplicable, for instance. The book was written to accompany an exhibition highlighting the Museum's work at Tell el-Amarna, and the intended reader is one wishing to learn more about the subject without reading an object catalogue.

The organizational approach of thematic chapters is far more effective than a strictly chronological ordering of events; historical data is carefully incorporated where necessary. The authors discuss the preceding and subsequent reigns as they relate to Akhenaten's actions, stating for example, the factors that initially influenced this unusual pharaoh, as well as the government's posthumous rejection of his policies. The title is somewhat misleading, however, with only one chapter pertaining specifically to Tutankhamun.

The book progresses smoothly from prologue to epilogue, a history of the archaeological missions to Amarna. Chapter one, "The Evolution of the Pharaoh Akhenaten," is mostly successful in explaining how the ruler developed such novel ideas in traditionally oriented Egypt. The section on his upbringing during the prosperous reign of his father, Amenhotep III, includes the latter's own leanings toward sun worship and self-deification, and is hampered mainly by our lack of textual documentation regarding Akhenaten's personal motivations.

Chapter two covers the...