Stele of Akhenaten ARTH 114A_01

The scene here depicts Akhenaten, Nefertiti and their children worshiping Aten. The art style during Akhenaten's time was more stylized compared to the typical realism seen in Egyptian art, especially within human proportions. This was partially done to represent Akhenaten and his family as being connected to the only god that the Egyptians were now supposed to worship. However, the relief still depicts common symbols present in depictions of Pharohs, like the flowers - papyrus and lotus blossom - that were used to represent the connectedness and control that a Pharoh had over both upper and lower Egypt. In the case of this image, the flowers are being used as offerings to the god Aten.

The reading "Selected Spells from Ancient Egyptian Text" narrates a translation of five different heiroglyphic spells. Upon reading the spells, we can determine that all of them have something to do with the dead or passing over into the afterlife. Given that this relief was found in the tomb in Amarna, we can connect the reading to the ceremonies conducted around death within Ancient Egyptian culture. This is especially significant for Akhenaten, because the readings mention the polytheistic gods that many Ancient Egyptians believed in - during Akhenaten's reign as pharoh, he instated himself as the head priest, and led the religious affairs around the god Aten. These spells likely would not have been performed for the dead during his reign, but it is possible he had his own spells and rituals for death that are not listed in the reading.