This colossal head is one of several portrait statues that were made to be placed in front of a temple for the sun god, Aten, early in the pharaoh’s reign. The narrow almond-shaped eyes and elongated facial features are representative of the Amarna artistic style, which is unique to this period in Egyptian history. On top of the headdress are four carved ostrich feathers, which symbolize his divine connection with Shu, the god of the air.
In the fifth year of his reign, Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten, which means “The One Who Is Effective for the Aten,” and decreed that there is only one god, Aten, who appears as the sun disc. This radical shift from polytheism to monotheism created controversy within Egypt, and Akhenaten acquired the title of the “heretic pharaoh.” To ensure that all Egyptians worshipped the Aten, he ordered the removal of names and images of other gods. After Akhenaten’s death, his son, Tutankhamun, restored the old religious traditions and ordered images of the gods to be re-created from precious materials.
Head of a Colossal Statue of Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten)
Sandstone
Dynasty 18, reign of Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) (1353–1336 B.C.)
Karnak, temple of Aten