Sculpture is one of the strongest artistic references that have helped us to understand ancient Egyptian civilization. Despite the endless fascination and study by Egyptologists across the ages, Amarna art remains controversial. Akhenaten sought to maintain the principle of Atenism and also inspire a revolution in terms of viewing not only kingly sanctity but the divine duties and role of the king through the art. The latter was crucial to reinforce the status and divinity of the ruler. A clear difference in the philosophy of art, which represents a religious revolution, called for monotheism and demanded the recognition of the sole god, Aten. Akhenaten's different thinking was not only meant for a specific period, but for all time. The depth of the religious and artistic philosophy created a kind of mystery surrounding Akhenaten and the Amarna period. This mystery is heightened by the dispersion and multiplicity of different theories which have sought to explain the Amarna artistic style. It is worth mentioning that in recent years, technological advances have been used in many scientific studies on the mummies of the royal family of the Amarna period; these helped to answer some of the questions, namely health related, raised about that period in Dynasty 18; unfortunately, these studies have not contributed to the interpretive theories of Amarna art, and none of the new artistic theories have been based on these studies as concrete evidence; it is, however, possible to uncover more about the mystery of Amarna art. Therefore, the research will address a new interpretive vision based on scientific evidence and recent studies, not speculation, to understand the philosophy of Amarna art. |
