An Afternoon with Dylan Bickerstaffe

Amarna Times and Amarna Tombs : 

Clues to the history of Ancient Egypt’s most enigmatic era.

The Amarna Period (at the end of the 18th dynasty) is notoriously thin on dating evidence, hampering any attempt at building a sequence of events. We are therefore forced to turn to less certain indicators. Fortunately, the evidence we must examine is both interesting and visually attractive – including fascinating scenes decorating tomb walls both at Amarna and elsewhere.

The question of whether part of Akhenaten’s reign was taken up in a co-regency with his father, Amenhotep III, and/or with a successor, is something we shall look into along the way.

1. The Road to Amarna.

Starting with the legacy of the great pharaoh, Amenhotep III we follow developments in the reign of Amenhotep IV and his transition to become Akhenaten. We follow the establishment and growth of the City of Akhetaten (Amarna) alongside the growth in Akhenaten’s family and court.

2. The End of the Dream.

We see how the character of the tombs of Akhenaten’s nobles changed later in his reign, as did the Royal Tomb itself. There can be no dispute that the later years in the life of Amarna City and its creator were clouded by a series of tragic deaths. Was there a plague? 

The conclusion sees the ‘heretic pharaoh’ succeeded by an ephemeral series of short-lived rulers, of whom Tutankhamun was arguably the most durable.

About the speaker:

Dylan has, over the last twenty-five years, lectured extensively to EgyptologySocieties around the UK and abroad, South Africa, and Luxor. He has published numerous articles in academic journals and popular publications, and led many tours to Egypt, Crete and Italy. He has also contributed to TV programmes on Egyptian mummies and tomb-robbery by National Geographic etc.