Amenhotep Iv Essays - Amarna Period, Amenhotep III, Amun, Akhenaten

Amenhotep Iv During the time of the New Kingdom of Egypt, peace reigned throughout the nation. Egypt's enemies the Hyksos had been removed from rule and Egypt prospered. In fact she become an empire. By the time Amenhotop III sat on the throne Egypt was a land of wealth. Amenhotop was considered to be an equal or better Among other rulers throughout the area. Other rulers from neighboring lands refer to him as brother. Life in the royal house was grand. He built a huge palace in Thebes which, included a lake built expressly for his wife, Tiye. He also built many temples in the city of Thebes. One such temple was built to Amen. This temple was decorated with gold and silver, precious stones, and many royal statues in granite. He also built a huge temple to Mut, Amen's consort, with 600 statues of the line headed goddess, Sekhent. But most impressive was the temple he built for himself in Lexor. This temple shows the amount of wealth that royal house of Egypt had. It contained 2.5 tons of gold, 215 lbs. of turquoise, 3 tons of electrum, 1.5 tons of bronze and 524 lbs. of copper. There at that temple he built two large statues or colossi at the temple entrance. Not only was the royal house rich but there was also a sense of style throughout the palace. He set the standard for beauty and art. He showed discriminating taste by using his money to patronize many craftsmen. The many paintings and statues of this time show that the artists and craftsmen had great confidence in their ability to paint, sculpt, create jewelry and build. This confidence of course came from the king's desire for beautiful art. Paintings depict Amenhotop as a skilled warrior and hunter, even though Egypt was at piece and he did not have to lead armys into battle. This was considered the traditional role of the Pharaoh. Also during this time music became more elaborate. The lyre was being used after being brought from Asia. And the harp now contained 20 strings. Add to this the lute and double pipes and a full orchestra is now created. There is much trade with Nubia, Asia, Babylonia, and. Mitanni In fact so much gold was being taken out of Nubia that the king could afford to give it as gifts to his brother rulers, such as the king of Babylon, Kallimma-Sin. It was considered an honor for the sister or daughter of a neighboring King to marry the king of Egypt and enter his royal house. These marriages, along with the trade and gifts of gold, helped Egypt stay at peace with its neighbors. There's no doubt that Egypt with this large wealth and army was a force to be reckoned with in the area. And none of Egypt's neighbors had the will to threaten Egypt's power. During this time Egyptians worshiped many gods. The most beloved god was Re, the son god. Egyptian religion revolved around the stable order of things. Yet this was a most adaptable religion. A god's importance was determined by the importance of the city is people worshiped him. Each village and city had its own major god. but depending upon the whims, desires and needs of the people these gods could take on the attributes of other gods, or be combined with other gods to form a more powerful god. Horus, the god of rulers, for example and many combinations or forms. When Thebes became the capital of Egypt it's god Amen became important and was combined with the sun god Re to become Amen-Re. And he was now considered King of gods. Amen-Re was considered responsible for aiding the Kings armies in forcing out the Hyskos. This made the god very popular with people as well as being a powerful state god. Even though he was a powerful god other gods still abounded and were worshiped. Orisis the goddess of death was one such popular goddess. The name Amen means hidden. He was viewed as an unseen god. The god of air. One of the eight gods a pre creation. Because he was the hidden god his shrine was in the