A Short but Significant Reign.
Following the death of Akhenaten, a new ruler came to power: Ankh(et)-kheperu-Ra Nefer-neferu-Aten. This was, probably, the Queen of Egypt Nefertiti. Having risen in power, to a coregency with her husband, Nefertiti continued after his death. Her reign was brief, but noteworthy. Among other things, the new ruler started a visible break with the “heresy” of her late husband…Date: c.1346 BCE
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Bibliography
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Great episode overall!
Just a couple of minor comments which might be worth addressing if you are going to re-record for sound quality anyway.
Some scholars, Aidan Dodson for one, think that The House of Ankhkheperure in the graffito actually is a mortuary temple of Smenkhkare because the throne name is without epithet.
Also you’re bit inconsistent regarding the meaning of regnal year dates in this episode. A regnal year 3 date for Neferneferuaten indicates a reign of at least 2 years not at least 3 years as you state at one point. This is because reigns start at 1.0 and not 0.0 like most systems we are used to in modern times. I seem to recall I learned this from an earlier episode and felt surprised at the time because it means a lot of scholars get their calculations across reigns wrong. At another point in the episode I think you say 2-3 years which is correct but “about 3” on a further occasion which is also a bit misleading as it could be closer to 2.
Additionally we don’t know whether Neferneferuaten’s regnal years begin with her coregency with Akhenaten or with his death. The pot with a 17 replaced with a 1 that crops up in thevDeath of Akhenaten episode could indicate the latter but it could also be consistent with the former if coregency began in year 17 rather than year 16 after her last attestation as Great Royal Wife. If this were the case then with the regnal year 3 date we can only be sure that she reigned for at least one complete year after Akhenaten’s death. She could have reigned for a year or two beyond this but we can’t be certain.
Hi,
I have come late to your excellent series of podcasts and am currently working my way through them and finding them full of detail and information.
I remember reading in Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt’s biography of Tutankhamen about a whip handle found in Tutankhamen’s tomb bearing the name of Dhutmose ‘’son of the king, captain of the troops, Dhutmose.’’
The speculation is that he was a son of Amenhotep III and possible brother to Akhenaton and Tuthmosis and pre-deceased both of them.
Do you have any thoughts about him and is it possible that he appears in the Amarna story at some point but under a different name.
Thanks
Kevin
Hi Kevin, I covered prince Thutmose’s story in episode 98 “Young Bull Appearing in Memphis.” I also talk about the whip handle in the episodes about Tutankhamun’s tomb (episode 153 parts 1-6). Hope this helps!
Dominic Perry