Akhenaten Contribution To Egyptian Architecture

It is indisputable that, although considerable developments were made by Akhenaten during his time, his reign must be considered a predominant failure; his overall contribution was poor as much of what he achieved in regards to religion, architecture and art was destroyed and reversed following his death. As Freud (1955) states, Akhenaton 's memory was “scorned as that of a felon” and his contributions were diminished by his successors following his death. He additionally failed to adequately address foreign policy - focusing almost solely on his internal reforms.
Ultimately, Akhenaten’s contribution to Egyptian religion was a failure; his transformation of religion, while initially successful, proved too radical for the Egyptian population …show more content…
As Dorman (2015) confirms, architectural developments which occurred at this time revolved around the Pharaoh’s radical religious reforms; this is visible particularly within his most extensive building program, which involved abandoning Thebes, Egypt’s capital city, and constructing a new one called Akhetaten - or the “Horizon of Aten” - on a virgin desert site. According to the Boundary Stelae of Akhenaten, his primary intention was to create a centre where his religion could flourish, separate from the established cults at Thebes. New building innovations and techniques emerged from Akhenaten’s projects; structures - especially at Akhetaten - began to be made with ‘talatat’, small blocks which made it easier to construct buildings within a shorter time span than the traditional large sandstone slabs used. The new central city, as Dunn (2015) pointedly identifies, was atypical also due to its carefully planned, programmatic layout and isolated location. However, as with Akhenaten’s religion, most infrastructure built during his reign was destroyed or forgotten soon after his death; several years following his passing, Akhetaten was abandoned and within a generation, most building material had been removed and reused as foundation for the …show more content…
Contrasting his predecessors, who approached foreign policy with a skilful combination of diplomacy and military action, Akhenaten largely disregarded most happenings beyond the borders of Egypt, seemingly focusing entirely on his religious and artistic projects and leaving government officials and consuls to their own devices. The Pharaoh’s neglect of neighbouring territories is displayed particularly within the ‘Amarna Letters’ - a cache of diplomatic correspondence sent from foreign allies and military outposts, discovered in the city of Akhetaten. These documents provide crucial insight into his foreign policy, supporting Hawass’ (2005) likely assertion that Akhenaten ignored the grievances of the numerous nations who wrote to him requesting help in various affairs. While there are examples of the Pharaoh involving himself in foreign matters, it appears that his participation revolved around self-interest rather than state-interest. Egypt’s allies were notably dissatisfied with his efforts, complaining of being affronted and even deceived by the king - as evidenced by correspondence with the king of Mitanni - who accused Akhenaten of sending him gold-plated statues when pure gold was anticipated. His attitude towards foreign policy resulted in disorder across