Exciting, just reached this time period in the awesome History of Egypt podcast (highly recommend, it’s History of Rome...but for Egypt)
Amenhotep III was the father and predecessor of Akhenaten, famous for abandoning polytheism and implementing monotheism around the Aten figure. After he died his monuments were destroyed and successors omitted his name from lists of kings as polytheism was restored, including by Akhenaten’s son, Amenhotep III’s grandson, Tutankhamun.
Check out the Shabaka stone. While almost 600 years after Akhenaten, it was erected by a black Nubian pharaoh who was trying to return Egypt to its original religion. The stone claims to reproduce text from the first dynasty of Egypt! It focuses on the god Ptah, who is the god of design, craft and creativity — and the creator of the universe. It has some pretty esoteric sections and perhaps even foreshadows the rise of Hermetic philosophy in late antiquity Egypt.
Thanks for the rec! I'm working my way through Revolutions, with History of Rome next, but this sounds like I'll really enjoy it when I get to it sometime in the mid-to-late 2020s!
When I studied Ancient History at school, the period of Akhenaten was the most interesting for me.
It’s a shame that Hawass still works after his dodgy involvements when he was Minister of Antiquities. I am aware he was cleared in Egypt but just isn’t right.
why is he in every single egypt documentary. I've watched atleast 50 of them and hes in every single one of them. There are no other egypt experts? whats the deal.
There are stories that he always wanted to announce the discoveries instead of the real archeologist. Also that he demanded to be part of tv shows for foreign production companies to get permission to access to archaeological sites. At the same time he was the person that could issue these permissions.
He aggressively inserts himself in any Egyptian archaeology of any significance apparently out of a combination of intense interest and untamed ego and he framed all finds in terms that have broad political appeal in Egypt.
Once in Cambodia I went to a buddhist temple. On the stone walls some depictions of the buda had him holding a measuring square - I was like, who would have thought buda would be interested in Pythagorean affairs.
Potentially feasible alternate interpretation: given that the Indian religious / ruling caste in Cambodia who brought Hinduism and Buddhism had arrived by boat and were sophisticated seafarers there is a chance this would be an astronomic device rather than a geometric tool for ground-based construction. The only reference I can find in the Pali texts to construction whatsoever is negative referring to undesirable mental habits, ie. https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.11.than....House-builder, you're seen! You will not build a house again. All your rafters broken, the ridge pole dismantled, immersed in dismantling, the mind has attained to the end of craving. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa%E1%B9%85kh%C4%81ra for interpretation)
PS. If you ever get the chance to compare parts of Cambodian hinterland (eg. area around Battambang) with South India (eg. western Tamil Nadu) you will realise they bear a striking topographic resemblance: vast tropical plains punctuated by extremely vertical mountains. Beautiful setting for settled agriculture.
Construction of sites for Yajna[0] and specifically, the Yajna Vedi[1] where the central fire was located, required precision and mathematical calculations[2]. Based on the origins of Hinduism/Buddhism, I'll not be surprised if instruments of calculation were common in religious affairs.
Sure, there's a lot of mathematical mysticism in India and I have seen this at Jain sites. However, the Buddha subject would suggest a Buddhist reference. My recollection is that Cambodian sites with bitraditional syncretism were periodically built out or converted between the two traditions - not constructed blended, ie. a Buddha figure would not be carved with a Hindu item.
Yes, you can see it in the temples as well, even the buddhist ones use the Hindu style with straight lines instead of the round stupas.
I think that particular stone carving was recent(ish) but might be wrong. It was a very small local wat and I think I went into it randomly while walking around - the depiction didn't felt buddhist nor hindu at all, if anything it looked masonic or automatically generated from a set of symbols.
In siem reap on the main road, that goes to the city when you come from the airport, there's a few temples close to the city. If I'm remembering correctly (+6 years ago), it will be in one on the right side of the road (coming into the city), black stone walls. I had a picture of it but can't find it, typical buddha pose, halo like around the head, but instead of resting hands on the lap it was holding the square.
Aside from brick conservation as others noted, these walls can be used for growing fruit (https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2015/12/fruit-walls-urban-fa... -- look for 'Serpentine Fruit Wall') though perhaps here it was purely for construction/aesthetics
Looks more like a town, and some more Thomas Edison-like promotion of Hawass. Dig up something from 12k years ago and I might get excited. 3000 years ago is essentially contemporary compared to the neolithic finds we have unearthed and dated in recent years. Where is neolithic Egypt?
Amenhotep III was the father and predecessor of Akhenaten, famous for abandoning polytheism and implementing monotheism around the Aten figure. After he died his monuments were destroyed and successors omitted his name from lists of kings as polytheism was restored, including by Akhenaten’s son, Amenhotep III’s grandson, Tutankhamun.