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Amenhotep Iii: Egypt's Radiant Pharaoh
This book follows the life story of Amenhotep III, one of the most important rulers of ancient Egypt, from his birth and into the afterlife. Amenhotep III ruled for 38 years, from ca. 1391-1353, during the apex of Egypt's international and artistic power. Arielle P. Kozloff situates Amenhotep in his time, chronicling not only his life but also the key political and military events that occurred during his lifetime and reign, as well as the evolution of religious rituals and the cult of the pharaoh. She further examines the art and culture of the court, including its palaces, villas, furnishings, and fashions. Through the exploration of abundant evidence from the period, in the form of both textual and material culture, Kozloff richly re-creates all aspects of Egyptian civilization at the height of the Mediterranean Bronze Age.
370 pages, Paperback
First published December 15, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 6, 2021
Denna bok är inte som de flesta andra biografier. Istället för att bygga ett narrativ av händelser, försöker den göra det genom konst och mode. Beskrivningarna är sensualistiska - kvaliteten på olika linnetyger och kontrasterna mellan de gudomliga färgerna blått och guld lämnas stort utrymme, medan personliga relationer och politiska manövrar är underordnade. Effekten av det valet är att boken flyter väldigt väl, men också att den känns affekterad - det ord jag tänkte på först är simper, men utan anslaget av högmod.
Jag ser inga skäl att inte läsa boken, om ni kan, för den innehåller nyanser och tolkningar som är nya. Men vänta er mindre av att lära känna en person, och mer av att lära känna en kulturell tankevärld.
Jag ser inga skäl att inte läsa boken, om ni kan, för den innehåller nyanser och tolkningar som är nya. Men vänta er mindre av att lära känna en person, och mer av att lära känna en kulturell tankevärld.
July 12, 2018
It is surprising given Amunhotep III’s long reign, wealth of monument constructions, and success in foreign relations, that there are so few biographies of this ancient Egyptian king. Arielle Kozloff’s is still, at current time of writing this review, the most extensive, the few other publications taking Amunhotep as their subject being highly illustrated exhibition catalogues or very slim overviews. Often thought of as a ‘sun king’, it is frequently assumed that Amunhotep’s court was akin to the later French Versailles – fabulously rich, and a-flutter with beautiful ladies. The famous Amarna letters perhaps reinforce this notion, with foreign allies demanding gifts of gold since they have heard that in Amunhotep’s realm gold is as common as dust, and a string of foreign princesses sent to Egypt to become the king’s bride. Kozloff highlights the extraordinary power and prosperity that peaked in Amunhotep’s reign… but also introduces a new narrative; that when times were bad, they were terrible. Mystery plagues killing off large swathes of the administration, harem, and royal nursery, possible earthquakes, hints of unfavourable Nile inundations either through over-flooding or drought, and increasing conflict in Egypt’s Levantine vassals. I found her proposition – that this decline could have been what prompted Akhenaten’s Atenism, through a desperate attempt to seek the help and favour of a new god, an interesting one. Like so many events in history, I doubt that it was the only factor driving such a radical revolution, but Kozloff’s arguments seem strong enough to me that it was a significant part.
However, I found some of the author’s assertions to be unconvincing and unsupported by the evidence. For example, she believes that Amunhotep was born much earlier than is conventionally believed, on the basis that he may have been recorded operating in Nubia under his father’s reign. But that seems to ignore a host of other evidence; for example the fact that Amunhotep was a common name and that the viceroy of Nubia may simply have shared the name, that the identification of one with the other is not mentioned, and that Amunhotep’s long reign and physical remains suggest he came to the throne as a child. Kozloff also describes Nefertiti as Akhenaten’s full sister, on the basis of the 2010 DNA tests which showed that Tutankhamun’s mother, the Younger Lady mummy, must have been Akhenaten’s full sister (or, less likely, his double first cousin). But it does not at all necessarily follow therefore that Nefertiti was a daughter of Tiye and Amunhotep, especially since she was never titled King’s Daughter or King’s Sister – I remain unconvinced. The author makes a lot of assumptions about the Amarna royals’ relationships, citing Dodson whilst suggesting relationships that Dodson decries in his latest work; Smenkhkare as Akhenaten’s son instead of his probably brother, Meritaten as the woman behind the short-lived King Neferneferuaten instead of Nefertiti.
Whilst this is probably the best biography of Amunhotep out there, it has the caveat that not all of Kozloff’s propositions are convincingly supported, and she seems less knowledgeable about Akhenaten’s reign and royal family than she does about Amunhotep’s.
7 out of 10
However, I found some of the author’s assertions to be unconvincing and unsupported by the evidence. For example, she believes that Amunhotep was born much earlier than is conventionally believed, on the basis that he may have been recorded operating in Nubia under his father’s reign. But that seems to ignore a host of other evidence; for example the fact that Amunhotep was a common name and that the viceroy of Nubia may simply have shared the name, that the identification of one with the other is not mentioned, and that Amunhotep’s long reign and physical remains suggest he came to the throne as a child. Kozloff also describes Nefertiti as Akhenaten’s full sister, on the basis of the 2010 DNA tests which showed that Tutankhamun’s mother, the Younger Lady mummy, must have been Akhenaten’s full sister (or, less likely, his double first cousin). But it does not at all necessarily follow therefore that Nefertiti was a daughter of Tiye and Amunhotep, especially since she was never titled King’s Daughter or King’s Sister – I remain unconvinced. The author makes a lot of assumptions about the Amarna royals’ relationships, citing Dodson whilst suggesting relationships that Dodson decries in his latest work; Smenkhkare as Akhenaten’s son instead of his probably brother, Meritaten as the woman behind the short-lived King Neferneferuaten instead of Nefertiti.
Whilst this is probably the best biography of Amunhotep out there, it has the caveat that not all of Kozloff’s propositions are convincingly supported, and she seems less knowledgeable about Akhenaten’s reign and royal family than she does about Amunhotep’s.
7 out of 10
February 27, 2024
In pharaonic Egypt, there were many carved or painted reliefs and stelae representing the kings. However, it was the nature of these societies that neither picture nor text concentrated on the sort of information that interests biographers or readers today. What we would call “human interest” material. The focus was on the individual’s relationship with the gods, and on his heroic military deeds.
As a result, books such as Arielle P Kozloff’s Amenhotep III. Egypt’s Radiant Pharaoh necessarily contain little information about individuals, and much about the epoch. It would probably be more helpful to title it something like “The Life and Times of Amenhotep III” or “Egypt’s New Kingdom” or “Egypt’s Eighteenth Dynasty”. None of my carping, however, is meant to contest the quality of the scholarship in the book.
This is one of those books which are becoming increasingly prevalent: you order it online and are sternly warned that it will be printed specifically for you and no return will be considered. I can understand the logistical benefits of this: no pulping of unwanted copies; no warehouse storage requirements. However, it might not always be wonderful for the consumer, ie reader. One of the characteristics of this phenomenon seems to be that they print photographs only in black and white. With a subject such as this one, black and white photographs detract considerably from the overall worth. For example, the black and white reproduction of the wooden sculpture of an elderly Queen Tiy, “with sad eyes, a furrowed brow, and a down-turned mouth” loses much. Only the illustrations of monochrome originals, such as the remarkable reliefs of Tutankhamun and Nefertiti with their three daughters, are acceptable in black and white.
Kozloff begins with a quick summary of Egypt’s history through the kingdoms, arriving at Amenhotep III’s immediate eighteenth dynasty antecedents. And then notes that childbirth at that time involved the mother squatting on two bricks, while tended by naked young girls. “It appears that here, between two bricks in a hut within a royal harem in a garden oasis in Egypt’s western desert, is where one of ancient history’s richest and most powerful rulers came to light. This is where the biography of Amenhotep III begins.”
There follows a brief account of the typical early years of young boys in a harem nursery with a mix of ranks, including non-nobles, writing as scribes on wood tablets with “polite, formulaic phrases to be used in correspondence and standard clichés for official documents, and they chanted their grammar…”. Maths would be taught for future roles such as treasurers, granary supervisors or shipwrights. And there would be music and art, and hunting and fighting sports. Since his father, Thutmose IV, was not the first-born, Amenhotep III would not have been obviously destined to the throne. However, as pharaoh, Amenhotep III “would become one of the greatest patrons of the arts in world history, commissioning incalculable square feet of temples, all decorated with painted relief carvings of exceptional quality. He demanded the best materials and attention to the tiniest details of fine workmanship.” “According to Amenhotep III himself, he excelled at all of his childhood tasks and tests. Never one to be needlessly modest, once he became king he had a temple wall inscribed that he was the ‘foremost of…children,’ and that it was ordained when he was a ‘weaned child,’ in other words, after he had graduated from the kap , that he would rule Egypt. The latter statement has only a slightly more realistic ring than his birth story on Luxor Temple’s walls, especially since his father had not yet engineered his own succession to the throne.”
And since it would have been most unwise to dispute his self-assessments, nothing to the contrary arises.
Kozloff’s book then switches its focus to the public works of Amenhotep III, his building programs around Thebes, and his international relations with Nubia, Canaan, Assyria, Mitanni, Babylon and Hatti. Much is known about these as a result of the discovery of the Amarna letters, a fascinating set of tablets interchanged between the leaders, re-discovered in the late nineteenth century. They include much squabbling over gifts, and very interesting negotiations for Amenhotep III to marry Mitanni princesses, as well as his horrified affront at the idea of the Babylonian King wishing to marry an Egyptian princess. The book provides little information on others of the king’s consorts.
While it has little to do directly with Amenhotep III himself, the operations of the Valley of the Kings workmen’s village at Deir el-Medina, are described in some detail, providing a little insight into the lives of non-aristocracy.
Amenhotep III becomes, perhaps, more interesting as he reaches elderly years. The latter years of his reign saw something of a decline in Egypt’s status. Mention is made in the Amarna letters of the dangers posed to the Mitanni princess by robbers in Canaan. Kozloff suggests that, in earlier years, Amenhotep III would have sent a large army to remove the robbers. “The King’s building projects had also dwindled in number and size. Was he too old to care? Had his beloved courtier Amenhotep son of Hapu died, leaving him bereft of inspiration? Was he short of funds or manpower?” It seems his gifts to other sovereigns were indeed of diminishing value. Kozloff suggests that these circumstances might be attributable to changing flood patterns and thus to smaller crops and less prosperity. These conjectures will be tested by work being carried out now on the soil and river compositions along the Nile.
Later statues depict Amenhotep III with a thickening girth. “Lacking the waistline necessary to keep up a kilt, he wore a pleated, floor-length gown…never before had an Egyptian king been betrayed so informally.” However, “In ancient Egypt, obesity was not a bad thing. It was a sign of plenty, robustness, and fecundity. The Nile gods who annually brought fertility to Egypt had large bellies and pendulous breasts. Therefore Amenhotep III’s rotund portraits, in addition to probably being rather realistic, may have been propaganda showing that the jubilees had been successful in renewing Pharaoh as both a source and sign of burgeoning abundance and fruitfulness for the land and its people. That this body type runs absolutely contrary to the fighting trim paradigm for two millennia of pharaonic images suggests that external military threats to the homeland had dwindled, which is confirmed by Amarna correspondence.”
Whatever the intention of these representations, “he died in the thirty-eighth year of his reign, about 1353 BC, the richest, most powerful, and longest-ruling emperor in the world of his time. The mummy identified as his seems to have lost a huge amount of weight toward the end because his skin was so loose that packets of materials had to be inserted to plump it up. His teeth and jaws were in disastrous condition, with caries and dental granuloma (a disease mass forming at the root of the teeth inside the jawbone). He may not have been able to eat, and he certainly must have been in great pain, with nothing but opium and magic spells to dull the suffering. Recent studies also show erosions of part of his skull, a condition that can be caused by, among other things, a meningioma, a common, usually benign, brain tumour. Clearly his last weeks or months of life were hellish.”
There is some irony that we know little in the way of intimate detail throughout his life but, due to contemporary beliefs in the afterlife and mummification as a means of accessing eternity, as well as modern science’s increasing ability to interpret remains, we are learning more and more about Amenhotep post-mortem.
Arielle Kozloff has done a reasonable job of building up a biography of sorts about this man from three and a half thousand years ago. Much of the book is not really about the man himself, but about his times and the consequences of his actions. But there is not much alternative to that.
As a result, books such as Arielle P Kozloff’s Amenhotep III. Egypt’s Radiant Pharaoh necessarily contain little information about individuals, and much about the epoch. It would probably be more helpful to title it something like “The Life and Times of Amenhotep III” or “Egypt’s New Kingdom” or “Egypt’s Eighteenth Dynasty”. None of my carping, however, is meant to contest the quality of the scholarship in the book.
This is one of those books which are becoming increasingly prevalent: you order it online and are sternly warned that it will be printed specifically for you and no return will be considered. I can understand the logistical benefits of this: no pulping of unwanted copies; no warehouse storage requirements. However, it might not always be wonderful for the consumer, ie reader. One of the characteristics of this phenomenon seems to be that they print photographs only in black and white. With a subject such as this one, black and white photographs detract considerably from the overall worth. For example, the black and white reproduction of the wooden sculpture of an elderly Queen Tiy, “with sad eyes, a furrowed brow, and a down-turned mouth” loses much. Only the illustrations of monochrome originals, such as the remarkable reliefs of Tutankhamun and Nefertiti with their three daughters, are acceptable in black and white.
Kozloff begins with a quick summary of Egypt’s history through the kingdoms, arriving at Amenhotep III’s immediate eighteenth dynasty antecedents. And then notes that childbirth at that time involved the mother squatting on two bricks, while tended by naked young girls. “It appears that here, between two bricks in a hut within a royal harem in a garden oasis in Egypt’s western desert, is where one of ancient history’s richest and most powerful rulers came to light. This is where the biography of Amenhotep III begins.”
There follows a brief account of the typical early years of young boys in a harem nursery with a mix of ranks, including non-nobles, writing as scribes on wood tablets with “polite, formulaic phrases to be used in correspondence and standard clichés for official documents, and they chanted their grammar…”. Maths would be taught for future roles such as treasurers, granary supervisors or shipwrights. And there would be music and art, and hunting and fighting sports. Since his father, Thutmose IV, was not the first-born, Amenhotep III would not have been obviously destined to the throne. However, as pharaoh, Amenhotep III “would become one of the greatest patrons of the arts in world history, commissioning incalculable square feet of temples, all decorated with painted relief carvings of exceptional quality. He demanded the best materials and attention to the tiniest details of fine workmanship.” “According to Amenhotep III himself, he excelled at all of his childhood tasks and tests. Never one to be needlessly modest, once he became king he had a temple wall inscribed that he was the ‘foremost of…children,’ and that it was ordained when he was a ‘weaned child,’ in other words, after he had graduated from the kap , that he would rule Egypt. The latter statement has only a slightly more realistic ring than his birth story on Luxor Temple’s walls, especially since his father had not yet engineered his own succession to the throne.”
And since it would have been most unwise to dispute his self-assessments, nothing to the contrary arises.
Kozloff’s book then switches its focus to the public works of Amenhotep III, his building programs around Thebes, and his international relations with Nubia, Canaan, Assyria, Mitanni, Babylon and Hatti. Much is known about these as a result of the discovery of the Amarna letters, a fascinating set of tablets interchanged between the leaders, re-discovered in the late nineteenth century. They include much squabbling over gifts, and very interesting negotiations for Amenhotep III to marry Mitanni princesses, as well as his horrified affront at the idea of the Babylonian King wishing to marry an Egyptian princess. The book provides little information on others of the king’s consorts.
While it has little to do directly with Amenhotep III himself, the operations of the Valley of the Kings workmen’s village at Deir el-Medina, are described in some detail, providing a little insight into the lives of non-aristocracy.
Amenhotep III becomes, perhaps, more interesting as he reaches elderly years. The latter years of his reign saw something of a decline in Egypt’s status. Mention is made in the Amarna letters of the dangers posed to the Mitanni princess by robbers in Canaan. Kozloff suggests that, in earlier years, Amenhotep III would have sent a large army to remove the robbers. “The King’s building projects had also dwindled in number and size. Was he too old to care? Had his beloved courtier Amenhotep son of Hapu died, leaving him bereft of inspiration? Was he short of funds or manpower?” It seems his gifts to other sovereigns were indeed of diminishing value. Kozloff suggests that these circumstances might be attributable to changing flood patterns and thus to smaller crops and less prosperity. These conjectures will be tested by work being carried out now on the soil and river compositions along the Nile.
Later statues depict Amenhotep III with a thickening girth. “Lacking the waistline necessary to keep up a kilt, he wore a pleated, floor-length gown…never before had an Egyptian king been betrayed so informally.” However, “In ancient Egypt, obesity was not a bad thing. It was a sign of plenty, robustness, and fecundity. The Nile gods who annually brought fertility to Egypt had large bellies and pendulous breasts. Therefore Amenhotep III’s rotund portraits, in addition to probably being rather realistic, may have been propaganda showing that the jubilees had been successful in renewing Pharaoh as both a source and sign of burgeoning abundance and fruitfulness for the land and its people. That this body type runs absolutely contrary to the fighting trim paradigm for two millennia of pharaonic images suggests that external military threats to the homeland had dwindled, which is confirmed by Amarna correspondence.”
Whatever the intention of these representations, “he died in the thirty-eighth year of his reign, about 1353 BC, the richest, most powerful, and longest-ruling emperor in the world of his time. The mummy identified as his seems to have lost a huge amount of weight toward the end because his skin was so loose that packets of materials had to be inserted to plump it up. His teeth and jaws were in disastrous condition, with caries and dental granuloma (a disease mass forming at the root of the teeth inside the jawbone). He may not have been able to eat, and he certainly must have been in great pain, with nothing but opium and magic spells to dull the suffering. Recent studies also show erosions of part of his skull, a condition that can be caused by, among other things, a meningioma, a common, usually benign, brain tumour. Clearly his last weeks or months of life were hellish.”
There is some irony that we know little in the way of intimate detail throughout his life but, due to contemporary beliefs in the afterlife and mummification as a means of accessing eternity, as well as modern science’s increasing ability to interpret remains, we are learning more and more about Amenhotep post-mortem.
Arielle Kozloff has done a reasonable job of building up a biography of sorts about this man from three and a half thousand years ago. Much of the book is not really about the man himself, but about his times and the consequences of his actions. But there is not much alternative to that.
July 27, 2022
On my shelves filled with ancient Egyptian history, this book has been staring back at me waiting to be read. I finally got around to reading it, and I am glad I did.
A solid book that brings to life an often-overlooked king who had a massive impact on the course of ancient Egyptian history going forward from his time. Not only the obvious, his son Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten), but also all the great pharaohs of the 19th dynasty. They call Ramses II the 'Great', then surely Amenhotep III is the 'Epic!' (I know some call him the Magnificent, but that is not enough!). Look up how much he built, and it's insane scale, and it's easy to see how neighboring countries rulers said that gold was like sand in Egypt. Did I mention he did all this with a clubfoot! Unstoppable.
Written in chronological order, it is an easy read taking the reader through a golden age in Egyptian history. The author also makes a valiant effort to bring to life all the peripheral subjects who were instrumental in making this period so amazing (I'm looking at you Amenhotep son of Hapu!).
The only section of this book that I would urge the reader to skip is the very end, when the author makes light work of the transition from Amenhotep III to his son Akhenaten, to Nefertiti to Tutankhamun. There are simply too many 'truths' the author mentions which are no longer accepted by Egyptologists. The thing to keep in mind is that this book was published in 2012, and since then there have been many discoveries which put some of the author's claims (which where were valid at time of publication) in doubt.
Regardless, if you love Ancient Egyptian history, this is a must read as there are so few books documenting this king.
A solid book that brings to life an often-overlooked king who had a massive impact on the course of ancient Egyptian history going forward from his time. Not only the obvious, his son Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten), but also all the great pharaohs of the 19th dynasty. They call Ramses II the 'Great', then surely Amenhotep III is the 'Epic!' (I know some call him the Magnificent, but that is not enough!). Look up how much he built, and it's insane scale, and it's easy to see how neighboring countries rulers said that gold was like sand in Egypt. Did I mention he did all this with a clubfoot! Unstoppable.
Written in chronological order, it is an easy read taking the reader through a golden age in Egyptian history. The author also makes a valiant effort to bring to life all the peripheral subjects who were instrumental in making this period so amazing (I'm looking at you Amenhotep son of Hapu!).
The only section of this book that I would urge the reader to skip is the very end, when the author makes light work of the transition from Amenhotep III to his son Akhenaten, to Nefertiti to Tutankhamun. There are simply too many 'truths' the author mentions which are no longer accepted by Egyptologists. The thing to keep in mind is that this book was published in 2012, and since then there have been many discoveries which put some of the author's claims (which where were valid at time of publication) in doubt.
Regardless, if you love Ancient Egyptian history, this is a must read as there are so few books documenting this king.
April 15, 2012
Amenhotep III was the ninth king of Egypt's Eighteenth Dynasty in the New Kingdom. Better known to the general public as Akhenaten's father and the Colossi of Memnon, Amenhotep III was one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs and his reign often seen as the golden age of the Ancient Egyptian civilisation.
Yet very few books have been written about him, especially compared to the endless tomes on Akhenaten (according to Dominic Montserrat, around 2,000 reference books alone). Off the top of my head, there's a collection of essays ( Amenhotep III: Perspectives on His Reign ), Joann Fletcher's slim volume ( Chronicle of a Pharaoh: The Intimate Life of Amenhotep III ) and the exhibition catalogue of Egypt's Dazzling Sun: Amenhotep III & His World .
In Egypt's Radiant Pharaoh, Arielle P. Kozloff explores the reign, life and context of Amenhotep III. It's by far the most satisfying volume on Amenhotep III that I've read – it's personal, in depth and accessible.
Kozloff writes in an easy, reachable and logical way, and it's clear she has a lot of affection for Amenhotep III. Her commentary on pieces of artwork can go on for a bit – I didn't mind this, but others might.
The book is obviously well researched, though I wished a different style of citations had been used. In-text referencing or the use of endnotes or footnotes would have been preferable, so the exact reference can be easily located. Instead, the citations used in each chapter are grouped into broad subject headings. That means, that if I was curious about a certain aspect discussed about the Amarna letters, I would have to go through all the references she cites under the "Amarna letters" heading in order to find that one specific, relevant reference.
Some of Kozloff's assertions could be better explained (i.e. her assertion that Amenhotep III came to the throne in his 20s, rather than the child-king that some have believed him to have been). On the whole, however, these are minimal and disappear once Amenhotep's life becomes more firmly documented.
The final chapter, which focuses on the Amarna period in light of Amenhotep III's reign, feels rushed and unfortunately under-researched. For example, she calls Horemheb Ay's "son in law", which is within the realm of possibility, but without any evidence. Another issue is that she continually identifies the mummy of the Younger Lady in KV35 (KV35YL) as Nefertiti, and then uses the 2010 JAMA paper to suggest that Nefertiti was one of Amenhotep III's daughters. The claims Joann Fletcher made in 2005 about KV35YL being Nefertiti have been widely discredited and the 2010 DNA results are more likely to prove that KV35YL isn't Nefertiti since Nefertiti was never attributed the title "King's Daughter". To see such claims in an otherwise well-researched book was felt a bit like a slap in the face.
However, it's easy to forgive, or at least ignore. The Amarna period is very difficult to sum up in just one chapter, and it is just one chapter in an otherwise very good book. It's also worth mentioning that Kozloff does have an interesting and perhaps unique take on the Amarna period - though, like all other Amarna theories, it's one that can't be proved.
If you want to read about Amenhotep III, this is the book I would recommend. Yes, it has drawbacks and yes, my recommendation does come with caveats. But considering the alternatives – a book of academic essays or a very attractive, very heavily illustrated and very slim volume – it is the best biography of Amenhotep III currently available.
Yet very few books have been written about him, especially compared to the endless tomes on Akhenaten (according to Dominic Montserrat, around 2,000 reference books alone). Off the top of my head, there's a collection of essays ( Amenhotep III: Perspectives on His Reign ), Joann Fletcher's slim volume ( Chronicle of a Pharaoh: The Intimate Life of Amenhotep III ) and the exhibition catalogue of Egypt's Dazzling Sun: Amenhotep III & His World .
In Egypt's Radiant Pharaoh, Arielle P. Kozloff explores the reign, life and context of Amenhotep III. It's by far the most satisfying volume on Amenhotep III that I've read – it's personal, in depth and accessible.
Kozloff writes in an easy, reachable and logical way, and it's clear she has a lot of affection for Amenhotep III. Her commentary on pieces of artwork can go on for a bit – I didn't mind this, but others might.
The book is obviously well researched, though I wished a different style of citations had been used. In-text referencing or the use of endnotes or footnotes would have been preferable, so the exact reference can be easily located. Instead, the citations used in each chapter are grouped into broad subject headings. That means, that if I was curious about a certain aspect discussed about the Amarna letters, I would have to go through all the references she cites under the "Amarna letters" heading in order to find that one specific, relevant reference.
Some of Kozloff's assertions could be better explained (i.e. her assertion that Amenhotep III came to the throne in his 20s, rather than the child-king that some have believed him to have been). On the whole, however, these are minimal and disappear once Amenhotep's life becomes more firmly documented.
The final chapter, which focuses on the Amarna period in light of Amenhotep III's reign, feels rushed and unfortunately under-researched. For example, she calls Horemheb Ay's "son in law", which is within the realm of possibility, but without any evidence. Another issue is that she continually identifies the mummy of the Younger Lady in KV35 (KV35YL) as Nefertiti, and then uses the 2010 JAMA paper to suggest that Nefertiti was one of Amenhotep III's daughters. The claims Joann Fletcher made in 2005 about KV35YL being Nefertiti have been widely discredited and the 2010 DNA results are more likely to prove that KV35YL isn't Nefertiti since Nefertiti was never attributed the title "King's Daughter". To see such claims in an otherwise well-researched book was felt a bit like a slap in the face.
However, it's easy to forgive, or at least ignore. The Amarna period is very difficult to sum up in just one chapter, and it is just one chapter in an otherwise very good book. It's also worth mentioning that Kozloff does have an interesting and perhaps unique take on the Amarna period - though, like all other Amarna theories, it's one that can't be proved.
If you want to read about Amenhotep III, this is the book I would recommend. Yes, it has drawbacks and yes, my recommendation does come with caveats. But considering the alternatives – a book of academic essays or a very attractive, very heavily illustrated and very slim volume – it is the best biography of Amenhotep III currently available.
July 7, 2020
As with all historical academia, this book is both enlightening as well as speculative on certain points. Reading this in 2020, it is very easy for me to know from hindsight that certain assumptions have now been either proved or disproved scientifically. That said, it was fascinating to read although for me the area of most interest was around Amenhotep III's move to Thebes around the 30th year of his reign. Certainly has a wealth of information that I have been looking for in my own research into the 18th Dynasty. Worth a read especially since there aren't many decent books on this Pharaoh.
January 30, 2017
Amenhotep III was probably the greatest builder in Egyptian history, a god-king who presided over one of his country's greatest golden ages. Yet today he is remembered mostly as the father of the "heretic king" Akhenaten and the father-in-law of the legendary beauty Nefertiti. Kozloff's biography adds to the limited literature about this pharaoh. She cares deeply about her subject matter, referring affectionately to Amenhotep as "our king."
Readers should read this book with a grain of salt, as Kozloff has a few novel theories. One of them is that Amenhotep ascended to the throne as an adult rather than a child, as is commonly believed. Unfortunately, her main justification for her position is that during the latter half of his father's reign the Viceroy of Nubia (literally, king's son of Kush) was a man also named Amenhotep. The title is often shortened to king's son. Kozloff believes that this official called King's Son Amenhotep is also the king's biological son Amenhotep. Therefore, the prince must have been old enough to hold an important political office during his father's reign. However, she doesn't take into account that Amenhotep was a very popular name both inside and outside the royal family. She mentions multiple men throughout the book who shared the name. In addition, the recent CT-scan and examination of Amenhotep's mummy places his age at death as in his 50s. Given that he reigned for 38 years, this seems to be definitive proof that he was still a child or youth when he was crowned. Kozloff does not discuss this evidence, even though her book was published in 2012 and the CT-scan results and study were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in early 2010. She does however discuss the study elsewhere in the book, though she focuses on a different mummy, a female.
Nonetheless, I still recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about one of Egypt's most magnificent and under-appreciated rulers. Her description of Amenhotep's childhood in the Faiyum harem is fascinating. I was amazed by the sheer number of buildings he constructed and renovated. She profiles many of the officials who helped to make Amenhotep great, including his brilliant friend and advisor Amenhotep son of Hapu.
I also enjoyed Kozloff's take on the Atenist religious revolution. She demonstrates that devotion to the Aten had been on the rise for several generations prior to Amenhotep's son Akhenaten. Egypt was also struggling with the adverse effects of climate change and plague. The traditional gods, especially Amun, seemed unable to help the situation. The royal family began to patronize other gods. Amenhotep in particular was interested in more "ancient" gods like Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Ra, and Ra's physical aspect the Aten. His son Akhenaten's promotion of the Aten to chief god was probably neither a cynical power grab nor a born-again spiritual transformation. It was simply an attempt to save the country by appealing to a different god. Readers who want a slightly different and more academic take on this king should read "Amenhotep III: Perspectives on His Reign," edited by David O'Connor and Eric H. Cline.
Readers should read this book with a grain of salt, as Kozloff has a few novel theories. One of them is that Amenhotep ascended to the throne as an adult rather than a child, as is commonly believed. Unfortunately, her main justification for her position is that during the latter half of his father's reign the Viceroy of Nubia (literally, king's son of Kush) was a man also named Amenhotep. The title is often shortened to king's son. Kozloff believes that this official called King's Son Amenhotep is also the king's biological son Amenhotep. Therefore, the prince must have been old enough to hold an important political office during his father's reign. However, she doesn't take into account that Amenhotep was a very popular name both inside and outside the royal family. She mentions multiple men throughout the book who shared the name. In addition, the recent CT-scan and examination of Amenhotep's mummy places his age at death as in his 50s. Given that he reigned for 38 years, this seems to be definitive proof that he was still a child or youth when he was crowned. Kozloff does not discuss this evidence, even though her book was published in 2012 and the CT-scan results and study were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in early 2010. She does however discuss the study elsewhere in the book, though she focuses on a different mummy, a female.
Nonetheless, I still recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about one of Egypt's most magnificent and under-appreciated rulers. Her description of Amenhotep's childhood in the Faiyum harem is fascinating. I was amazed by the sheer number of buildings he constructed and renovated. She profiles many of the officials who helped to make Amenhotep great, including his brilliant friend and advisor Amenhotep son of Hapu.
I also enjoyed Kozloff's take on the Atenist religious revolution. She demonstrates that devotion to the Aten had been on the rise for several generations prior to Amenhotep's son Akhenaten. Egypt was also struggling with the adverse effects of climate change and plague. The traditional gods, especially Amun, seemed unable to help the situation. The royal family began to patronize other gods. Amenhotep in particular was interested in more "ancient" gods like Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Ra, and Ra's physical aspect the Aten. His son Akhenaten's promotion of the Aten to chief god was probably neither a cynical power grab nor a born-again spiritual transformation. It was simply an attempt to save the country by appealing to a different god. Readers who want a slightly different and more academic take on this king should read "Amenhotep III: Perspectives on His Reign," edited by David O'Connor and Eric H. Cline.
September 22, 2016
I really enjoyed reading Arielle P Kozloff's book of Amenhotep III. She wrote the history of the pharaoh in an informed and well written manner. I found it a very engaging read.
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