The Sun-Disc in Akhenaten's Program: Its Worship and Antecedents, II

Author(s): Donald B. Redford

Source: Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt , 1980, Vol. 17 (1980), pp. 21-
38
Published by: American Research Center in Egypt

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40000938

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 The Sun-Disc in Akhenaten's Program:
Its Worship and Antecedents, II*
Donald B. Redford

called "Horus",147 and the phrase "on the Horus

Survival of Traditional Iconography at Thebes
throne" still occurs (pl. X:2).
While the many-armed sun-disc is an admit-
Much of the polytheistic flavor of the Karnak
tedly dramatic, if rather sterile, symbol, it didtalatat
not, stems directly from the ^-festival theme
during the period Akhenaten remained at is the artists' subject on most of the blocks
which
Thebes, entirely supplant the more traditional
from Gm,'t(w)-p;-itn. Thus the bull-, "placenta"-,
iconography. During this third stage in the jackal-,
devel- and falcon-standards shown borne on the
opment of the new cult, for example, after shoulders
the of bald, bare-chested individuals, some-
anthropomorphic representation of the sun-god
times identified as hm-ntr, find their place in the
reliefs simply because they were deemed an
had been given up, the falcon and hybrid forms
based upon it remained fairly common in indispensable
the part of the ceremony {ATP I,
wall decoration at Karnak. The statue type in this article: pls. IX:3; 1 top; XIL1-3). The
pl. 41;
which the standing figure of the king wearing same amay be the reason for the presence of the
bag wig is protected by a large falcon behind him of falcon, bull, mrt-Hgure, Souls of Buto
group
and Nekhen, and the Smsw-Hr standards (cf. ATP
is depicted at least once in the talatat (pl. VH:8);
the falcon-headed icon surmounting a collar I, and
pl. 77).148 In the talatat this aggregation seems
to be
wearing a sun-disc is also present (pl. VIII: 1). A a decorative motif which is used to deco-
falcon surmounts a large sistrum (pl. VIII:3).rate
Jarsthe sides of a dais on which the king is
used in the cult may have lids shaped like ashownfal- standing. In one scene two columns of
con's head (pl. V1II:5), and a hawk-headed text, paralleled by a caption accompanying the
sphinx, watching protectingly over thesame car-standards at Bubastis,149 identify the group
touches of the Disc, squats on top of a pylon as "the gods who are upon their standards" (ntrw
[ATP I, pl. 87:5). Also reminiscent oftpyw
thetet-sri).150
traditional symbolism connected with Reha-
Elsewhere, the king is shown in a kneeling pos-
rakhte and the sun-cult are the recumbent ture heading a row of three jackal-headed "Souls
sphinxes with serekhs of the king on their of heads
Nekhen", all squatting on their haunches per-
(pl. VIII [bottom]; 4:2). These appear as presen-
forming hy-hnw}51 Behind them are two baboons
tations145 made to the king, or carried before adoring,
him the second at a lower level than the first.
by priests (pl. IX: 1). In the decoration of the
The reason for this is a diagonal line which slopes
jambs of the window of appearance, both the tofal-
the right above their heads. On the basis of a
con with wings out-stretched protecting thesimilar
car- arrangement of elements in the tomb of
touches and the motif of the trampling sphinx Parennefer,
are the whole would seem to constitute
the decoration on the side of a large altar,
shown, in contrast to the more austere repertoire
approached
of the Amarna window.146 The king may still be by a ramp, whereon the king was

21

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 22 JARCE XVII (1980)

depicted standing.152although
Possiblyit may well to
be thatbeby the 4th year to th
joined
scene are those blocksplansshowing the
for the new city were sloping
far enough advanced edg
to justify such
of such a ramp, decorated an expedition.
with Scarabs from very figur
recumbent
early in Akhenaten's
of the king and squatting baboons, reign describe
all withhim as han
"Neferkheprure
raised in adoration.153 The text whom Amunre
beneath selected from
the diag
millions."161 Thethe
onal line seems to identify three occurrences
Souls of the
and name action
they perform: "doing"Amun",
hnw which the
by present
thewriterSouls
feels may date
of Pe t
from Akhenaten's time (pl. VI: 1, 2, 5),162 unfor-
Reharakhte-He-Who-Rejoices-in-the-Horizon-in
tunately contain little else than the name itself.
his-Name-of-Sunlight-which-is-in-the-Disc".
The problem
Other blocks, on which areas shown
to what extent cult
the cults of
objects
unknown at Amarna, Amun andlikewise placeduring
other deities were maintained us in th
the first five years
context of the ^/-festival. Men of Akhenaten's
are shown reign might carr
ing the door-hinge and the
have been resolvedscorpion sign
by offering lists with caiendri- (ATP
cal notations.
pl. 42),154 others bear Unfortunately,
a small, these are scarce.
portable pr-w
shrine on carryingOne poles
fragment,163(ATP I, pl.
which reads "given 79:2).15
at the festi-
vals ofin
Priests of Selkit march the first of the seasons ... on the day ofthe pe
procession;156
of the iwn-mwt-f is each psdntiw-feast
several when it fallsattested
times . . .," is unfortu- (ATP
nately
pl. 41; our pl. VIII:7) and a redecorated
the talatat from Ramesside HtPH
enigmatic
Dp(?) has a piece to times.
say.157
Another preserves part of a date: "[. . .] ;ht
As noted above, in r17]
the discussion
(?)" (pl. of
VH:3).164 If this is not part the
of a ear
liest phase of Akhenaten's
regnal year date, itinnovations,
may designate the day and oth
gods are mentioned alongside
month the
of a particular feast. Disc.
Two dates suggest Mor
themselves,
rarely in the final stage inviz.the i /fe, 17, the occasion of the Wag-
development of t
new iconography are feast,165
other or iii iht, 17, the day of
deities the Amun feast
ailued to. Allu
sions to the "Eternal Lord"
following the feast ofand Geb, there
Opet.166 Fortunately if inde
the texts in question is no doubt
have about the continuation
been of offerings
correctly re
and dated,158 might on be New put
Year's Day, apparently to
down to Re,the
early inexigen
cies of the ^-festival. the
Butreign: the new offering list from
references tothe Ninth
"the god
in passages which are not
Pylon167 containsostensibly
an entry "offering of theconnect
Lord
with the festival (pl. on New Year'smust
XH:5) Day." signify a linge
ing acceptance of more than
One problem related one of
to the perpetuation god,the ev
though the context is traditional
clearly cultus under Akhenaten has to to
intended do indica
the uniqueness of the Disc.159
with the extent to which the old temple of Amun
Of special interest are the
was used, eithersporadic references
by the old priesthood or the new
to Amun on the talatat. Unfortunately
cult. If, as now appears likely, Akhenaten the did not fac
build his temples exclusively
that many blocks, especially thoseonnow ground removed
at Luxo
but also some from Karnak,
from the precinct of were reused
Amun, but followed the an
practice of his
redecorated in later times, predecessors by
renders buildingjudgme
final in and
on the date of those talatat with the name Amun around the standing temples,168 it is probable
precarious indeed. Nevertheless, sources outside that the Amun temple was used to some extent.
Thebes attest to an on-going Amun-cult well into One very rare designation of the Disc locates it
the reign. A high priest of Amun, one May, is hry-ib wsht, "residing in the broad hall."169 This
attested as late as the 4th year, engaging in quar- hall might have been part of some structure
rying activity in the Wadi Hammamat.160 reared by Akhenaten himself, as the wsht is
Whether the "Image of the Lord," for which the known from Amarna.170 On the other hand, it
blocks May quarried were needed, was to be set might equally well be a hall already standing in
up at Karnak or Amarna is not altogether clear, the temple of Amun, which was pressed into the

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 THE SUN-DISC IN AKHENATEN'S PROGRAM: ITS WORSHIP AND ANTECEDENTS, II 23

service of the Disc.171 Another qualification of prenomen of Akhenaten and the epithet
the Disc, which has been recovered on only one "beloved of Great-of-Magic, lady of heaven."180
(unmatched) blocks is hry-ib ih[. . .].172 One In the letter of the Memphite steward Apy, dated
naturally thinks of ih-mnw, but confirmationin the 5th year, Ptah is called the king's father,181
must await further matching or the discovery ofand reference is made to "all the gods and god-
additional examples. desses who are [in Memphis]."182
Outside Thebes during the first five or six It would seem, then, that exaltation of the sun-
years of Akhenaten's reign, concentration on the disc, to the exclusion of other gods and symbols,
Disc to the exclusion of all other gods is not asdepended to a large extent on the presence of the
marked as at Karnak. If other cults had in fact monarch. It was his revolution, a personal one in
been interdicted, the decree had not yet taken many respects, and its visible effects diminished
effect. The stela of the overseer of works Aya the farther removed one found oneself from the
from Zernik,173 in which the king's nomen is writ- place where he was in residence.
ten "Amenophis," shows the owner adoring
Nekhbit, and also mentions the early name of the
Disc. A stela in Florence which addresses the The Attributes of the Disc

"Disc when [he] shifnes . . .] in order to illumine These few scattered allusions to the old gods
the Two Lands for (his) son, (his) beloved, lord
should not mislead one into ascribing more
of the Two Lands . . ." implores him to "protectimportance to them than they deserve; for they
the son of Re, Amenophis, the divine ruler of pale into insignificance beside the ubiquity of the
Wese, the long-lived one." The owner's name Discis and the fewer, though nonetheless impor-
still compounded with the divine name Amun, tant, references to Re. There is hope that conti-
viz. Amenemope, the overseer of peasants.174 nued matching, especially of blocks which con-
From Nefrusy, on the doorstep as it were of the tain non-formulaic texts, may shed interesting
future residence, come statues of the mayor Iunynew light on the rationale behind the inception of
Akhenaten's program.183 Even in the present,
and his wife Mutnofret, dated clearly by the royal
name Wc-n-r\ in which a prayer is addressed to fragmented state of the evidence, we can draw
"the lord of Eternity . . . the great god, lord of thethe following conclusions concerning the direc-
West (i.e. Osiris)" for "good burial after old tion of Akhenaten's thinking. From the outset of
age."175 Mutnofret, who was a singer of Khnum, his reign, it seems, the idea of uplifting or exalt-
lord of Hr-wr,176 also invokes "Osiris, the great
ing the Disc dominated his mind. His nbty-
god, lord of Eternity" to grant food offerings;name, wts rn n Hn, "uplifting the Disc's name,"184
while her son Mahu similarly calls upon Khnumconveys this predisposition, and the same verb is
and Thoth and asks that "my voice be m/ in the found on the talatat (unfortunately out of con-
land . . . and my limbs sound." A sun hymn on text, cf. pl. VIL6, 7; X:2), and in the name of the
the stela of Nakht-min, similarly dated by the temple of the Disc at Heliopolis, "Uplifting the
royal names W'-n-r' and Nefertity (the formerDisc in Heliopolis."185 The attributes of this
called "the mighty king, lord of the lands"), has
exalted deity are not so clearly set forth on the
the tenor of pre-Amarna hymns:177 "Hail to thee talatat at Karnak as they were later to be in the
Re, lord of Maat, Atum in his beautiful setting!
Amarna hymns; nevertheless, we sense a marked
Thou shinest resplendent upon the back of thy similarity. The texts at Karnak dwell heavily
mother .... Thou traversest heaven with happy on the sunbeams which come from the Disc:
heart, the sea of fire is calm when Re fares withthey "shine" (TS 8793% 3:w), "flour-
ish" (1767:3:fig. 3:x), "quell thine enemies"
good wind." Anubis is shown at the top of the
stela,178 and the cartouches of the Disc contain(pl. IX:1),186 and "brighten the Two Lands"
the early name.179 Abusir was apparently the pro-
(pl. X:4:fig. 4:y). The Disc is "he who decrees life,
venience of a whip-handle, inscribed with the the lord of Sunbeams1, maker of brightness" (TS

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 24 JARCE XVII (1980)

8800:fig. 4:z), and is live. (All) eyes see thy beauty until thou
instrumental(?) insettest,
"causin
the plebs to live" (pl.in order that work may be accomplished."194
XH:5:fig. 4:AA). He is
"living Disc who "His sunbeams
causes mean sight for all that he
everyone(?) [tohas live
people are not sated with
created. One says, (there seeing
. him
is) life (in) seeing him,
(TS58793=fig. 4:BB);
but theyand "[when]
die at not seeing him!" 195 "Infinite every
life is e
[sejes [him(?), they] rejoice"
in thee to quicken them, and(121:9=fig.
the breath of life for l:c
At Amarna, the (their) nostrils.
major part Thy of
beams appear,
ourand all nour-
knowledg
about the character and attributes of the Disc ishing plants grow in the soil, caused to grow by
come from the great hymn inscribed in the tomb thy rays!"196 Reharakhte is "he who bestows his
of Ay, probably the creation of the king beauty on all mankind that they may live when
he gives his beams; the land brightens at thy
himself.187 After Akhenaten's aversion to mytho-
logy and its symbolism had obliged him daily to birth, in order to cause what he has created
expunge from the genre of hymns all such allu- to live."197 As creator and sustainer, the Disc has
sions, all that remained to be predicated of the absolute power over his creation: "the living
deity were the concepts of universalism, depend- Disc, lord of what was created and what
exists!"198 like an earthly king, his coming
ence of life on the sun, transcendence, creativity,
cosmic regularity, and absolute power. Noneenlivens
of his subjects: "thy beams have bright-
this is new, and the originality of Akhenaten's
ened the earth in its entirety, every heart is happy
poetic expression should not cloud one's mind at
onsight of thee, for thou art risen as their lord." 199
this score.188 The Disc is the creator and sustain-In all this poetry, there is a deep-seated wonder
er of the whole earth: "Thou createdst the earth at the beauty of the sun and its power in nature,
when thou wert afar, namely men, cattle, all and a firm reluctance to elaborate upon it in
flocks, and everything on earth which movesterms of myth. But the new concept of deity that
with legs, or which is up above flying with wings.Akhenaten produces is rather cold. His Disc
The foreign countries of Syria and Kush, and the created the cosmos (how we are not told; it seems
land of Egypt, thou placest every man in hisnot to have been of importance to the king) and
place, and makest their food. Everyone has hiskeeps it going; but he seems to show no compas-
food, and his lifetime is reckoned; and similarly sion to his creatures. He provides them with life
their languages are wholly separate in form. and sustenance, but in a rather perfunctory way.
Their colors are different, for thou hast madeNo text tells us he hears the cry of the poor man,
foreign peoples different."189 And again, "theor has compassion on the sick, or forgives the sin-
world came forth from thy hand, inasmuch asner.200 The reason for this, as for all other
thou madest them."190 Even time is the creationconspicuous absences in the new cult, is simply
of the Disc: "(thou)creator of months and maker that a compassionate god did not serve
of days, and reckoner of hours!"191 His transcen-Akhenaten's purpose.
dence and power is extolled in the following: For, to Akhenaten, the heavenly luminary was
"Thou shinest on the eastern horizon and fillest a hypostasis of divine kingship, projected into the
the whole earth with the beauty; thou art beauti-heavens.201 At Karnak, the monarchial aspects of
ful, great, dazzling, exalted above every land . . the
. Disc are almost full-blown. What was former-
and while thou art afar off thy beams are only the unwieldy epithet of the god is now reduced
earth, and thou art in every face!192 Thou hast in size and squeezed into two cartouches which
made heaven afar off to shine in, in order to seedominate every scene in which the Disc
everything that thou hast made from afar, shin-appears.202 His name is followed by the phrase di
ing in thy form of living Disc, arisen, resplendent, cnh dt nhhy as a king's would be; certainly by the
far-off!"193 All life depends on the Disc: "when time of the move to Amarna, a full titulary of
thou shinest, they live; when thou settest they sorts had been fashioned for him.203 Actions
normally predicated of the king in his aspect of
die; thou thyself art lifetime, and in thee do they

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 THE SUN-DISC IN AKHENATEN'S PROGRAM: ITS WORSHIP AND ANTECEDENTS, II 25

world ruler are now found attributed to the The Disc is said to be the one that "created (kd)
Disc.204 In keeping with his absolute majestyhisas beauty (pl. XH:4, 6). The king loves his father
well as that of his earthly counterpart, mortal(pl.
andXIL4) and occupies his throne (pl. XH:4=
animal creation must bow and adore. In the fig. 2:K, XH:7=fig. 2:L; XIH:3=fig. 2:M). He has
immediate entrourage of the king, courtiers,been ser- granted the kingship by his father Re
(pl. of
vants, soldiers, visitors, in fact almost everyone XIH:4=fig. 2:N). Heaven and earth have
non-royal blood, go about in a perpetual stoop,been bequeathed to him;211 his boundaries have
kiss the earth, or stretch themselves flat been uponextended to the limit of heaven; and all
lands
their bellies (cf. pl. V top; VIII:5; IX: 1, 3; ATP I, including Syria and Kush are beneath his
pl. 36-37, 41-42). Decorative motifs conform feetto (pl. X:l).212 The very close spiritual relation-
the same theme: rhyt-hir&s adore with raised ship between the king and the Disc, later a strong
hands while squatting on their plates (pl. tenet
XI, at Amarna, is hinted at in various broken
top); snake-headed uraei are provided with phrases: the Disc is the one that motivates the
human hands which they raise in adoration king, and leads the king (pl. IX:2=fig. 2:Q; cf.
(pl. VI top); baboons lift paws in worship,fig. and3:R); the king is the "first offspring(?) of the
recumbent figures, inspired by the prototype Disc."213
of
the king, look upwards towards the sun as they Thus, already in the Theban period of Akhena-
lie one behind the other on the slopes of a ramp ten's reign, the doctrines known so well from the
[ATP I, pl. 78-80).205 The first ^-festival,206 Amarna
for texts had already been adumbrated,
which most of the Kaniak structures seem to although later emphasis seems to have shifted
have been built, and in anticipation of which slightly.
the At Amarna, the king is everywhere the
radical changes in cult iconography were execut- son of Re214 and the beautiful child of the
Disc,215 often with an added phrase denoting his
ed, was not only the jubilee of the king, but of the
Disc as well. The Disc was "he who is in jubilee",
unique physical sonship.216 At Amarna, the simi-
and such festivals could be termed "jubileeslarity
of of the monarch's birth to the daily birth of
Re". In one rather obscure passage, the king's the Disc in insisted upon217 and is embellished by
the colorful metaphor of the sunlight as the
"documents of ftf-festiva^?)" are in some way
likened to the "[Disc(?)] himself and his docu-
source of the king's being.218 In a graphic word-
ments".207 Even so the connection between the
picture of the typical offering scene, the king is
Disc and the ^/-festival is not stressed in the tala-said to be shone on by the sunlight which ema-
tat, the major part of the references having tonates
do from his father.219 Only the king truly
with the king as celebrant.208 knows his father and is familiar with the Disc's
intentions;220 in return, the Disc obeys his son's
The Position of the King in Relation to the Disc
desires.221 The Disc has made his son king on
earth as he is king (scil. in heaven);222 in fact, the
Nothing shows the true monarchial motivation earthly office of kingship belongs to the Disc,223
behind the innovations better than the positionand is occupied by his son at the Disc's behest.224
Akhenaten assigned himself in the new scheme of The king never identifies himself with the Disc,
things. To a degree far greater than any of hisalthough in keeping with the practice that
immediate predecessors, the king set aboutobtained
to from the New Kingdom to Ptolemaic
affirm the paternity of the sun, the unity of times,
sun he can identify with Re.225 He is like his
and pharaoh, and the uniqueness of the god.
father;226 his body is like his father's sunbeams;227
The king in the talatat is often represented he as is his father's image;228 his beauty is
the son of the Disc (pl. XH:5), and the latter is of his father;229 his hi can be invoked
that
in juxtaposition to the Disc;230 but the ul-
called his father (pl. XIIL1, 2=fig. 1:J).209 Once,
in anticipation of the favorite Amarna phrase, timate
the step of identification was apparently
not taken. On the face of it, this seems a trifle
king is called "beautiful child of the [Disc]."210

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26 JARCE XVII (1980)
strange, inasmuch as active
Akhenaten's forebears
sense. Akhenaten is th
had not shrunk from Disc;
suchtheidentification,
only one whoeven
know
though it had not been a common
who metaphor
can interpret himand
to m
had been tempered by the distinction
can offer certainwhich con- th
sacrifices;
tinued to be made between the king
the earth. In and the sun,
a word, the dis
naten
and in a more general way bya freedom
the conceptof action
of the th
cation
king as earthly image of would render impos
the transcendental sun-
god.231 These earlier identifications of monarch
There is a further conside
and Disc, however, as we
have a have
bearingpointed
on whyout Akhe
above, were part of thecomplete
world view. The identifi-
identification with
cation was a metaphor,has
a hollow figure
to do with of person
the speech of
which simply describedphis
the III.
physical
There form
can beofnothe
doub
Pharaoh outfitted in his
ant regalia
monarch ascut
world ruler.
a spectacula
Akhenaten, it seems, of his time. to
endeavored There can also
change the b
metaphor into the basis of a serious
we have doctrine,wa
seen, Akhenaten
much as Aurelian triedIll's
to translate
eldest northe concept
favorite offsp
of Sol Invictus or Julianing Sun-Disc"
that which
of Helios.232 ButAmen
in
so doing he lacked, as the Roman emperors also de
be, and with which, at
lacked, a solid base in time-honored
become wholly cult: his new l
assimilated,
ideas had no "grass roots" currency.
absolute deity ofHence, he N
his son!
was obliged to force menfactto consider
that his teach-
Akhenaten's Disc i
ing, and this could only be done by
projection of (1) annihilat-
himself, one c
der
ing the cults and beliefs whether
which one of
diverted the subc
attention
from himself and (2) tivating
exalting histhe new
young god to aw
man
degree where no one could fail to note his pres-
father-image.
ence. Akhenaten himself, as king of Egypt, resi-
dent in one place, was particular and parochial,
The Absolutism of the D
but the Disc in the sky was universal. Hence, it
As Akhenaten
was expedient, in the interests could bro
of the universalism
of the monarchic ideal earth,
he hoped to promulgate,
so the Disc in the sup
to stress the distinction between
not himself and
only supreme, butthe
abs
Disc. He was the son of the Disc, and very much co
did not mean that the Disc
like him, but the Disc was
as a transcendent
"king of theand over
gods" as
all, Akhenaten immanent
king and over all.
of men; the nice bif
By maintaining a distinction between himself
subtly developed for the pas
and his father, Akhenaten
ries also heightened
between aware-
terrestrial and
ness of his own uniqueness. To aver that
what Akhenaten one is
objected
deity is an ultimate and
were alone and supreme is
impossible step: there in t
nothing left to imagine,
men:the door
there is closed
were to go
no other
speculation. It places ing
the Disc
embodiment
-there is of the
none oth
ideal before men's eyes,To where its imperfections
the writer, this is monot
are plain to see. It is essentially
definition aofdoctrine
the term which
which e
mology.
would result in the passivity of The
the acrimonious
god: he has d
nothing to do, all men the mustword is applicable
actively serve him.miss
But, if one maintains that one is
debaters ua little
usually lower
presuppos
than the angels", so to tency
speak, and
then logic as a prerequ
the possibility
presents itself of stressing one's uniqueness in an
today apply it to religions

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 THE SUN-DISC IN AKHENATEN'S PROGRAM: ITS WORSHIP AND ANTECEDENTS, II 27

philosophical approach as Islam, and as lax in Book of the Dead, only the name of the deceased
their willingness to accept inconsistency as someis written on them.243 Heart scarabs continue to
forms of Catholicism. Denying that Akhenaten occur, but only with a simple offering formula to
was a monotheist because of the occasional the Disc.244 Titles peculiar to Osiris turn up occa-
occurrence of other divine names in his texts is sionally, but now appropriated by Reharakhte.245
about as meaningful as calling Milton a paganSome motifs commonly associated with an Osir-
because of the depotentized gods in Paradise Lost. ian milieu are conspicuous by their absence.
Nor is it possible at this distance in time toReferences to the Underworld are very few, and
interpret correctly the erasures of names andthen simply identify the place from which the
motifs undesirable to the new cult. This programdeceased comes in the morning to view the
of defacement, which was mounted on so vast a sun.246 The image of the nocturnal sun bringing
scale that either a small army of hatchet men waslight to the denizens of the Underworld (Osiris'
required to go throughout the realm, or, as isbailiwick) is "conspicuously neglected" at
more likely, a party of inspectors to see that localAmarna.247 Other significant omissions include
officials were thorough in their work, must havethe Ennead and Apophis,248 and the cultic for-
been begun after the court had decided to move mula common heretofore ktp hr m^t, which is
to Amarna. The terminus a quo would seem to bereplaced by the apparently less objectionable hr
the king's decision to change his name fromhr rn?H.249 Purification of the script and decora-
Amenophis to Akhenaten. The fact that the tive art extends to replacing objectionable ideo-
decoration of the new temples was all but com- grams with words written purely phonetically,2^0
plete at Karnak when the name was changed234 and to the discarding of such motifs as the
proves that it was one of the final acts at the oldtrampling sphinx.
city, perpetrated on the eve of the "hegira." How Mortuary wishes are also refined. On her
long after the name Amun235 and certain objectsushabti, the concubine Pya251 prays for "sweet
sacred to him236 were expunged at Thebes is notbreath of the north wind which comes forth from
altogether clear; but, in all probability, it was a heaven through the agency of the living Disc, her
concomitant of the modification of the name. limbs protected, her heart contented. No sickness
This form of persecution, then, and with it the shall afflict her body which is whole without dis-
imposition of a rigorous monotheism, would ease. May she serve the Disc when he rises in the
have begun in about the 5th year of the reign,morning to take his form(?) in life; water for her
and the thoroughness with which it was effected heart, bread for her belly, clothing to cover her
at Karnak suggests the continued presence of the body . . .." In his htp-di-nsw formula, Hatiay252
watchful eye of Pharaoh.237 prays for "an offering which the king gives to the
In keeping with this monotheistic tendency, the living Disc who lights the earth, that he may give
hieroglyphic group for "gods" was sometimes a long life and the receiving of his hi . . . ." Apy,
effaced, too.238 Subsequently, there is discernible chief of works at Hatnub,253 requests "an offering
at Amarna an avoidance of ntr nfr in favor of hh which the king gives to the living Disc who
nfr as an appellative of the king,239 and on one brightens every land with his beauty, that he
occasion htp-ntr is replaced by htp-itn.240 may give the sweet breath of the north wind,
A similar anathema was pronounced upon Osi- tasting of offerings, consumption of provisions,
ris and his cycle,241 and while mortuary practices (granting) that I receive what is poured out for
might be retained, they had to undergo reinter- me, viz. cool water, wine, and milk upon the altar
pretation. Thus, while it continued to be felt of my tomb, that there be sprinkled for me reju-
necessary to provide canopic boxes with figures venating water each New Year's day . . .."
at the corners, the usual goddesses are replacedMaya254 asks for a htp-di-nsw "that the (the Disc)
by figures of Reharakhte.242 Ushabtis must bemay let me see his beauty through his rays
retained, but in place of the usual chapter of the spread upon my breast . . . that he may grant a

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 28 JARCE XVII (1980)
good burial at his hfs that behest
am to [offer] myselfin [tothe district
my] father [the sun- of
Akhenaten . . . and that disc] inhe the House
may of theallow
Disc in Akhetaten;
entry he is into
and exit from the king's not to house, bearing
be offered to while the
[. . .]";259 and again,favors
the
of the good god, until the good, revered
king is "one true-hearted in offering to him who state
comes." As the last request shows,
made him, propitiating him withawhat pale
pleases exist-
his
ence in the Beyond is Aa."260 to be Even incoupled
cult iconography with a con-
the king was the
tinuation of the deceased's status vis-a-vis the central worshiper. On the diagonal slopes of the
Reharakhte altars lie recumbent figures of the
earthly king; and in a similar vein Mahu prays,255
"may I hear the king's voice as he performs that king in bag- wig, adoring the sun in the company
which his father the Disc favors". The concept ofof baboons. In the decorative design on the sides
the bai is retained, but now it is Akhenaten and of the same altar it is Akhenaten who performs
the Disc that confer upon it the privilege hy-hnwof under the arms of the sun (above, p. ).
future existence.256 But as well as a "First Prophet", the Disc also
In sum, we may say that the tendencies here enjoyed the services of a "Chief Seer of Reha-
reflected encompass the following: (1) denialrakhte
of ... in the House of the Disc in Southern
Heliopolis,"261 a title clearly derived from the
the plurality of deity, (2) denial of the mythology
of the Afterlife, (3) avoidance of anthropo- Heliopolis in the north (where Akhenaten had
morphic representation. It may be argued that instituted a similar office).262 Later at Amarna
in none of these was Akhenaten completely tho- there was to be a "Chief Seer of the Disc in the
roughgoing; but that need be only a reflection House
on of the Disc in Akhetaten," and one incum-
his ability to persevere, not on his sincerity.bant, Meryre, is known.263 It would seem that in
this office we are to see the managing head of the
The Priesthood and the Cult solar cult of Akhenaten, but it must be admitted
that throughout the Karnak talatat his role is
The priestly organization centering upon theancillary to that of the king. He is shown accom-
worship of the Disc during Akhenaten's reign panying
is the king in the three temples of
only imperfectly known. Priests are ubiquitousGrri't(w)-p;-itn,
in Rwd-mnw, and Tni-mnw, though
the talatat reliefs, especially those dealing with
most frequently in the first, thanks to the exigen-
the ^-festival, and the grades hm-ntr, w'b, and cies
it- of the jubilee. He wears a simple kilt and,
ntr are mentioned fairly frequently.257 One occasionally, a head-tassel, and carries a censer or
cannot help but wonder whether this crowdArjfr-scepter
of and a libation vase. At the jubilee he
clean-shaven clerics is not essentially the sameprecedes the king in the processional, backing
priesthood functioning at Karnak up to that down the stairs or with head turned, the while
point in time, viz. the so-called priesthood of "censing before His Majesty."264 When the king
Amun itself. Certainly the popular view ofgoes a about from shrine to shrine in the great sd-
priestly group singled out and defrocked by the festival court, the Chief Seer heads the little party
of priests and hands His Majesty the libation
young king is really only an inference: why could
they not be masquerading as the celebrantsvase.265
of
the jubilee in the talatat scenes?257a Two other priests, the "Chamberlain and First
As the king was central to the newly-promul- Prophet of Neferkheprure Waenre" and the
gated "teaching," so was he the focal point in the
"Chief Lector-priest," also appear in the Karnak
talatat in subordinate, if not menial, roles. The
organization of the cult. like Amun, and possibly
in imitation of his organization, the Disc was fact that the first of the two named was paralleled
served by a "First Prophet"; but this earthly by a "Second Prophet of the lord of the Two
representative was no mere mortal, but his son Lands . . ,"266 suggests an organized priesthood
and image, the king.258 He was the chief cele- of the king, rather than an ad hoc designation; and
brant, and the right to offer was his alone: "I ittoisfind both relatively early in the reign calls into

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 THE SUN-DISC IN AKHENATEN'S PROGRAM: ITS WORSHIP AND ANTECEDENTS, II 29

question our common practice of labeling suchfers m/t to his beautiful face."274 This symbolic
titles as "mortuary."267 As a god the king was ipsoact has been construed as a formal means of
facto an object of worship; and the title is notassuring the deity that right and the divine order
turned into a mortuary one simply because mosthave not been impaired.275 At Thebes during the
of that worship was directed towards him after first five years of the reign, the symbol used for
his death. In fact, in the talatat the high-priest ofm/t was still the seated goddess on the plate
the king functions more after the manner of a (pl. 11), a device later discarded at Amarna.
personal servant: he always follows the king in The food-offering is the single most important
the procession from shrine to shrine at the ^-fes-type of scene in the talatat and shows such varie-
tival, holding a tressel in one hand and the king'sty that justice cannot be done to the subject here.
sandals on a stick in the other.268 In Rwd-mnw In the earlier reliefs, before the final triumph of
and Tni-mnw269 he is present in the same capa- the new style, an older terminology was tolerat-
city. The Chief Lector is clad in cap, shirt and kilt, ed. Caption texts speak of "giving all herbs" (rdit
and carries his book-roll. He plies his trade inrnpt nbt)276, "circulating around him [four
Gm-t(w)-p;-itn only, accompanying the royaltimes],"277 and htp-ntr is not yet deemed objec-
party from shrine to shrine and following alongtionable.278 But with the introduction of the
behind the Chief Seer; but he is never shown new style and the celebration of the jubilee, by
actually reading from his book,270 an interestingfar the most common term for offering becomes
omission that might possibly indicate that hissm/ c?bt, "to make the great offering." A text,
presence was more for show than in fulfilment ofapparently accompanying a scene of large size in
a real function. After all, the hit from which he which the king performs this rite, makes explicit
would have read would have been replete within a well-known succession of expressions just
the imagery and purposes of an anathematizedwhat the "great offering" consists of: "Offering up
form of worship, and the heretical king couldthe divine propitiations, the great offering [of
scarcely have tolerated readings from such aoxen], short-horns, wine, incense, [all things] fine
document.271 and pure, and all vegetables [. . . to] thy ka, O
Of the other priests and their functions wethou living Disc!"279 And the driving, throwing,
know very little. The God's-fathers and vdb-and slaughtering of cattle is a scene which often
priests are shown carrying bouquets and otheroccurs in Gm-t(w)-p;-itn in a long band along the
paraphernalia and probably had a hand in carry- bottom of jubilee reliefs showing the king offer-
ing and arranging offerings. At Amarna we hearing in various shrines.280 Among the other types
of the "First Servant of the Disc in the Mansion of offering shown mention may be made of the
of the Disc in Akhetaten,"272 but what precisedbh-htp offering (pl. IX:5), the proffering of fore-
function, if any, the title involved is unknown. legs and bulls' heads, and the libations and cens-
The actual cult in which the king and hising of court officials, in a body, each uttering an
priests performed has been drastically reduced byappropriate benedictory phrase.281
the time the sculptors depict it on the talatat, In all such scenes one theme is stressed: the
occasioning perhaps a lack of tasks for the clergy.bounty of the king and of his father the sun. The
The one expression in the talatat whichplenty of the land of Egypt depends upon them
approaches most closely our notion of "perform-alone. The king is "the Nile which fills the entire
ing the cult" is irt hrrt nbt it% "doing everythingland";282 he is addressed as "the light ($w\ I live
that pleases the Disc. The service in the mainthrough sight of thee, I am strenghtened at the
consists of food offerings,273 with a slight nod insound of thy voice!"283 The world of nature slips
the direction of solar symbolism. As an example easily into the world of the ethical in the Egyp-
of the latter, the morning offering of m/t may be tian's mind, and the corollary to the divine pair's
cited: "they all together offer to his kay to the Disc omnipotence was not lost on ancients. The king
shining on the horizon at dawn, while his son of-is "one who gives to whom he loves, who ordains

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 30 JARCE XVII (1980)
tains the variant
burial for one who puts him [.rf]j&\yn
in st hrhis
st wrt, "they shed protection
heart."284 An
over the Great Seat."
from this premise follows that classic piece
151 Smith-Redford, op. tit., pl. 80. For other examples of
advice from the mouth of the god's father Ay
the rite of hy-hnw, see ibid., pl. 44:2, where the vizier performs
wherein we hear echoes of the same strain that
it (cf. pl. V [bottom] of the present article).
resounds from Ptahhotpe or Sehtepibre-onkh to 1 )2 In the tomb of Parennefer (Porter and Moss, Topo-
Anii: "Ho all living upon earth, and those who
graphical Bibliography'2, I, part 2, p. 294; Davies, JEA 9
shall be young men someday! I shall tell you the[1923], 144f.), the king is shown offering to Reharakhte on
an altar approached by a ramp decorated with Souls of Pe(?)
way of life . . . Offer praises to the living Disc and
jubilating. An adjacent ramp is decorated with rekhyet-birds
you shall have a prosperous life; say to him
on their baskets, and the cornice of the altar with baboons
'Grant the ruler health exceedingly!'285 then headoring. For Souls of Pe and Nekhen performing hy-hnw on
shall double favors for you . . . Adore the kingthe sides of a pedestal, see Emery, JEA 51 (1971), pl. 9:1;
who is unique like the Disc, for there is none
M. Dewachter, CdE 47 (1972), 74, n. 4; H. E. Winlock, Bas-
other beside him! Then he will grant you a life-reliefs from the Temple of Ramesses I at Abydos (New York,
1973), pl. 3, p. 19f. (on the sides of a stand.)
time in happiness of heart, with the sustenance he
For statuary showing a Soul of Buto and another
is wont to give!"286 The kingship is central, one,
showing a baboon, see M. Sandman, Texts from the Time of
indivisible and unique. It is on earth and in heav-
Akhenaten (Brussels, 1938), 147. In the northeastern chambers
en, solar in origin and manifestation. No one canof the Akh-menu, similar decoration is shown in association
escape its power, claims or obligation. with the great altar of Reharakhte, and the "upper room"
which constitutes the Pr R-Hr-thty tp-hwt pr 'Imn: Kees,
Orientalia 18 (1949), 427; L.-A. Christophe, ASAE 52 (1954),
University of Toronto pl. foil. p. 266; P. Barguet, Le Temple d'Amon-re a Karnak
(Cairo, 1962), 203 f.; for adoring baboons in connexion with
the decoration of alters to Reharakhte, see G. Maspero, ZAS
* For Part I, see JARCE XIII (1976), 47-61. 48 (1911), 91ff.; idem, ASAE 11 (1912), 147; R. Stadelmann,
MDAIK 25 (1969), 159ff., esp. 171.
145 Cf. the text in pl. X:2. In other examples (cf. pl. IX: 1),
the formula enunciated by the presenting priests smacks of 154 Cf. JARCE 14 (1977), pls. 18, 21:2. On these objects,
the king's wide dominion: "his rays overthrow [thine] ene-see Kees, Der Opfertanz des dgyptischen Konigs (Munchen,
1912), 120ff, 131 f.
mies" (pl. IX: 1 = Fid. I:B). For such sphinxes, symbols of
Reharakhte and also connected with the king's ku, see 155 See pl. VIIL4 which contains the passage (fig. 3:T):
A. M. Calverley, The Temple of Sethos I at Abydos II (London, "proceeding by [His Majesty] to [...]; His Majesty appears
1935), pl. 15; P. Barguet, ASAE 51 (1951), 210; for suchin the pr wr [. . .] in the southern(?) [. . .] in the days [of the
sphinxes at the ^-festival, see E. Naville, The Festival Hall ofWhite Crown(?)]." The suggested reading of the last column
is made on the basis of pl. VIII :6 where the text reads
Osorkon in the Great Temple of Bubastis, pls. 1-2; also as New
Year's gifts: J. Vandier, Manuel d'archeologie egyptienne IV,"appearance [in] the palace by [the king] upon the throne in
623, fig. 343. order to perform the ritual (irrw) in the days of the Red
For the Window of Appearance in the Karnak talatat, Crown" (fig. 3:U), clear implication, it would seem, that the
see Smith-Redford, The Akhenaten Temple Project, I. Initial Dis- rites involving the two crowns occupied a considerable
coveries (Warminster, 1977), 122ff.; cf. also B. J. Kemp, JEA period of time.
62 (1976), 8 Iff. 156 Smith-Redford, op. tit., lOOf.
147 TS 5518: Smith-Redford, op. tit, pl. 77 (speech by the 157 PL X:3=fig. 3:V. For the same priest at Abusir, see
king's children) "Hail to thee, Horus of(?) every day! Hail to W. v. Bissing, Das Re-Heiligtum II, pl. 5, and at Bubastis,
thee, our father! . . . hail to thee, king Neferkheprure Naville, Festival-Hall, pl. 8, 12.
Waenre!" (fig. 3:5). 158 The prevalence of Ramesside blocks among the tala-
148 For the scene at Bubastis, see Naville, Festival-Hall, tat always necessitates such a caveat: cf. Kediord, JARCE 10
pl. 9; on the $msw-Hr, see W. Kaiser, ZAS 85 (I960), 118ff.; (1973), 92 ff.
the combination of bovide and falcon standards is common
159 por references to the "gods" in the context of the intro-
at Abusir: von Bissing, Kees, Das Re-Heiligtum, II, pl. 6, 8A, duction of the new sun-god, see the 10th pylon inscription of
Beiblatt B; also pls. 11, 13, 19. Akhenaten, to be published in the second volume of the
149 Cf. Naville, op. tit., pl. 14. Akhenaten Temple Project.
The Bubastite caption reads ntrw tpyw ut-sn hr wnm n 160 G. Goyon, Nouvelles inscriptions rupestres du Wadi Ham-
nsw hr st wrt, "the gods who are upon their standards on themamat, (Paris, 1957), pl. 25, no. 90; Redford,y,40S 83 (1963),
right of the king on the Great Seat"; the text at Karnak con- 240 f.

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 THE SUN-DISC IN AKHENATEN'S PROGRAM: ITS WORSHIP AND ANTECEDENTS, II 31

161 H. R. Hall, Catalogue of Egyptian Scarabs, etc. in the Brit- 190 Ibid., 95, 1. 12.
ish Museum, I, 195, no. 1946; P. E. Newbeny, Scarabs, pl. 31, 191 Ibid., 9:14, 77:19.
no. 23.
192 Ibid., 93:2-3. The preference for a sequence of old
162 The group in Fakhry, ASAE 35 (1935), 45, fig. 5, ispefectives predicated of the Disc (cf. the following note) is
probably to be construed as an eccentric writing of the title
part and parcel of the usage of the contemporary hymnal: cf.
of the king's first prophet. Urk. IV, 1898:10 (temp. Amenophis III) where Amenre is
163 Block 0477 04414; see fig. 1:A. said to be K -ii hd-ti nfr-ti sty-ti hrti b?k-t\ um-ti. Though
Akhenaten follows the custom, he uses none of these verbs.
164 The distribution of unit strokes makes a restoration 17
probable. 193 Ibid., 95:11.
165 S. Schott, Altdgyptische Festdaten (Mainz, 1950), 961. 194 Ibid., 95:12f.
166 Ibid., 969. 195 Ibid., 23:4f.
167 R. SaadJEA 57 (1971), 70ff., pl. 21. The text is dated 196 Ibid., 15:4-10.
to an early period in the reign, to judge from the absence of 197 E. Drioton, ASAE 43 (1943), 26, fig. 1.
cartouches enclosing the disc's name. Three or four shorter 198 Sandman, Akhenaten Texts, 28:1 f.
variants of this list reamin to be published among the talatat 199 Ibid., 12:15.
reliefs.
200 "Liebe und Fiirsorge fur seine Geschopfe" (Bonnet,
168 Redford, JARCE 10, 82. Reallexikon, 66) is simply not known in the new cult.
169 Ibid., pl. 6:3, 4; cf. our pl. VII:4. 201 B. Gmrn, JEA 9 (1923), 168 f. Cf. the incisive observa-
170 Cf. H. W. Fairman in J. D. S. Pendlebury, The City of tion of P. Barguet in one of the best of the recent articles on
Akhenaten, III, part I, 193ff. Akhenaten: "l'Aton d' Amenophis IV representerait le prin-
171 Redford, JARCE 10, 86 f., for discussion. cipe royale, principe divin par essence, mais anime, rendu
172 I am grateful to Prof. Sayed Tawfik for drawing my sensible en quelque sorte et adore sous la forme du disque
attention to this text; see also JARCE 10, 80. solaire," Cahiers d'histoire 13 (1968), 29.
173 Urk. IV, 1963f. 202 Bonnet, op. cit., 64 f.; G. Fecht, ZAS 85 (1960), HOf.
174 Sandman, Akhenaten Texts, 146. 203 E.g. Davies, Amarna II, pl. 5; cf. Gunn, JEA 9, 169.

175 G. Daressy, ASAE 18 (1919), 54. 204 "Curbing" (w'f): D. Lorton, The Juridical Terminology of
International Relations in Egyptian Texts Through Dyn. XVIII
176 Ibid., 55.
(Baltimore, 1974), 86, n. 23; "reaching the limits," ibid., 76,
177 Von Bissing, ZAS 64 (1929), 113ff. no. 11-12.
178 For a htp-di-nsw to Anubis, see Sandman, Akhenaten
Texts, 142. 205 On the motif of kissing the earth in Amarna art, see
E. Hornung, ZAS 97 (1971), 75 f.
179 Von Bissing, ZAS 64, pl. 4.
206 There is no evidence for more than one ^-festival, the
180 j q H.James, Corpus of Hieroglyphic Inscriptions in the
first, at Karnak: see the writer, JARCE 12 (1975), pl. 1A, and
Brooklyn Museum (London, 1974), pl. 75; B. Lohr, SAK 2
n. 9. Pawah, the high-priest of the sun-disc in the House of
(1975), pl. 5:4.
Re, also mentions this first jubilee, although apparently in
181 F. LI. Griffith, Hieratic Papyri from Kahun and Gurob,
retrospect: Berlin 20375 (Aegyptische Inschriften, II, 126). For a
pl. 38, 1. 9; Lohr, op. cit., 142. For wine from the offerings of
bibliography of additional reliefs from Europe and Meda-
Ptah at Amarna, see Pendlebury, City of Akhenaten III,
mud which depict the same festival, see J. J. Clere, RdE 20
pl. 81:3.
(1968), 51 f.
182 Griffith, op. cit., 1. 12. The texts from Saqqara and the
Memphite region which group the Disc with the names of 207 Akhenaten Temple Project I, pl. 77 (our fig. 1:D). For
other gods, or otherwise combine the new cult with the old other passages in which the jubilee is related to documenta-
ones, are certainly from the reigns of Tutankhamun and Ay; tion, and written authorization by Re, see G. Legrain, RT '22
cf. Lohr, op. cit, pl. 6-8. (1900), 132; in general, Helck, ZAS 82 (1958), 117ff.

183 See in particular the new text from the 10th Pylon, to 208 The plea for "millions of jubilees" is several times
be published in the second volume of the Akhenaten Temple encountered; e.g. "[. . .] thy monuments, as the greatness
Project. [. . .] to millions of jubilees!" (pl. X:5=fig. 1:E); "the granting
of millions, and hundreds of thousands of jubilees,"
184 Gauthier, Livre des rois d'Egypte, II, 343 ff.
185 Cairo 34775. (pl. XIII:5=fig. 1:F); "mayest thou celebrate millions of
[jubilees!"] (160-11). In an unfortunately broken passage,
186 Cf. above, n. 145.
ad-dressed to someone of importance, an interesting remark
187 K. Seele, JNES 14 (1955), 169. about the effect of the ^/-festival seems to be made: "[. . .]
188 Stewart, JEA 46 (1960), 90. them in thy(?) face [. . .], beloved of the Disc. We live [...],
189 Sandman, Akhenaten Texts, 94 f., col. 8. the Two Lands flourish through(?) the jubilee" (pl. IX:4=

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 32 JARCE XVII (1980)

228 Ibid., 91:3, kd-k

fig. 1:G); cf. also the decorative sw (the king) in
panel m tit-kwhich
mi itn. a squatti
human figure holds various 229 symbols
Cairo 3256. related to the sd: Akh
naten Temple Project I, pl. 230
82:1.
H. Brunner, ZAS 97 (1971), 13.
209 The group itf occurs 231 on the
S. Morenz, talatat
Die Heraufkunji before
des transzendenten Gottes in the car
touches of the sun-disc (fig. 1:H);
Agypten (Berlin, 1964), 37f. it can also occur, app
ently, before the word itn alone; e.g. TS 8779 (fig. 1:1). F
232 Cf. the interesting comparison of A. J. Toynbee, A
discussion of the word "father" when applied to the Disc, a
Study of History, VI (London, 1939), 25.
the significance of the so-called "double determinative", se
Fecht, ZAS 85 (1960), 99, 233101; W. Texts,
Sandman, Akhenaten Westendorf,
7:7, pi itn (nh nn ky wpw- MDAIK
(1969), 202 ff. hr-fi Drioton, ASAE 43 (1943), 26, fig. 1: Re-harakhte is bn ky
210 TS 5482 = fig. 2:0. mi-kd-f

Ibid., heaven opens to thee, the earth is bequeathed to
thee, thou beautiful child of the [Disc] !" Cf. the traditional
funerary wishes "heaven opens to thee, the earth opens to
thee, a way in the Necropolis open to thee so that thou
mayest go in and out with Re": Cairo 34023 (P. Lacau, Steles
de la nouvelle empire, p. 45, pl. 14).
212 Fig. 2:P (0126 10017), "he extended [my boundaries
to] the limit of heaven, (on) every road, [he] bequeath [ed
me] Kharu, Kush, all lands [and foreign countries] . . . they
being all under my feet . . .."
213 R. Saad, C. Traunecker, Kemi 20 (1970), 171 f.
214 R. Anthes, Die Maat des Echnaton von Amarna (Balti-
more, 1952), 6.
234 With only two certain exceptions, one at Luxor (to
which Dr. Nims kindly drew my attention), and the other
found by us north of the Karnak hypostyle, all occurrences of
the name Akhenaten at Karnak are surcharged on an origi-
nal 'Imn-htp ntr hh Wist. In many cases the original car-
touche was merely plastered over and re-cut, with the result
that with the subsequent loss of the secondary surface, both
the original name and traces of its modification appear to-
gether in a curious conflation. In some cases, however, e.g.
the large limestone block west of the north wing of the
second pylon, the original name has been shaved off the
stone with such care that the eye may be deceived: cf. Saad,
Traunecker, op. cit., 173 fig. 5.

215 Cf. Gardiner, 7&4 43 (1957), 16.
216 Sandman, Texts, 96:1-2, Si-kpr m Kw-k (to the Disc),
cf. also 54:2, 75:12, 78:1; ibid., 59:16, st nhh pr m itn; ibid.,
76:7-8, Si-k uf pr m ht-k; von Bissing, ZAS 64, pl. 4pr m Hw-f
r nb n Snnt nt itn.
217 Sandman, op. cit., 17:3, ms-tw-k mi msw itn; ibid., 75:14,
msy-k hmfmi msy-k tw / nb bn irt ibw; ibid., 91:3, msy-k sw
dwiw mi hprw-k; cf. ibid., 84:14.
218 Ibid., 59:12 (cf. 91:1), piy-k Sri pr m stwt-k; ibid., 75:15,
kd-n-k sw m stwt-k ds-k.
219 Ibid., 59:10-11, stwt-k hr tit-k ih hh milt; ibid., 90:18,
stwt-k hr st-k mr-k drty-k hr hh m sdw n nsw-bit.
220 Ibid., 95:16-17, nn wn ky rh tw wpw-hrsi-k . . . di-ks$;f
m shrw-k m phty-k; ibid., 65:9-10, piy-k Sri nty rh tw.
221 Ibid., 59:11, sdm-f n-k nty m ib-f.
222 Ibid., 59:19, di-k n-f nsw mi pi itn.
223 For kingship viewed as a id, cf. Urk. IV, 1539a, where
hr lit n itm is parallel to hr nst Gb. Cf. also A. Volten, Zwei
altdgyptische politische Schriften (Copenhagen, 1945).
224 Sandman, op. cit., 75:7-8, smn-k sw (the king) m uwt-k
n(t) nsw-bit; ibid., 80:1. iw-k (the king) mn-ti m iit-fr nhh; Urk.
IV, 1982:1, the god is di sw (the king) hr st-f
225 In Amarna IV, pl. 35, the king is R 'nhn hr nb; Sand-
man, op. cit., 76:18, ntk R ms M/t. For the role of Re at
Amarna, see Sethe, NGW 1921, 1 18f.; Fecht, ZAS 85, 106ff.;
on stp-n-r\ see C. Desroches-Noblecourt, Le Petit Temple
d'Abou Simbel (Cairo, 1969), 133, n. 45.
226 Sandman, op. cit., iw-k mi kd-f
227 Ibid., 84:9, Kw-k mi m stwt it-k.
235 A fortiori the persecution of Amun was contemporary
with the name change (pace R. Hari, CdE 51 [1976], 259); on
the defacement in general, see Bonnet, Reallexikon, 62 f.
236 E.g. the ram hieroglyph: Urk. IV, 701:7.
237 A study of some interest would concern itself with
those instances of the name *Imn at Karnak which were not
erased, and yet which antedated Akhenaten's reign. If, as
seems most probable, failure to efface means that that part of
the text in question was concealed by walls or other con-
structions now gone, careful plotting of the names that were
missed might prove useful in reconstructing the plan of the
temple as it was just prior to the move to Amarna.
238 E.g. in the tomb of Kheruef: Fakhry, ASAE 42 (1943),
462.
239 Cf. Drioton, ASAE 43 (1943), 43, n. 2.
240 See Davies, Amarna IV, pl. 2.
241 Cf. H. W. Fairman, JEA 47 (1961), 34.
242 Hamza, ASAE 40 (1940), 540.
243 M. Kamal, ASAE 35 (1935), 193 ff.; C. de Wit, CdE 40
(1965), 27; J.-F. Aubert, Orientalia 42 (1973), pl. 38, p. 485.
This practice is apparently already found under Thutmose
IV: cf. Carter, Newberry, The Tomb of Tuthmosis IV (Cairo,
1904), pl. 13-15.
244 Berlin 15099 = Aegyptische Inschriften, II, 518; H. Scha-
fer, ZAS 55 (1918), 2ff.
245 Sandman, Akhenaten Texts, 144:6; Drioton, ASAE 43,
26, lig. 1; 29.
-ni Sandman, Akhenaten Texts, 58:8, 101:17.
247 H. M. Stewart, JEA 46 (1960), 86.

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 THE SUN-DISC IN AKHENATEN'S PROGRAM: ITS WORSHIP AND ANTECEDENTS, II 33

248 In the popular sun-hymn the line K -ti m nsw psdt, 265 JARCE 10, pl. 6:1, 2; Smith, Redford, The Akhenaten
"thou having appeared as king of the Ennead," becomes H -ttTemple Project, I, pl. 37, 75, 76.
m iht hbtt, "thou appearing on the eastern horizon." The line 266 Davies, Amarna II, pl. 9 (Paynehsi).
which mentions the defeat of the monster is omitted altoge- 267 Cf. H. Kees, Das Priestertum im dgyptischen Staat (Lei-
ther: Stewart, he. cit. den, 1953), 19.
249 Anthes, Maat des Echnaton, 14.
268 F. LI. Griffiths, JEA 5 (1918), pl. 8; Redford, Archaeol-
250 See the glossary of words appearing in the Karnak ogy 28 (Jan. 1975), p. 18; Smith, Redford, The Akhenaten
talatat compiled by Mr. Edmund Meltzer and shortly toTemple Project, I, pl. 5, 7, 39 and passim.
appear in The Akhenaten Temple Project, vol. 2. 269 JARCE 10, pl. 1.
251 Legrain, ASAE 10 (1909), 108; a Turin shawabty in- 270 Most often, of course, the picture of the hry-hb, reading
cludes the traditional spell, but this may well belong to the from an open scroll, is to be found in a mortuary context: cf.
close of the Amarna period: H. Schlogl, Oriens Antiquus 14inter alia, E. Naville, The Temple of Deir el Bahari (London,
(1975), 145f. 1894-1908), IV, pl. WQJEA 24, pl. 5; S. Sauneron, BIFAO
252 Frankfort, Pendlebury, The City of Akhenaten, II, 69 (1971), pl. 57; W. M. F. Petrie, Heliopolis Kafr Ammar and
pl. 23:4. Shurafa (London, 1915), pl. 8:4; H. E. Winlock, Bas-reliefs
253 Legrain, ASAE 10, be. cit. from the Temple of Ramesses I at Abydos (New York, 1973),
254 Sandman, Akhenaten Texts, 62 f. pl. 9; A. M. Blackman, The Rock Tombs of Meir (London,
255 Ibid., 52:151 1915), II, pl. 10; El, pl. 22-23; N. de G. Davies, F. II Grif-
fith, The Mastaba ofPtahhetep and Akhethetep (London, 1900),
256 L. V. Zabkar, A Study of the Ba Concept in Ancient Egyp-
pl. 31; A. H. Gardiner, The Tomb of Amenemhet (London,
tian Texts (Chicago, 1968), 156ff.
1915), pl. 11, 13, 21; Lepsius, Denkmaeler II, 25, 71b. But he
2)7 See the discussion by S. Tawfik, in Smith, Redford, also puts in an appearance and is shown reading in the same
The Akhenaten Temple Project, I, p. 95 ff. fashion, at the festivals of the gods: the Min festival (Cham-
25 7a In one documented case, an official of the Amun pollion, Monuments, II, pl. 150; H. H. Nelson, Medinet Habu
temple later turns up among the personnel of the estate of IV. Festival Scenes of Ramses III (Chicago, 1940), pl. 200, 203,
the Sun-disc: in a Leiden stela (V 26) there is mention of an 205), and at the rite of "recitation of 'jubilation'", i.e. the
"overseer of the cattle of Amun" who in a Vienna stela (53) reading of the list of ancestors at the offering ceremony: cf.
has become the "overseer of the cattle of the House of the the scene accompanying the Abydos "King list", Porter,
Moss, Topographical Bibliography, VI, 25.
Disc": J. H. Breasted, ZAS 40 (1901), 140. As in the case of
the jubilees of Amenophis III, it is quite probable that those 271 Hbt can mean "ritual book" (G. Lefebvre, ASAE 22
who participated in Akhenaten's jubilee of years 2-3 proudly[1922], 34; Wb. El, 61:1-2; Gardiner, Ancient Egyptian Ono-
displayed their jubilee roles in their titles: this may be themastica, I [Oxford, 1947], 55*; P. Posener-Krieger, J. L. de
reason for Ay's adoption of the title it-ntr (cf. Smith, Redford,
Cenival, Hieratic Papyri in the British Museum. 5th.-Series. The
The Akhenaten Temple Project, I, 79 f. and n. 27), and itAbusir Papyri [London, 1968], pl. 19), but also apparently
undoubtedly accounts for Thutmose, the viceroy's, assump-"sacred inventory": cf. H. Gauthier, La grande Inscription dedi-
tion of hrp nsty (cf. D. Dunham, The Barkal Temples [Boston,
catoire d'Abydos (Cairo, 1912), 72.
1970], 28 n. 10, 31, fig. 25; pl. 28a, b). There is no reason
272 Davies, Amarna II, pl. 4ff. (Paynehsi); IV, pl. 2-3
therefore to deny the title to Merimose, as is done by Miiller,
(Pentu).
in Agypten and Kusch (Berlin, 1977), 325ff.
273 Cf. Cooney's comment {Amarna Reliefs from Hermopolis
258 «First prophet of Reharakhte . . ., King of Upper andin American Collections [Brooklyn, 1965], 18) "that he did not
Lower Egypt, Lord of the Two Lands, (Akhenaten)," ASAE 7discard the idea of food-offerings shows that he was not as
(1907), 228 f.; cf. Urk. IV, 1962; L. Habachi, MDAIK 20 spiritual in part of his thinking as some have supposed." I
(1965), pl. 25(a); Fakhry, ASAE 35, 45; H. Kees, Der Gbtter-fear there is a non-sequitur lurking here.
glaube im alien Agypten (Leipzig, 1941), 371. 274 Sandman, Akhenaten Texts, 59:17-18 (May).
259 Urk. IV, 1977:9-11 (first boundary stela). 275 Cf. Anthes, Maat des Echnaton, 27.
260 Urk. IV, 1981:18-19 (second boundary stela). 276 Smith, Redford, The Akhenaten Temple Project, I,
pl. 86:9.
261 Complete discussion in S. Tawfik, Akhenaten Temple
Project, I, 95 f. 277 Redford,y,iRC£ 13 (1976), pl. 4 (upper left); cf. Wb. I,
262 "Chief Seer of the Sun-disc in the House of Re" 545:13.

Pawah: Berlin 20375 = Aegyptische Inschriften II, 126.
263 Davies, Amarna, I, passim.
264 JARCE 10, pl. 8:6; Smith, Redford, The Akhenaten
Temple Project, I, pl. 36, 38, 58, 59, 77. The recurring caption
irt sntr hr-hH hmf often occurs with the wr-m??w.
278 pi htp-ntr n it (unpublished block in the 10th pylon);
TS 2702 = pl. XIV, see next note.
279 PI. XIV = TS 2702.
280 Smith, Redford, The Akhenaten Temple Project I, pl. 55,
73.

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 34 JARCE XVII (1980)
284no.
281 R. W. Smith, National Geographic Magazine 138, Berlin
5 20376.
(Nov., 1970), 650 (bottom); this type of scene will 285
be made
In fact this incipit, and others like it, is found many
the subject of a special study. times in the talatat on the lips of court officials libating, sol-
282 Davies, Amarna II, pl. 36. diers and even servants.
283 Berlin 20375. 286 Urk. IV, 1998f.

Index of Blocks and Scenes

PL V: TS 14. PL X: 1 - 1068-8

PL VI: 1 - TS 10. 2 " 2269"1

2 - TS 5539. 3 " 811~3

PL VII: 1 = 161=10 Jljf^

3 - 379-10 PLXL ! -TS7901
4 - 1713-5 2 " TS 7963
5 - 1065-8 PL XII: 1 - 1690-9
6 - 2279-6 2 - 82-5
7 - 1576-5 3 - 91-9
PL VIII: 1 - 1592-1 4-2098-9
2 - 1521-11 5 " 166~2
3 - 511-2 ^ ~ 838-4
4 - 1529-9 7 " 227(M1
5 - 273-4 PL XIII: 1 - 1974-3
6 - 245-6 2 - 504-8
7 - 36-2 3 - 2126-6
PL IX: 1 - 2093-6 4 " 1972"3
2 - 909-11 5 ~ 1897-1
3 - 702-4 PL XIV: TS 2702
4 - 1694-1
5 - 0437 05010

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 THE SUN-DISC IN AKHENATEN'S PROGRAM: ITS WORSHIP AND ANTECEDENTS, II 35

a. i&

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36 JARCE XVII (1980)

o. ^^^ ^_z] ^z^> p=si | in ^i^ i s> fcfc ^v <z=> h /»

0 .w - , ^^a IN g J

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 THE SUN-DISC IN AKHENATEN'S PROGRAM: ITS WORSHIP AND ANTECEDENTS, II 37

r m \ - ^^ \£==i ^^^ ^^ Y/Wf - y%> \^- ^=^ i zl

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38 JARCE XVII (1980)

z.H.Uf7-?IMil.

y////,
aa. « T i ~r lno
q I To © ////////// rvM <=> © a n [-g&

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DONALD B. REDFORD: THE SUN-DISC IN AKHENATEN'S PROGRAM PLATE V

PL V: TS 14.

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PLATE VI JARCE XVII (1980)

PL VI: 1 - TS 10.
2 - TS 5539.

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DONALD B. REDFORD: THE SUN-DISC IN AKHENATEN'S PROGRAM PLATE VII

PI. VII: 1 - 161-10

2 - 1171-1
3 - 379-10
4 - 1713-5
5 - 1065-8
6 - 2279-6
7 - 1576-5

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PLATE VIII JARCE XVII (1980)

PI. VIII: 1 - 1592-1

2 - 1521-11
3 - 511-2
4 - 1529-9
5 - 273-4
6 - 245-6
7 - 36-2

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DONALD B. REDFORD: THE SUN-DISC IN AKHENATEN'S PROGRAM PLATE IX

PL IX: 1 - 2093-6
2 - 909-11
3 - 702-4
4 - 1694-1
5 - 0437 05010

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PLATE X JARCE XVII (1980)

00

oo -h a> \%
I I CO I 1~H ^
00 O} I --h 1~H

i-H CN 00 - i H
I I I I I
rH (N CO ^ 1^

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DONALD B. REDFORD: THE SUN-DISC IN AKHENATEN'S PROGRAM PLATE XI

PL XI: 1 - TS 7901
2 - TS 7963

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PLATE XII JARCE XVII (1980)

PI. XII: 1 - 1690-9

2 - 82-5
3 - 91-9
4 - 2098-9
5 - 166-2
6 - 838-4
7 - 2270-11

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DONALD B. REDFORD: THE SUN-DISC IN AKHENATEN'S PROGRAM PLATE XIII

PL XIII: 1 - 1974-3
2 - 504-8
3 - 2126-6
4 - 1972-3
5 - 1897-1

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PLATE XIV JARCE XVII (1980)

PL XIV: TS 2702

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