Colossal Statues of Akhenaten at East Karnak

The Colossal Statues of Akhenaten at East Karnak depict the 18th dynasty pharaoh, Akhenaten (also known as Amenophis IV or Amenhotep IV), in a distorted representation of the human form. The statues are believed to be from early in his reign, which lasted arguably from either 1353 to 1336 BCE or 1351 to 1334 BCE. The excavation, begun by Henri Chevrier in 1925, uncovered twenty-five fragments of the broken colossi in Eastern Karnak in Thebes, which are now located in the Cairo Museum in Egypt.

The statues were divided into three categories based on size, the largest of which were 12.75 metres (over 41 feet) tall and the smallest, 8.55 metres (about 28 feet). The pharaoh is depicted with a distorted physique not present elsewhere in the artwork of Ancient Egypt. He is portrayed with a protruding stomach, thin arms, and exaggerated facial features, such as a long nose, hanging chin and thick lips. One statue in particular has been the subject of much debate as it represents the king apparently nude and lacking genitals. There are various theories about the destruction of the statues, one of which suggest that his elder coregent, Amenophis III, had the statues dismantled and covered up. A second theory suggests that Akhenaten himself had the statues torn down with a change of planning in the construction of the Aten temple.

The colossi of Akhenaten were discovered accidentally in 1925 while a drainage ditch was being dug east of the enclosure wall of the Great Temple of Amun. The sandstone statues were inscribed with the name Amenophis IV, and were found fallen prostrate on the ground. Henri Chevrier, the chief inspector of antiquities at Karnak, became interested in the site and spent the next twenty-five years periodically excavating the site in hopes of uncovering more. Unfortunately, the only things discovered there by Chevrier were the foundations of a wall angled southwest and twenty-eight stone bases, which he assumed were the pedestals of the fallen statues.

Traditionally, pharaohs are depicted idealistically in Egyptian art – heroic and robust. The departure from cultural norms that occur with the colossi of Akhenaten, therefore, has sparked numerous debates among scholars. What is certain is that no artist would have voluntarily produced such an unflattering image of the king without it being commissioned by the pharaoh himself. Some scholars characterize the style of art during the reign of Akhenaten as ‘expressionistic’ and find relation between distorted representations such as the colossi and the religious revolution of the time, which were supported by Akhenaten. However, it is important to note that although the pharaoh, and in some instances other members of the Royal Family, are depicted in such unorthodox ways, such distortions were not seen throughout the period. In other words, Akhenaten did not altar standard practices of Egyptian art outside of depictions of the human body, and only to the Royal Family.

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