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Egypt's Golden Couple

When Akhenaten and Nefertiti Were Gods on Earth

John and Colleen Darnell

St. Martin's Press

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ISBN10: 1250272874
ISBN13: 9781250272874

Hardcover

384 Pages

$29.99

CA$39.99

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Akhenaten has been the subject of radically different, even contradictory, biographies. The king has achieved fame as the world's first individual and the first monotheist, but others have seen him as an incestuous tyrant who nearly ruined the kingdom he ruled. The gold funerary mask of his son Tutankhamun and the painted bust of his wife Nefertiti are the most recognizable artifacts from all of ancient Egypt. But who are Akhenaten and Nefertiti? And what can we actually say about rulers who lived more than three thousand years ago?

November 2022 marks the centennial of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun and although "King Tut" is a household name, his nine-year rule pales in comparison to the revolutionary reign of his parents. Akhenaten and Nefertiti became gods on earth by transforming Egyptian solar worship, innovating in art and urban design, and merging religion and politics in ways never attempted before.

Combining fascinating scholarship, detective suspense, and adventurous thrills, Egypt's Golden Couple is a journey through excavations, museums, hieroglyphic texts, and stunning artifacts. From clue to clue, renowned Egyptologists John and Colleen Darnell reconstruct an otherwise untold story of the magnificent reign of Akhenaten and Nefertiti.

Reviews

Praise for Egypt's Golden Couple

"Full of acutely observed detail and intriguing insight."—Toby Wilkinson, New York Times bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt

"A new presentation of what may have been the most important period in the ancient world."—Bob Brier, author of The Murder of Tutankhamen

"Fascinating."—Dr. Zahi Hawass, former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities

"Two of the finest minds in Egyptology—have created something wholly new: a bridge between the wonder of fans and scholars of Ancient Egypt.”—Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of A Spark of Light

"In addition to chronicling the complex political, social, economic, and architectural elements of the history, the Darnells offer a touching portrait of family life . . . Riveting."Kirkus Reviews

"A lively and insightful portrait of the ultimate power couple."—Booklist (starred review)

"Readers will delight in this accessible study of a consequential period of Egypt’s history."Publisher's Weekly

Reviews from Goodreads

BOOK EXCERPTS

Read an Excerpt

1A Divine Conception


His eyes roam over the contents of the bedchamber, illuminated by moonlight through a window high in one wall. In a corner of the room, an inlaid wooden box on tall legs holds the wig of closely plaited human hair...

About the author

John and Colleen Darnell

John and Colleen Darnell are a husband-and-wife Egyptologist team. They have presented on the Discovery Channel, History Channel, National Geographic, the Science Channel, and Smithsonian, as well as appeared in National Geographic’s “Lost Treasures of Egypt.”

John is Professor of Egyptology in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Yale University. His archaeological expeditions in Egypt have been covered by the New York Times. In 2017, his Eastern Desert expedition discovered the earliest monumental hieroglyphic inscription and was named one of the top ten discoveries of the year by Archaeology.

Colleen teaches art history at the University of Hartford and Naugatuck Valley Community College; she has curated a major museum exhibit on Egyptian revival art and design at the Yale Peabody Museum.

Together, John and Colleen have authored The Ancient Egyptian Netherworld Books.

Rose Callahan