Egypt's Golden Couple by John Darnell & Colleen Darnell

Egypt’s Golden Couple: When Akhenaten and Nefertiti Were Gods on Earth
by John Darnell & Colleen Darnell
St. Martin’s Press 2022

Egypt’s Golden Couple: When Akhenaten and Nefertiti Were Gods on Earth
by John Darnell & Colleen Darnell
St. Martin’s Press 2022

Akhenaten was the most controversial king in Egypt’s long history, and his queen Nefertiti was one of the most fascinating women in history. Their promotion of the Aten (the deification of the solar disk) as supreme deity and denigration of Amun as king of the gods has engendered a wide spectrum of reactions. Were they forerunners of monotheism? Were they tyrannical heretics? In Egypt’s Golden Couple, Egyptologists John and Colleen Darnell aim to present a measured analysis and interpretation of the lives and reign of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Unfortunately, Egypt’s Golden Couple does not live up to its aspirations.

Egypt’s Golden Couple is, in many ways, three book ideas in one. The first, and most obvious and successful, is a dual biography and reign survey of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. The second is the dramatic imaginings at the beginning of each chapter. The third is the occasional hints of an archaeological memoir of the Darnells’ career in Egypt.

A fictionalization opens each paragraph. These fictions are scenes that explore or relate to the subject of the chapter.

The chapter “Horizon of Aten” opens with the dramatization of a scene from the tomb of Mahu. Mahu was the chief of police at Akhet-Aten, Akhenaten’s capital (now modern Amarna). The scene dramatized features three apprehended suspects being turned over for interrogation. The dramatization imagines what Mahu was doing before he encountered the three suspects and turned them over. That is it. There is no follow through. No conclusion.

The fictionalized scenes might have been intended to enrich the narrative. What it does, instead, is the opposite. The dramatic reimaginings detract from the narrative. These scenes could easily be excised and the narrative would not be adversely affected. In the end, these opening paragraphs are padding.

Occasionally, the Darnells will insert themselves into the narrative. A good example of an insertion is when the Darnells are reporting to the Egyptian Museum to turn in their latest field reports. Again, outside of the introduction and conclusion where a brief look at the Darnells’ career can frame the narrative, the Darnells including these scenes into the core of their narrative adds nothing to the overall narrative. The narrative would not be detracted if these brief moments were excised. Again, these moments are padding.

Fortunately, there is more to Egypt’s Golden Couple than fictional imaginings and memoir. The bulk of the narrative is about Akhenaten and Nefertiti’s lives and reign. The book begins with the reign of Akhenaten’s father Amunhotep III, who the Darnells argue set the foundations for Akhenaten’s later reforms. The book then looks at the reign of Akhenaten and Nefertiti from the early years at Thebes to the new capital at Akhet-Aten, the years of the Aten’s supremacy and degradation of Amun to the end of Akhenaten’s reign and the reigns of his immediate successors, ultimately ending with Tutankhamun.

A rare strength of the book is the apparent balance and caution the Darnells give to their analysis and interpretation of the sources. Their arguments appear convincing.

The problem is that while there are some interesting parts, mainly the parts that do not involve the elevation of the Aten, most of the book is a dense and dull exploration of Akhentaten and Nefertiti’s devotion to the cult of the Aten.

It is not every day that a new book about Akhenaten and Nefertiti is released. Egypt’s Golden Couple is, unfortunately, unfocused and dull.

James Holder holds a BA in English Literature. He lives in Texas.