Chapter V

THE TENTH TO THE TWELFTH YEARS OF THE REIGN OF AKHNATON.

“One must be moved with involuntary admiration for the young king
who in such an age found such thoughts in his heart.”--BREASTED:
‘History of Egypt.’

1. THE HYMNS OF THE ATON WORSHIPPERS.

In the tombs of rich persons who had lived and died previous to the time of Akhnaton, a large portion of the walls had been covered with religious inscriptions; and when at first the nobles of the City of the Horizon of Aton were planning their sepulchres they must have been at a loss to know what to substitute for these forbidden formulæ. Soon, however, it became the custom to write there short extracts from the hymns which were sung in the temples of the Aton. In a few cases these inscriptions supply us with a definite psalm which, although short, seems to be complete. In one tomb--that of Ay--however, there is a copy of a much more elaborate hymn; and it would thus seem that there were two main psalms in use in the temples, a longer and a shorter version of the same composition.

It was not unusual for the Egyptians to compose hymns in honour of their gods, and a few such have been preserved to us upon the walls of the old temples. Like the Hebrew psalms of later date, they are not always of a very high moral tone. They are often but chants of victory, dealing in battles, in thunders, and in tempests, and glorying in the wrath of heaven. The longer hymn to the Aton, which is here given in full, is quite unlike any of these compositions, and both in purity of tone and in beauty of style it must rank high amongst the poems of antiquity.

[52]“Thy dawning is beautiful in the horizon of heaven,
O living Aton, Beginning of life!
When Thou risest in the eastern horizon of heaven,
Thou fillest every land with Thy beauty;
For Thou are beautiful, great, glittering, high over the earth;
Thy rays, they encompass the lands, even all Thou hast made.
Thou art Ra, and Thou hast carried them all away captive;
Thou bindest them by Thy love.
Though Thou art afar, Thy rays are on earth;
Though Thou art on high, Thy footprints are the day.

When Thou settest in the western horizon of heaven,
The world is in darkness like the dead.
Men sleep in their chambers,
Their heads are wrapped up,
Their nostrils stopped, and none seeth the other.
Stolen are all their things that are under their heads,
While they know it not.
Every lion cometh forth from his den,
All serpents, they sting.
Darkness reigns,
The world is in silence:
He that made them has gone to rest in His horizon.

Bright is the earth, when Thou risest in the horizon,
When Thou shinest as Aton by day.
The darkness is banished
When Thou sendest forth Thy rays;
The two lands [of Egypt] are in daily festivity,
Awake and standing upon their feet,
For Thou hast raised them up.
Their limbs bathed, they take their clothing,
Their arms uplifted in adoration to Thy dawning.
Then in all the world they do their work.

All cattle rest upon the herbage,
All trees and plants flourish;
The birds flutter in their marshes,
Their wings uplifted in adoration to Thee.
All the sheep dance upon their feet,
All winged things fly,
They live when Thou hast shone upon them.

The barques sail up-stream and down-stream alike.
Every highway is open because Thou hast dawned.
The fish in the river leap up before Thee,
And Thy rays are in the midst of the great sea.

Thou art He who createst the man-child in woman,
Who makest seed in man,
Who giveth life to the son in the body of his mother,
Who soothest him that he may not weep,
A nurse [even] in the womb.
Who giveth breath to animate every one that He maketh.
When he cometh forth from the body ...
On the day of his birth,
Thou openest his mouth in speech,
Thou suppliest his necessities.

When the chicken crieth in the egg-shell,
Thou givest him breath therein, to preserve him alive;
When Thou hast perfected him
That he may pierce the egg,
He cometh forth from the egg,
To chirp with all his might;
He runneth about upon his two feet,
When he hath come forth therefrom.

How manifold are all Thy works!
They are hidden from before us,
O Thou sole God, whose powers no other possesseth.
Thou didst create the earth according to Thy desire,
While Thou wast alone:
Men, all cattle large and small,
All that are upon the earth,
That go about upon their feet;
All that are on high,
That fly with their wings.
The countries of Syria and Nubia
The land of Egypt;
Thou settest every man in his place
Thou suppliest their necessities.
Every one has his possessions,
And his days are reckoned.
Their tongues are divers in speech,
Their forms likewise and their skins,
For Thou, divider, hast divided the peoples.

Thou makest the Nile in the nether world,
Thou bringest it at Thy desire, to preserve the people alive.
O Lord of them all, when feebleness is in them,
O Lord of every house, who risest for them,
O sun of day, the fear of every distant land,
Thou makest [also] their life.
Thou hast set a Nile in heaven,
That it may fall for them,
Making floods upon the mountains, like the great sea,
And watering their fields among their towns.

How excellent are Thy designs, O Lord of eternity!
The Nile in heaven is for the strangers,
And for the cattle of every land that go upon their feet;
But the Nile, it cometh from the nether world for Egypt.
Thus Thy rays nourish every garden;
When Thou risest they live, and grow by Thee.

Thou makest the seasons, in order to create all Thy works;
Winter bringeth them coolness,
And the heat [the summer bringeth].
Thou hast made the distant heaven in order to rise therein,
In order to behold all that Thou didst make,
While Thou wast alone,
Rising in Thy form as Living Aton,
Dawning, shining afar off, and returning.

Thou makest the beauty of form through Thyself alone,
Cities, towns, and settlements,
On highway or on river,
All eyes see Thee before them,
For Thou art Aton of the day over the earth.

Thou art in my heart;
There is no other that knoweth Thee,
Save Thy son Akhnaton.
Thou hast made him wise in Thy designs
And in Thy might.
The world is in Thy hand,
Even as Thou hast made them.
When Thou hast risen they live;
When Thou settest they die.
For Thou art duration, beyond mere limbs;
By Thee man liveth,
And their eyes look upon Thy beauty
Until Thou settest.
All labour is laid aside
When Thou settest in the west.
When Thou risest they are made to grow....
Since Thou didst establish the earth,
Thou hast raised them up for Thy son,
Who came forth from Thy limbs,
The King, living in truth, ...
Akhnaton, whose life is long;
[And for] the great royal wife, his beloved,
Mistress of the Two Lands, ... Nefertiti,
Living and flourishing for ever and ever.”

2. THE SIMILARITY OF AKHNATON’S HYMN TO PSALM CIV.

In reading this truly beautiful hymn one cannot fail to be struck by its similarity to Psalm civ. A parallel will show this most clearly:--

AKHNATON’S HYMN.

The world is in darkness
like the dead. Every lion
cometh forth from his den;
all serpents sting. Darkness
reigns.

When Thou risest in the
horizon ... the darkness is
banished.... Then in all
the world they do their work.

All trees and plants flourish,
... the birds flutter in their
marshes.... All sheep dance
upon their feet.

The ships sail up-stream and
down-stream alike.... The
fish in the river leap up before
Thee; and Thy rays are in the
midst of the great sea.

How manifold are all Thy
works!... Thou didst create
the earth according to Thy desire,--men,
all cattle, ... all
that are upon the earth....

Thou hast set a Nile in
heaven that it may fall for
them, making floods upon the
mountains ... and watering
their fields. The Nile in
heaven is for the service of
the strangers, and for the
cattle of every land.

Thou makest the seasons....
Thou hast made the
distant heaven in order to
rise therein, ... dawning,
shining afar off, and returning.

The world is in Thy hand,
even as Thou hast made them.
When thou hast risen they live;
when Thou settest they die....
By Thee man liveth.

PSALM CIV.

Thou makest the darkness
and it is night, wherein all
the beasts of the forest do
creep forth. The young lions
roar after their prey; they seek
their meat from God.

The sun riseth, they get them
away, and lay them down in
their dens. Man goeth forth
unto his work, and to his
labour until the evening.

The trees of the Lord are
full of sap, ... wherein the
birds make their nests....
The high hills are a refuge for
the wild goats.

Yonder is the sea, great and
wide, wherein are ... both
small and great beasts. There
go the ships....

O Lord, how manifold are
Thy works! In wisdom hast
Thou made them all. The
earth is full of Thy creatures.

He watereth the hills from
above: the earth is filled with
the fruit of Thy works. He
bringeth forth grass for the
cattle, and green herb for the
service of men.

He appointed the moon for
certain seasons, and the sun
knoweth his going down.

These wait all upon Thee....
When Thou givest them [food]
they gather it; and when Thou
openest Thy hand they are filled
with good. When Thou hidest
Thy face they are troubled:
when Thou takest away their
breath they die.

In face of this remarkable similarity one can hardly doubt that there is a direct connection between the two compositions; and it becomes necessary to ask whether both Akhnaton’s hymn and this Hebrew psalm were derived from a common Syrian source, or whether Psalm civ. is derived from this Pharaoh’s original poem. Both views are admissible; but in consideration of Akhnaton’s peculiar ability and originality there seems considerable likelihood that he is the author in the first instance of this gem of the Psalter.

When the young Pharaoh composed this hymn he was probably neither much more nor less than twenty or twenty-one years of age,--a period of life at which many of the world’s greatest poets have written some of their fairest poems. One sees that he believed himself to be the only man to whom God had revealed Himself; and the fact that he never admits that he was in any way taught to regard God as he did, but always speaks of himself, and is spoken of, as the originator and teacher of the faith, indicates that the ideas expressed in the hymn were entirely his own.

3. MERYRA IS MADE HIGH PRIEST OF ATON.

The religion of the Aton had now assumed shape and symmetry, and had been firmly established in the new capital as the creed of the court. Akhnaton was thus able to intrust its administration and organisation there to one of his nobles who had hearkened to his teaching, and to turn his attention to other affairs, and more especially to the conversion of the rest of Egypt. As head of the state a thousand matters daily claimed his consideration, and his high principles led him to stray further along the by-paths of administration than had been the wont of the Pharaohs before him. His ill-health did not permit him to tax his brain with impunity, and yet there was never a king of Egypt before or after him whose mind was so fruitful of thoughts and of schemes. The young king himself expounded to his followers the doctrines which he wished them to embrace, and one may suppose that he sat for many an hour in the halls of his palace, or under the trees in the gardens beside the Nile, earnestly telling of the beauties of the Aton to officials and nobles.

No one had accepted the king’s teaching with greater readiness than a certain Meryra, who seems to have early associated himself with the movement; and it was to him that Akhnaton now handed over the office of “High Priest of the Aton in the City of the Horizon of Aton,” in order to free himself for the great task of administering his kingdom and converting it to his way of thinking. Unfortunately we know very little of the career of Meryra, but on the walls of his tomb in the hills behind the capital there are a few reliefs which may here be described as illustrating events in his life and in the life of Akhnaton.

One of these scenes shows us the investiture of Meryra as High Priest. The king is seen with his wife and one of his daughters standing at a window of the gaily decorated _loggia_ of the palace. The sill of the window is massed with bright-coloured cushions, and over these the royal personages lean forward to address Meryra and the company assembled in the pillared gallery outside. The outer surface of the _loggia_ wall is brightly ornamented either with real or painted garlands of lotus-flowers, and with the many-coloured patterns usual upon such buildings in ancient Egypt. Ribbons, fluttering in the breeze, hang from the delicate lotus-pillars which support the roof, and vie in brilliancy with the red and blue ostrich-plume fans and standards carried by the officials.

Leaning from the window, with arm outstretched, Akhnaton bids Meryra rise from his knees, on to which he had cast himself on reaching the royal presence. Then solemnly the king addresses his favoured disciple in the following words:--“Behold, I make thee High Priest of the Aton for me in the Temple of the Aton in the City of the Horizon of Aton. I do this for love of thee, and I say unto thee: O my servant who hearkenest to the teaching, my heart is satisfied with everything which thou hast done. I give thee this office, and I say unto thee: thou shalt eat the food of Pharaoh, thy lord, in the Temple of Aton.”

Immediately the assembled company crowd round Meryra and lift him shoulder-high, while the new High Priest cries, “Abundant are the rewards which the Aton knows to give when his heart is pleased.” The king then presents Meryra with the insignia of his office, and with various costly gifts, which are taken charge of by the servants and attendants who stand outside the gallery. Behind these attendants, at the outskirts of the scene, one observes the chariot which is to convey the High Priest back to his villa; fan-bearers who shall run before and behind him; women of the household who shall beat upon tambourines at the head of the procession, and who already dance with excitement as they see Meryra hoisted on to his friend’s shoulder; and still other women who shall make the roadway rich with flowers.

This is no solemn and occult initiation of an ascetic into the mystery of the new religion, but rather the elevation of a good fellow to a popular post of honour. There was no mystery in the faith of the Aton. Frankness, openness, and sincerity were the dominant themes of Akhnaton’s teaching,--a worship of God in the blessed light of the day, the singing of merry psalms in the open courts of the temple; and the chosen High Priest was more likely to have been a deep-thinking, clean-lived, honest-hearted, God-fearing, family man, than an ascetic who had abandoned the pomps and the vanities of this world. The point at which Akhnaton’s religion differs most widely from Christianity is here to be observed: the Pharaoh, while encouraging the Simple Life, did not preach the mortification of the flesh, but only the control of the body. The comforts of life, the brilliancy of decoration, the charms of music, the beauties of painting and sculpture, the pleasure of good company, the tonic of a bowl of wine, were all as acceptable to him, in moderation, as to the Preacher in Ecclesiastes.

4. THE ROYAL FAMILY VISIT THE TEMPLE.

When Meryra had been installed, the king and royal family made a formal visit to the temple at the time of sunset, and this is likewise represented in the High Priest’s tomb. For the first time in the history of Egypt one is permitted to see the Pharaoh as he drove through the streets of the capital in his chariot. No king before Akhnaton had allowed an artist to represent him in aught but celestial poses; but out of his love for truth and reality Akhnaton had dispensed with this convention, and encouraged the regarding of himself as a mortal man. On this occasion we see him standing in his gorgeously decorated chariot, reins and whip in hand, himself driving the two spirited horses, the coloured ostrich plumes on whose heads nod and toss as the superb animals prance along. The queen, also driving her own chariot, follows close behind; and after her again come the princesses, heading a noble group of chariots belonging to the court officials and ladies-in-waiting, these being driven by charioteers. The shining harness, the dancing red and blue plumes of the horses, the many-coloured robes, the feathered standards of the nobles, the fluttering ribbons, all go to make the cavalcade a sight to bring the townspeople running from their houses. A guard of soldiers, armed with spears, shields, battle-axes, bows, and clubs, races along on foot in front of the royal party to clear the road. Here, besides Egyptians, are bearded Asiatics from the king’s Syrian dominions, befeathered negroes from the Mazoi tribes of Nubia, and Libyans from the west, wearing the plaited side-lock of hair hanging from their heads.

The party is seen to be nearing the temple, and Meryra stands before the gateway ready to greet his lord. Four men kneel near him holding aloft the coloured ostrich-plume fans, which will be wafted to and fro above the king’s head when he has alighted from his chariot; and others kneel, lifting their hands in reverent salutation. Great bulls, fattened like the prize cattle of modern times, are led forth, garlands of flowers thrown around their huge necks, and bouquets of flowers fastened between their horns. These are attended by grooms, also bearing bunches of flowers. Two groups of female musicians, clad in flowing robes, wave their arms and beat upon tambourines.

The temple, which will be described later, is this day garlanded with flowers, and every altar is heaped high with offerings. Now the king has entered the building, and a further scene shows the royal family worshipping at the high altar, which is piled up with offerings of joints of meat, geese, vegetables, fruit, and flowers, surmounted by bronze bowls filled with burning oil. Akhnaton and Nefertiti stand before the altar, each with the right arm raised in the act of sprinkling the fragrant gums of Araby upon the flames. The upper part of the king’s body is bare, but from his waist depends a graceful skirt of fine linen, ornamented with sash-like ribbons of a red material, which flutter about his bare legs. The queen’s robe covers the whole of her body, but is so transparent that one can see her fair form with almost the distinctness of nudity. A red sash is bound round her waist, and the two ends fall almost to the ground. Neither of the two wears any jewels; and the simplicity of the soft, flowing robes, with their bright-red sashes, is extremely marked. Two little princesses stand behind the king and queen, each shaking from a systrum a note of praise to God. Meryra, accompanied by an assistant, stands bowing before the king, and near by another priest burns some sweet-smelling incense. Not far away there sits a group of eight blind musicians,--fat elderly men, who clap their hands and sing to the accompaniment of a seven-stringed harp, giving praise to the sunlight which they cannot see, but yet can feel as “the heat which is in Aton” penetrates into their bones.

In still another series of reliefs we are shown a scene representing the reward of Meryra by Akhnaton on some occasion when he had been particularly successful in collecting the yearly dues of the temple from the estates on the opposite bank of the river. The ceremony took place in the granary buildings at the edge of the water. One sees a group of boats moored at the quay, and on the shore are several cattle-pens filled with lowing cattle. The granaries are stored with all manner of good things, and Meryra stands triumphant in front of them as the king addresses him.

“Let the Superintendent of the Treasury of the Jewels take Meryra,” says Akhnaton, “and hang gold on his neck at the front, and gold on his feet, because of his obedience to the teaching of Pharaoh;” and immediately the attendants literally heap the gold collars and necklaces one above the other upon the High Priest’s neck. Scribes write down a rapid summary of the events; the attendants and fan-bearers bow low; and Meryra is conducted back to his village with music and with dancing, while Akhnaton returns to his palace, and, no doubt, sinks exhausted on to his cushions.

5. AKHNATON IN HIS PALACE.

The reliefs and paintings upon the tombs often show the Pharaoh reclining thus, in a languid manner, as though the duties of his high calling had sapped all the strength from him. Never before had a Pharaoh been represented to his subjects in such human attitudes. The privacy of the palace is penetrated in these scenes, and we see the king, who loved to teach his followers the beauty of family life, in the midst of his own family. One or two of these representations must here be described. In one instance the royal family is shown inside a beautiful pavilion, the roof of which is supported by wooden pillars painted with many colours and having capitals carved in high relief to represent wild geese suspended by their legs, and above them bunches of flowers: just such a grouping as one might see in some sporting house of the present day. The pillars are hung with garlands of flowers, and from the ceiling there droop festoons of flowers and trailing branches of vines. The roof of the pavilion on the outside is edged by an endless line of gleaming cobras, probably wrought in bronze.

Inside this fair arbor stand a group of naked girls playing upon the harp, the lute, and the lyre, and, no doubt, singing to that accompaniment the artless love-songs of the period. Servants are shown attending to the jars of wine which stand at the side of the enclosure. The king is seen leaning back upon the cushions of an arm-chair, as though tired out and sick at heart. In the fingers of his left hand he idly dandles a few flowers, while with his right hand he languidly holds out a delicate bowl in order that the wine in it may be replenished. This is done by the queen, who is standing before him, all solicitous for his comfort. She pours the wine from a vessel, causing it to pass through a strainer before flowing into the bowl. Three little princesses stand near by: one of them laden with bouquets of flowers, another holding out some sweetmeat upon a dish, and a third talking to her father.

In another scene the king and queen are both shown seated upon comfortable chairs, while a servant waits upon them. The king is eating a roasted pigeon, holding it in his fingers; and Nefertiti is represented drinking from a prettily shaped cup. The light, transparent robes which they wear indicate that this is the midday meal; but unfortunately the painting is so much damaged that nothing but the royal figures remains.

6. HISTORICAL EVENTS OF THIS PERIOD OF AKHNATON’S REIGN.

There is very little historical information to be procured for these years of the king’s reign. When he had been about ten or eleven years upon the throne, and was some twenty-one years of age, his fourth daughter, Nefernefernaton, was born. The queen had presented no son to Akhnaton to succeed him, but he does not seem in this emergency to have cared to turn to any secondary wives; and, as far as we can tell, he remained all his life a monogamist, although this was in direct opposition to all traditional custom. Steadily during these years the king’s health seems to have grown more precarious, for almost daily he must have overtaxed his strength. His brain was so active that he could not submit to be idle; and even when he reclined amidst the flowers in his garden, his whole soul was straining upwards in the attempt to pierce the barrier which lay between him and the God who had caused those flowers to bloom. The maturity of his creed at this period leads one to suppose that he had given to it his very life’s force; and when it is remembered that at the same time his attention was occupied by the administration of a kingdom which he had twisted out of all semblance to its former shape, the wonder is that his brain was at all able to stand the incessant strain. Rare indeed must have been those idle moments which the artists of the City of the Horizon attempted to represent.

In the twelfth year of his reign, the tribute of the vassal kingdoms reached such a high value that a particular record was made of it, and scenes showing its reception were sculptured in the tombs of Huya and Meryra II.[53] An inscription beside the scene in the tomb of Huya reads thus:--

Year twelve, the second month of winter, the eighth day.... The
King ... and the Queen ... living for ever and ever, made a
public appearance on the great palanquin of gold, to receive the
tribute of Syria and Ethiopia, and of the west and the east. All
the countries were collected at one time, and also the islands
in the midst of the sea; bringing offerings to the King when he
was on the great throne of the City of the Horizon of Aton, in
order to receive the imposts of every land and granting them [in
return] the breath of life.

The king and queen are shown seated in the state palanquin side by side; and although Akhnaton holds the insignia of royalty, and is evidently very much upon his dignity, the queen’s arm has found its way around his waist, and there lovingly rests for all the world to see. The palanquin, probably made of wood entirely covered with gold foil, is a very imposing structure: a large double throne, borne aloft by stout poles upon the shoulders of the court officials. The arm-rests are carved in the form of sphinxes, which rise above a glistening hedge of cobras, and the throne is flanked on either side by the figure of a lion carved in the round. A priest walks in front of the palanquin sending up a cloud of incense from a censer, and professional mummers dance and skip in the roadway in advance of the procession. Behind the royal couple walk the princesses, attended by their nurses and ladies; and on all sides are arrayed courtiers, officers, soldiers, and servants.

Soon the ground marked out for the ceremony is reached, and the king and queen betake themselves to a gorgeous little pavilion which has been erected for them, and here they sit together upon a double throne, their feet supported upon hassocks. The queen sits upon Akhnaton’s left, and in the picture her figure is hidden by that of her husband; but as her right arm is seen to encircle his waist, and her left hand to hold his left hand, one may suppose that she is reclining against him, with her royal head upon his shoulder. Nefertiti was the mother of a family of children, but was not more than about twenty[54] years of age; and as she is said to have been extremely beautiful, one may presume that this scene of conjugal affection was not without its charm. The little princesses cluster round the throne, one of them holding a young gazelle in her arms, while another strokes its head.

In front of this pavilion the deputations from the vassal kingdoms pass by; and in order that the king may not be wearied by their ceremonious homage, a group of professional wrestlers, boxers, and fencers is provided for his diversion; while near them some buffoons and mummers dance and tumble to the accompaniment of castanets and hand-clapping. The tribute of Syria is brought by long-robed Asiatics, who cast themselves upon their knees before the throne with hands uplifted in salutation. Splendid Syrian horses are led past, and behind them chariots are wheeled or carried along. Then come groups of slaves, handcuffed, but not cruelly bound nor maltreated, as was the custom under other Pharaohs. Bows, spears, shields, daggers, elephant-tusks, and other objects, are carried past and deposited upon the ground near the pavilion; while beautiful vases of precious metal or costly stone are held aloft for the king to admire. Wild animals are led across the ground by their keepers, and amongst these a tame mountain lion must have caused something of a sensation. Several nude girls, selected probably for their beauty, walk past; and one may suppose that they will find subsequent employment amongst the handmaidens in the palace.

From the “islands in the midst of the sea” come beautiful vases, some ornamented with figures in the round. From Libya ostrich eggs and ostrich feathers are brought. The tribute of Nubia and the Sudan is carried past by befeathered negroes, and consists mainly of bars and rings of gold and bags of gold-dust, procured from the mines in the Eastern Desert. Shields, weapons, tusks, and skins are also to be seen, and cattle and antelopes are led before the throne. As the Asiatics had startled the assembly by bringing with them a lion, so the negroes cause a stir by leading forward a panther of large size. Finally, male and female slaves, the latter carrying their babies in baskets upon their backs, are marched past the pavilion; but here again these slaves are not maltreated. It is particularly noticeable that the groups of miserable captives which one sees in all such scenes of other periods, with their arms bound in agonising positions and their knees giving way under them, are entirely absent from the representations of Akhnaton’s ceremonies. Human suffering was a thing hateful to the young Pharaoh who knew so well the meaning of physical distress; and the tortures of the prisoners, or the beheading of some rebel, such as would have been a feature of an occasion of this kind under Amonhotep II., or even, perhaps, under Amonhotep III., would have been as revolting to Akhnaton as it would be to us.

7. QUEEN TIY VISITS THE CITY OF THE HORIZON.

Akhnaton had left Thebes, as we have seen, in about the eighth year of his reign; but his mother, Queen Tiy, seems to have been unwilling to accompany him, and to have decided to remain in her palace at the foot of the Theban hills. It is probable that she had not encouraged her son to create the new capital, and the removal of the court from Thebes must have been something of a grief to her, though no doubt she recognised the necessity of the step. In spite of advancing years she must have sorely missed the pomp and circumstance of the splendid court over which she had once presided. Up to the fourth year of her son’s reign she had been dominant, and the whole known world had bowed the knee to her. The luxuries of the many kingdoms over which she held sway had been hers to enjoy; but now, with the king and the nobles gone to the City of the Horizon, and every penny which could be collected gone with them, the old queen must have been obliged to live a quiet, retired life in a palace which was probably falling into rapid ruin. Her little daughter, Baketaton, appears to have lived with her; and it may be that some of her other daughters were still with her, though of them we hear nothing, and it is more probable that they had already died. It seems likely that she paid occasional state visits to her son, and permanent accommodation was provided for her in the City of the Horizon should she at any time desire to stay there. Her major-domo, an elderly man named Huya, appears to have lived for part of the year at the new capital, where a tomb was made for him; and it is from the reliefs on the walls of this tomb that we obtain the knowledge of one of these state visits made by the old queen to Akhnaton. There is no evidence to show in what year the visit which forms the subject of the representations was made; but as the twelfth year of Akhnaton’s reign is mentioned in this tomb, it is probable that the visit took place somewhere about that time.

The queen must now have been between fifty and sixty years of age,[55] and her daughter Baketaton, born just before the death of her husband, was probably not much more than twelve years old. Akhnaton received his mother and sister with apparent joy and festivity, and the major-domo, Huya, was called upon to organise many a _fête_ in their honour. Some of them are shown in the reliefs, where even the conventionalities of the artist have not been able to hide from us the luxury of the scene. One sees Akhnaton, his wife Nefertiti, his mother Tiy, his sister Baketaton, and his two daughters Merytaton and Ankhsenpaaton, seated together on comfortable cushioned chairs, their feet resting on elaborate footstools. Akhnaton is clad in a skirt of clinging linen, but the upper part of his body seems to have been bare. On his forehead there gleams a small golden serpent, and on his feet there are elaborate sandals; but with customary simplicity he wears no jewellery. Queen Nefertiti wears a flowing robe of fine linen, and on her forehead also there is the royal serpent. Queen Tiy wears the elaborate wig which was in vogue during the days of the old _régime_, and upon it there rests an ornamental crown consisting of a disk, two horns, two tall plumes, and two small serpents, probably all wrought in gold. A graceful robe of some almost transparent material falls lightly over her figure. The little girls appear to be naked.

Around this happy family group there stand graceful tables upon which food of all kinds is heaped. Here are joints of meat, dishes of confectionery, vegetables, fruit,[56] bread, cakes of various kinds, and so on. The tables are massed with lotus-flowers, according to the charming custom of the ancient Egyptians of all periods. Beside the tables stand jars of wine and other drinkables, festooned with ribbons. At the moment selected by the artist for reproduction, Akhnaton is seen placing his teeth in the neatly trimmed meat adhering to a large bone which he holds in his hand. To this day it is the custom in Egypt thus to eat with the hands. Nefertiti has a small roast duck in her hands at which she daintily nibbles. Tiy’s morsel cannot now be seen, but as she places it to her mouth with one hand she presents a portion to her daughter, Baketaton, with the other. The two little princesses feed by Nefertiti’s side, and appear to be sharing the meal. Meanwhile Huya hurries to and fro superintending the banquet, carefully tasting each dish before it is presented to the royal party. Two string bands play alternately, the one Egyptian and the other apparently Syrian. The former consists of four female performers, the first playing on a harp, the second and third on lutes, and the fourth on a lyre. The main instrument in the foreign band is a large standing lyre, about six feet in height, having eight strings, and being played with both hands. Courtiers clad in elaborate dresses, and holding ostrich-plume standards, are grouped around the hall in which the banquet takes place.

Another set of reliefs in the tomb of Huya shows us an evening entertainment in honour of Queen Tiy. Again the same members of the royal family are represented, but against the cool night air more clothes are worn by each person, and the upper part of the king’s body is now seen to be covered by a mantle of soft linen. The king, queen, and queen-dowager are all shown drinking from delicate bowls, probably made of gold. This being an evening festival, little solid food appears to have been eaten, but there are three flower-decked tables piled high with fruit. From these the little princesses, now wearing light garments, help themselves liberally; and the small Ankhsenpaaton stands upon the footstool of her mother’s chair, holding on to her skirts with one hand, while with the other she crams an apricot or some similar fruit into her mouth. Two string bands make music as before, and again the groups of courtiers stand about the hall; while Huya hastens to and fro directing the waiters, who, with napkins thrown over their arms, replenish the drinking-bowls from the wine-jars. The hall is lit by several flaming lamps set upon tall stands, near each of which these jars have been placed.

8. TIY VISITS HER TEMPLE.

One more scene from this state visit is shown. Here we observe Akhnaton leading his mother affectionately by the hand to a temple which had been built in her honour, as her private place of worship, and which was called the “Shade of the Sun.” This temple appears to have been a building of great beauty and considerable size. One passed through two great swinging doors fixed between the usual two pylons, and so entered the main court, which stood open to the sunlight. A pillared gallery passed along either side of this court, and between each of the columns there stood statues of Akhnaton, Amonhotep III., and Queen Tiy. In the middle of the court rose the altar, to which one mounted by a flight of low steps. At the far end of the court another set of pylons and swinging doors led into the inner chambers. Passing through these doors one entered a small gallery, on either side of which there were again statues of the Pharaoh and his mother. Beyond stood the sanctuary, closed by swinging doors; and inside this was the second altar, flanked by statues of the king and queen-dowager. To right and left of the sanctuary there were small chapels; and a passage led round behind the sanctuary to the usual shrines, where more royal statues were to be seen.

The building seems to have been brilliant with colours; and on this particular occasion the altars were heaped up with offerings. Great jars of wine, decked with garlands of flowers and ribbons, stood in the shadow of the colonnades; and meat, bread, fruit, and vegetables were piled on delicate stands, ornamented with flowers.

Akhnaton and Tiy were accompanied by the little Princess Baketaton, Akhnaton’s sister, and her two ladies-in-waiting. Before them walked the queen’s major-domo, Huya, accompanied by a foreign official wearing what appears to be Cretan costume.[57] Behind them walked a noble group of courtiers bearing ostrich-plume fans and standards; and outside the temple precincts waited a crowd of policemen, servants, charioteers and grooms in charge of the royal chariots, fan-bearers, porters, and temple attendants. These people shout and cheer loyally as the royal party arrives. “The ruler of the Aton!” they cry. “He shall exist for ever and ever!” “She who rises in beauty!” “To him on whom the Aton rises!” “She who is patron of this temple of Aton!” The old queen must have felt as though she were back once more in the days of her glory; and yet how different the simplicity of the religious ceremonies to those of the old priests of Amon-Ra. There was now but a prayer or two at the altar, a little burning of incense, a little bowing of the head, and then the procession back to the palace, and the silent closing of the holy gates.

9. THE DEATH OF QUEEN TIY.

It is possible that Queen Tiy took up her residence at the City of the Horizon in recognition of the lavish arrangements which her son had made for her. But whether this is so or not, it does not seem that she lived very long to enjoy such renewals of the pomps which she had known in her younger days. Her death appears to have taken place shortly after these celebrations, and, probably by her express commands, she was embalmed at Thebes and carried from her palace up the winding valley to the royal burying-ground amongst the rugged Theban hills. Akhnaton showed his affection for her by presenting the furniture for the tomb, and in the inscriptions on the outer coffin one reads that “he made it for his mother.” The queen-dowager had evidently expressed a wish to be buried near her father and mother, Yuaa and Tuau; for the tomb, which is situated on the east side of the valley, is within a stone’s-throw of the sepulchre where they lay. It was entered by a steep flight of steps leading down to a sloping passage, at the end of which was the large burial chamber, the walls of which were carefully whitewashed. On passing into this chamber a great box-like shrine, or outer coffin, was to be found, occupying the greater part of the room. The door to the shrine was made of costly cedar of Lebanon covered with gold, and was fitted with an ornamental bolt. Many of the nails which held the woodwork together were made of pure gold,--a fact which plainly shows us the wealth of the royal treasuries at this time. Scenes were embossed on the panels showing the queen standing under the rays of the Aton. The shrine itself was also made of cedar, covered with gold, and on all sides were scenes of the Aton worship. Here Akhnaton was shown with Tiy, and the life-giving rays of the sun streamed around their naturally drawn figures. Inside this outer box the coffin containing the great queen’s mummy was laid. The usual funeral furniture was placed at the sides of the room: gaily coloured boxes, alabaster vases, faience toilet-pots, statuettes, &c. Some of the toilet utensils were made in the form of little figures of the grotesque god Bes, which indicates that Akhnaton still tolerated the recognition by other persons of some of the old gods. In the inscriptions upon the outer coffin he had been careful to call his father, Amonhotep III., by his second name, Nebmaara, as often as possible, in order to avoid the writing of the word Amon, his dislike of everything to do with that god being profound. He allowed it to be written, however, here and there, as it seemed right to him that it should appear. Akhnaton’s prejudice against the old state god is also shown in another manner. Amon’s consort was the goddess Mut “the Mother,” whose name is written in hieroglyphs by a sign representing a vulture. Now when the inscription mentioned the king’s _mother_, Tiy, the word _mut_, “mother,” had to be written; but in order to avoid a similarity--even in spelling--to the name of the goddess, Akhnaton had the word written out phonetically, letter by letter, and thus dispensed with the use of the vulture sign.[58] Again, in the name Nebmaara, the meaning of which is “Ra, Lord of Truth,” the sign _maa_, “truth,” represented the goddess of that name. Akhnaton’s religion was much concerned with the quality of truth, which he regarded as one of the greatest necessities to happiness and well-being; and the fallacy of supposing that there was an actual deity of truth was particularly apparent to him. He was, therefore, careful to write the sign _maa_ in letters instead of with the hieroglyph of the goddess.

When the funeral ceremonies came to an end, when the last prayer was said and the last cloud of incense had floated to the roof, the golden door of the shrine was shut and bolted, the outer doorways were walled up, and an avalanche of stones, let down from the chippings heaped near by, obliterated all traces of the entrance. Thus Akhnaton paid his last tribute to his mother and to the originator, it may be, of the schemes which he had carried into effect; and his last link with the past was severed. With the death of this good woman a restraining influence, as kindly as it was powerful, slipped from his arm, and a new and fiercer chapter of his short life began.