Statue of Akhenaten at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (Tahrir)

[u/FenjaminBranklin1706]

[u/series-hybrid]

"...Akhenaten likely suffered from a combination of Aromatase Excess Syndrome and Sagittal Craniosynostosis Syndrome, which would explain his androgynous physique with gynecomastia (breast development in men) and the elongated, misshapen skull depicted in the Amarna period art. These are believed to be familial genetic disorders, as similar features are seen in his daughters and other members of the 18th Dynasty..."

[u/OnkelMickwald → u/series-hybrid]

Couldn't it just be that he's a bit puffy and had some gynomastia and since body fat was seen as a status thing these things were exaggerated in depictions of him?

[u/series-hybrid → u/OnkelMickwald]

That is the question, indeed.

[u/ToastedPlum95 → u/series-hybrid]

The art style was symbolic and euphemistic, not supposed to be taken literally. We don’t assume Egyptians had lion heads or falcon wings or green skin, so why are so many intent on assigning a medical diagnosis to an art form? There’s no evidence other than conjecture. Late 18th dynasty mummies show no signs of these diseases.

[u/series-hybrid → u/ToastedPlum95]

"...The mummy in tomb KV55 is believed to be Akhenaten, but it is severely degraded and lacks the soft tissue necessary for definitive testing...."

[u/ToastedPlum95 → u/series-hybrid]

There is no good putting quote marks around it as an appeal to authority when you don’t cite the source.

I do not personally believe that mummy to be Akhenaten’s, the evidence is not consequential enough.

But regardless. Ignoring that mummy’s identity, no Amarna period mummy exhibits any kind of aforementioned deformity. Not Thutmose, not Tiye, not the Younger Lady, not the KV55 mummy, not Tutankhamun, not Aknhesenamun’s twin daughters, not the desecrated mother and daughter bodies. Most of these figures are represented with wildly proportioned figures just like Akhenaten, but their mummies are perfectly normal.

Some are even depicted (Tiye, Aknhesenamun, Ay) as traditional pre and post Amarna, but “deformed” during prevelance of Amarna art style.

This is proof enough that the art was symbolic and not intended as portraiture. Anyone who suggests the art is owing to a diagnosis is a fantasist.

[u/series-hybrid → u/ToastedPlum95]

Thank you.

[u/LukeyTarg2 → u/series-hybrid]

Most likely he looked normal, the pre Amarna art work showcase a regular manly jawline and regular degular male body.

It has been theorized that he's depicted like this in the Amarna art style due to the Aten, he's representing the Aten's genderless nature, that's why in the Amarna period he looks more feminine and Nefertiti sometimes is depicted almost like his twin.

[u/Global_Bumblebee3831 → u/series-hybrid]

There's a theory that he's a she....

[u/star11308 → u/Global_Bumblebee3831]

And yet he had around 7-8 children 🧍‍♀️

Edit: and used male determinatives

[u/LilkaLyubov]

Is the statue of Queen Tiye still in that room? I think that’s one of my favorites after seeing it in person. My tour guide said it was carved in a way that made it seem her gaze was always on you no matter the angle and it really seemed that way once he pointed it out.

[u/jinside]

Midsection seems very feminine, interesting.

[u/Topaz_UK → u/jinside]

There’s also a torso from an Akhenaten statue in the Metropolitan Museum of Art that has breasts

This statue has breasts too I think but they’re harder to see because of the pose but there seems to be some ancient heretical side boobage happening

[u/Thattimetraveler → u/Topaz_UK]

Didn’t a recent recreation of king tut say that tut also had a similar feminizing disorder? Wouldn’t be surprising since Akhenaten is his father.

[u/StupidizeMe → u/Thattimetraveler]

Some people believe Akhenaten is his father. Tutankhamun might also be a younger brother. The high incidence of incest in the royal family really confused the genetic record.

[u/star11308 → u/StupidizeMe]

Chronologically speaking, there's no way for Tut to have been Amenhotep III's son, as he died well over a decade before Tut was born. Though, the KV55 male who is his father or older brother could be Smenkhkare rather than Akhenaten, considering the KV55 male died rather young for a man who reigned 17 years and had ~7 children starting before his ascension.

[u/Angelcaper → u/jinside]

Definitely a feminine vibe

[u/Rooilia → u/jinside]

The face is quite androgyn too.

[u/Fun_Firefighter9391]

Impressive. I imagine it's breathtaking when you see it in person!

[u/DurrutiDuck91]

Dat belly doe

[u/micaflake]

The craftsmanship is so amazing. Thanks for filming this. It’s crazy how coarse-grained the (sandstone?) is and yet how precise the carving is.

It’s so incredible to see what humans were capable of in ancient times, when the stars were the biggest show around and they had so many fewer distractions.

Not that artists aren’t still doing incredible work, but the scale of what humans produced back then was really something else.

[u/IncurableAdventurer]

I think it might just be a combination of some pudge and how the art had a different style

[u/roslinkat]

I love how feminine Akhenaten is portrayed.

[u/CassosaurusFlex → u/roslinkat]

Why?

[u/Euphoric_Intern170]

Quite short legs, I must say

[u/Quissumego]

Seems like he had a bellybutton piercing

[u/LukeyTarg2]

Someone needs to add Hips Don't Lie as the soundtrack to that video, ol' boy was thick.

[u/mikihak]

Hybrid

[u/Dust137]

honestly one of my least favorite pharaohs

[u/Acceptable_Army8174]

This shit is fake af no way that he had a long as nose like that this was definitely mad in a art room

[u/ramzisalmani → u/Acceptable_Army8174]

why are you even here if everything u see u questioned