as at this time is usually depicted as having very odd characteristics of a human. For instance he has long slender arms and legs with the exception of his almost swollen thigh area. Akenaten also had a protruding belly, almost women-like breasts, a long slender neck, elongated face an head, along with slanted eyes, thick lips, and a hanging chin. All this was thought as interpreting what the king actually looked like, but now historians believe it was the artists portrayal of "Living in Maat," or the divine truth which was another of Akenatens beliefs at the time. During this period the sun god, once Ra, was now a circular shaped disk with its rays shining downward ending in human hands or the Egyptian symbol for life, the ankh. Also during this time Akenaten stresses the importance of family life, never before had this been the case in Egyptian culture. In many of the monuments of this period, Akenaten is shown with his wife Nefertitti, sometimes with one of his children, and sometimes with the whole family. All of this history seems to be represented in "Fragment of a Wall Relief." Many examples from this period have been recovered from modern day Tell el-Amarna despite the efforts of Akenatens successors. It's known that after Akenatens death, his views and ideals were not very accepted with the Egyptians because much of the remains from this period were destroyed or reused for another purpose. One New Kingdom relief of " Akenaten and His Wife Nefertti Offering to the God Aten," in Vol. 9, in the Dictionary of Art is also a good example of the artistic style of the Armana period. In this monument, it shows Akenaten and his wife paying homage to the god aten rendered in carved relief. This is carved from limestone and the scene is a focal section of a larger piece, but what is shown is the standard depiction of Aten's rays with the hands at the ends along with ending with a few ankhs. Under those rays is Akenaten standi...
