Egypt's Golden Couple

Egypt's Golden Couple: When Akhenaten and Nefertiti Were Gods on Earth

November 2022 marks the centenary of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. But King Tut's nine-year reign pales in historical significance to that of his father, Akhenaten, and his mother Nefertiti, whose iconic painted bust is the most recognizable artifact from all of ancient Egypt. 

In Egypt's Golden Couple: When Akhenaten and Nefertiti Were Gods on Earth (St. Martin's Press, $29.99), celebrated Egyptologists, Professor John Darnell (Yale University) and Colleen Darnell, bring the intriguing and controversial reign of King Tut's parents. 

With new interpretations of evidence of their religious beliefs, their historical achievements, and their vision for Egypt, the Darnells challenge much that is taken for granted about Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Presenting a fresh perspective and vivid recreations of life based directly on the ancient evidence, they reveal:

• An insider's look at the interpretation of these ancient sources - explaining how they know the events that took place, and the religious beliefs and political concepts of the ancient Egyptians, from over three thousand years ago.
• A look at the pivotal reign of Amunhotep III and Queen Tiye, Akhenaten's parents, and how a jubilee festival became the catalyst that transformed the king into the sun god.
• How an uncertain reading of a single word in hieroglyphs has led to years of incorrect assumptions about the origins of Akhenaten's religious beliefs. 
• The reality behind Akhenaten and Nefertiti's revolutionary solar religion
• Stirring translations of love poetry and festival songs that offer a glimpse behind the serene face of Nefertiti's bust to reveal more about the royal couple's relationship

Combining cutting edge scholarship with the suspense of a detective story and the thrill of an adventure tale, Egypt's Golden Couple interweaves stories from the Darnells' on-the-ground research to lead readers from clue to clue as they reconstruct the fascinating untold story of the parents of Tutankhamun.

Bio
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. 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.