It all began around 1343 BCE when Amenhotep IV, the future Akhenaten, ascended to the throne. He quickly undertook an unprecedented religious reform, abandoning traditional polytheism—the belief in multiple gods—in favor of an exclusive worship of Aten, the solar disk. To mark this radical shift, he changed his name to Akhenaten, meaning “The one who is useful to Aten,” and built a new capital, Akhetaten (modern-day Amarna), entirely dedicated to this deity.
This reform not only transformed religious beliefs but also weakened the power of Amun’s priests, who were highly influential in Thebes, by shifting all focus to Aten. However, Akhenaten’s religious revolution did not outlive him. After his death, every trace of this reform was erased.
The falcon-headed statue may be directly linked to this tumultuous period. Its forearms, broken for centuries, seem to have once held an object that was deliberately destroyed. Why was it removed? Historians believe that after Akhenaten’s death, his successors, including Tutankhamun, restored the traditional polytheistic religion and sought to erase all traces of his reforms. Monuments, statues, and symbols associated with Akhenaten were destroyed to make people forget his reign. This statue could be one of the rare surviving witnesses of that attempt to erase history.
This exceptional statue, sculpted from quartzite, was discovered during excavations led by archaeologist Auguste Mariette in the Temple of Khonsu at Karnak. In 1863, it was gifted to the future King Leopold II by Saïd Pasha, the ruler of Egypt at the time. It stands as a remarkable witness to the New Kingdom, likely dating to the late 18th Dynasty, just before or at the beginning of Akhenaten’s reign.
Depicting an anthropomorphic falcon-headed god, this mysterious piece may have originated from the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III, Akhenaten’s father. Every detail of the statue tells a story, reflecting an era when art and spirituality were deeply intertwined.
Transferred to the Cinquantenaire Museum in 1914, the statue has endured the trials of time with remarkable resilience. In 1946, a devastating fire ravaged the museum, destroying most of its collections. Yet, this majestic statue miraculously survived, bearing the marks of its journey through the centuries.
After more than 2,500 years, a journey by ship, a fire, and multiple relocations, this iconic piece of the Egyptian collections continues to captivate. It embodies not only the grandeur of ancient Egypt but also the incredible ability of historical treasures to withstand the test of time.
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