A little of the mystery of Akhenaten

There are three main things people always cite as being odd about Akhenaten. Those three things are his religious beliefs, his appearance and how he portrayed himself and family in art. I am going to try and address these as fully as possible in a reasonable length post. There are quite a number of books and articles on Akhenaten and his family but I will try to hit all the main points.

Why did he look that weird?

This has been a question that has come up more than once in research. Some have pointed to genetic or endocrine disorders such as Frohlich's Syndrome, Prader–Willi syndrome or Klinefelter's syndrome. While these disorders have similar physical characteristics there are many of the secondary issues that do not line up wth Akhenaten's actual life. Both, for example, cause infertility/sterility but Akhenaten had six daughters. Other issues would be characteristics of Frohlich's such as vision problems and increased if not out of control appetite. Prader-Willi, in addition to appetite issues, shows motor problems, scoliosis, speech problems and so on. Klinefelter's is linked to learning disabilities, poor memory, problems with attention and so on. Nothing in the records show these weaknesses. So, either this was very well disguised or the priests of Amun decided not to point fingers at the weaknesses in the person they loathed. This is highly unlikely so we have to look at another explanation.

One explanation put forth by John Wilson is that art was already changing, drifting away from the iconic and structured illustrations and statues to something more relaxed. We can see this increased realism in the following to pieces. One is a horse sculpture from the time period and the other a statue of Haremhab which shows a much "fatter" man than we would expect in a sculpture in the rest of Egypt's history. When Akhenaten's dynasty was deposed (and erased as much as possible) temples and priests vehemently returned to the classic style some of which occurred by the decree of Tutankhamen. One thing that does support the idea that this might be a change in artistic styles is that other tombs of officials and nobles from the time show the same odd head shape and rounder forms.

So if it wasn't a disease and it was artistic why that look? Is there precedence for this kind of look?

There is a precedent that could be applied in the mythology. Hapi, god of the Nile, its bounty and floods (not to be confused with Hapy the son of Horus) shows some of these body features. He has long legs, fatter body, "breasts", rounded buttocks and other features attributed to Akhenaten. This hasn't been definitively proven or dis-proven so I will leave it to your judgement.

Hapi as portrayed by Amenhotep III, Akhenaten's father, in Luxor

Two statues of Akhenaten showing the similar body types between Hapi above and the pharaoh.

At this point all that is certain is that it likely wasn't a disease but beyond that there is only speculation. Until more works discussing Akhenaten and Amenhotep III are uncovered it is likely to remain a mystery.

Confessions 16-20

Confession 16.O Eater of Entrails who came forth from the Council of Thirsty. I have not robbed/destroyed a parcel of (crop)land.
This is confession could be seen one of two ways. Literally, not destroying (or possibly wasting) food or as not destroying the work and/or property that allows another to maintain a livelihood. Either way, it has a similar meaning of not being destructive. Eater of Entrails is an interesting title as it is almost exactly the same as a title given to Ammut. She is called Eater of Bodies and Eater of Souls. However, she who gives council to the thirsty is Anqet, goddess of the Aswan area, dispenser of cool water and wife of Khnum. Satis, Anqet's daughter, an archery goddess is also associated with alleviating thirst. I am not aware of any associations between Satis or Anqet and Ammut but it is possible that there is one. All three goddesses have associations to crocodiles. Crocodiles are also associated with croplands.
 
Confession 17. O Lord of Truth who came forth from the Hall of Two Truths, I have not discussed secrets.
This one is remarkably straightforward compared to others. The Lord of Truth who comes from the Hall of Two Truths is Thoth. This is a title he is given in papyri. I have not discussed secrets refers, in my opinion to two things, eavesdropping and telling to others those things you have been trusted to keep secret. Basically these are about keeping oaths and promises.

Confession 18. O Strayer who came from Bubastis, I have brought no lawsuits.
 The "Strayer" is likely Ptah. Named the ancient one, Ptah was known to be the first of the gods to wander the Earth after it rose from the water. The confession itself has some items that are only understood when we consider the direct translation which is not lawsuit but "Not have I set my mouth in motion against others". This direct reading is about false accusations. I have not falsely accused others. We could think of this confession as also being similar to all the false lawsuits we often see in the news but it is also about our personal claims as well.

Confession 19. O Planter who came forth from Heliopolis, I have not disputed without just cause.
This confession is an addition to the previous one. Not only have I not made false claims but I have also not caused disputes without just cause. Just cause is something that requires a more detailed understanding of Egyptian society and culture than I am going to give here. However, any good book that addressed Egyptian culture would work. The book The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness Ancient Egypt by Jon E Lewis would be a good source for a general overview. Planter who came forth from Heliopolis could be either Atum as a god of fertility, since Heliopolis was originally called Per-Atum. It could also refer to Osiris who is known to come forth from Heliopolis and so has Hapi, both are vegetation related gods who come forth on occasion from Heliopolis. Any of these three would make sense though given the confession it might be more likely to be Osiris.

Confession 20. O Doubly Evil One who came forth from Busirite Nome, I have not had intercourse with a married woman.
The Busirite Nome is one of the places that it is believed the children of Nut were born. The doubly evil could refer to Set. Other gods and goddesses are at times listed as being born in this location too. It is hard to say which one this might refer to.  Though this confession says woman it is meant to express not having intercourse with any married individual male or female. It is important to remember that most of the speakers in the copies of the Book of the Dead are males so we must consider gender in defining this one. If it were a woman's tomb it would likely read "I have not had intercourse with a married man."