The sceond session of the ARCE Library Book Club will be held on January 21, 2026 via zoom. This quarterly program is designed to foster community, scholarly engagement, and intellectual exchange through curated readings from the ARCE Digital Library

The selection is Amarna: A Guide to the Ancient City of Akhetaten by Anna Stevens.

Around three thousand years ago, Pharaoh Akhenaten turned his back on Amun and most of Egypt’s great gods. Abandoning Thebes, he built a new city, Akhetaten, devoted solely to the sun god Aten. With grand temples, painted palaces, and an elaborate royal burial ground, Akhetaten became Egypt’s most important city, but its glory was short-lived. This richly illustrated guide brings the city and Akhenaten’s extraordinary reign to life, drawing on ongoing archaeological research and the insights of modern-day communities. With over 150 illustrations, maps, and plans, the book offers both an ideal introduction for visitors and a comprehensive window into Amarna’s past.

Anna Stevens is a research archaeologist specializing in Egypt and assistant director of the Amarna Project. She is affiliated with Monash University and the University of Cambridge. Anna has worked as an archaeologist in Egypt, Sudan, the UK, and Australia, with her primary fieldwork at Akhetaten (modern Amarna), the late Bronze Age city built by the “monotheistic” pharaoh Akhenaten, who promoted the sun god Aten as a sole creator.

To learn more and register, please visit https://arce.org/event/the-arce-library-book-club-2-amarna-a-guide-to-the-ancient-city-of-akhetaten-by-anna-stevens/?emci=bb7ae6a7-d9ee-f011-8194-000d3a11f903&emdi=67829d45-abef-f011-8194-000d3a11f903&ceid=1700732