The Egyptians were tremendous sculptors, decorating their cities and funerary complexes with richly carved and sometimes colossal sculptures. Most artistic expressions were very formal and stylized, presenting idealized versions of the pharaohs, gods, animals and plants depicted. The reign of the tenth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty (1539-1295 BC), the heretic king, Amenhotep IV, introduced a new artistic style and period -- the Amarna period. Sculptors were encouraged to sculpt what they saw, resulting in depictions of a pharaoh with big hips and a protruding belly.