Mahfouz' Akhenaten novella is the sole one of his I've read dealing with ancient Egypt, and I liked it a lot.

I also learned that those who take ancient Egypt as a subject face a more extreme version of the perennial historical fiction dilemma, in that a new dig can completely upend the historical "facts" on which your story is based.

No kidding. Though then again, it can also liberate you from the expectation of writing The One True Story, because you know it never can be, which in turn can mean creative freedom.