Akhenaten is one of the most controversial kings in Egyptian history. Coming to the throne as Amenhotep IV around 1353 BC, he swept aside the many gods of Egypt in favor of one, the Aten, the disc of the sun, and built a new capital in the desert to worship it. After his death his successors tried to erase him from history.
A new religion
In the fifth year of his reign the king changed his name to Akhenaten, “effective for the Aten”. He closed the temples of Amun and the other gods, and had their names chiseled off monuments. The Aten was shown as a disc whose rays end in small hands, offering life to the royal family. Some see this as the first step toward monotheism; others see it as a political move against the powerful priests of Amun.
Amarna
Akhenaten built a new capital, Akhetaten, “horizon of the Aten”, at a site now called Tell el-Amarna in Middle Egypt. The art of the period changed too: the king and his queen, Nefertiti, are shown with long faces, full hips and in relaxed family scenes, playing with their daughters. Letters found at Amarna, written in cuneiform on clay tablets, record Egypt’s dealings with the kings of Babylon, Mitanni and Canaan.
After Akhenaten
Within a few years of his death, around 1336 BC, Amarna was abandoned and the old gods restored under his son Tutankhamun. Later kings left him out of the king lists and called him “that criminal”. You can see his statues at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir and the Luxor Museum.
