Akhenaten's dedication to Aten died with him. However, modern scholarship notes that Akhenatens cult drew from aspects of other godsparticularly re-Harakhte, Shu, and Maatin its imagining and worship of Aton. In 1334 B.C., after a 17 year reign, Akhenaten was abducted by the alien Cosmic Order, who had two millennia before discovered and accessed the vast power of the Heart of the Infinite. They had six daughters but no sons; the oldest, Meritaten and Ankhesenpaaten, were to become wives of their father. Akhenaton started his reign as most Egyptian kings. Together they had at least six daughters. However, the ancient Egyptians were a deeply religious people who loved their ancient traditions and were not ready to embrace such radical changes. Get rewarded for doing what you already do as a fan., Earn points for what you already do as a Marvel fan and redeem for cool rewards as a, (Points/Rewards program available to U.S. residents only. flashcard sets. Akhenaten drastically revised the religious and political structure of Egypt, developed new art and architectural styles, and generally caused great chaos during the Middle Bronze Age. The Metropolitan Museum of Art 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street, New York, 10028-0198. He reigned from c. 1353 to 1336 BC, and he is best known for his dramatic changes to traditional Egyptian religion. It is simply the Egyptian word 'mose' meaning 'child', and is an abridgement of a fuller form of such names as 'Amen-mose' meaning 'Amon-a-child' or 'Ptah-mose' meaning 'Ptah-a-child'and the name Mose, 'child', is not uncommon on the Egyptian monuments. During his first regnal year, Amenhotep IV ruled from Thebes, the traditional seat of power in Egypt, and remained there for five years, calling it the "southern Heliopolis, the first great seat of Re." 131,-K/kg. Sometime around his fourth regnal year, Akhenaten even dispatched agents to erase the names and images of certain gods from existing texts and monuments. Queen Nefertiti, famous from her portrait bust, is thought to have been an Asian princess from Mitanni. ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/akhenaten-4769554. Yet no other pharaohsave perhaps his son . - Stories, Character Traits & Analysis, Xenophanes of Colophon: Philosophy, Quotes & Biography, Empress Theodora: Biography, Facts & Quotes, Execution by Guillotine: Definition & Invention, Charles Martel: Biography & Battle of Tours, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. We do know that Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti worshipped only the sun god, and the names of other gods and goddesses were removed from view. Updates? However, he soon showed his hostility for Amun. The first changes in the artistic representation of the king and Nefertiti began early in his reign. To prepare for the jubilee, Amenhotep IV began building a huge number of temples, including several near the ancient temple of Karnak. The city of Akhenaten was abandoned and the court returned to Thebes. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. However, like many topics pertaining to Akhenaten, this issue remains the subject of much scholarly debate. At the center was the god Amun of Thebes and his priests had become powerful. Freud quotes from James Henry Breasted, the noted archaeologist, that: It is important to notice that his name, Moses, was Egyptian. Biography >> Ancient Egypt. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2023) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. Hirst, K. Kris. Amenhotep III ruled over a land whose priesthood, centered on the god Amun, had been steadily growing in power for centuries. By the 12th year of his reign, Nefertiti disappearedsome scholars believe she became the new co-king, Ankhheperure Neferneferuaten. The city was built on virgin land in the middle of Egypt facing towards the east and precisely positioned to direct the rays of the morning sun toward temples and doorways. What is certain, though, is this new religion elevated the Aten to the position of state deity and centered largely on its worship. The names of the god Amun and the other gods were chiseled from monuments throughout Egypt, the temples were closed, and the old practices outlawed. Akhenaten was the assumed name of Amenhotep IV, the son of Amenhotep III. Eventually, dissatisfied priests and civil officials combined with the army to discredit the new religion. The evidence of the subjects' love and respect for Akhenaten comes from "reports written during Akhenaten's reign" of the loyalty his guards showed him. Amarna Letter from Burna-Buriash II to Amenhotep III, Akhenaten and the Royal Family Blessed by Aten. Akhenaten took the throne in 1352 or 1353 B.C.E. Perhaps, then, the elongation of the figures in these images was meant to show human transformation when touched by the power of the Aten. Amenhotep IV succeeded his father after Amenhotep III's death at the end of his 38-year reign, or possibly after a coregency lasting one to two years. This effectively ended the priesthood of Amen-Re. Normally, but by no means always, kings held their first jubilee after they had ruled 30 years. In the fifth year of his reign, the king changed his name from Amenhotep ("Amun is Pleased") to Akhenaten, or "Servant of the Aten" thus formally declaring his new religion. Hammurabi was a ruler of. Create an account to start this course today. Amenhotep III's adoration of Aten had been in part political; the priests of the previously most-followed god, Amen-Re, had grown quite powerful in 14th-century Egypt. The fourth temple built at Karnak in the 4th year of his reign, called Hutbenben "the Temple of the benben stone," is the earliest example of the revolutionary style of the new pharaoh. as pharaoh of the most powerful state of the ancient world: Egypt. In one of the surrounding walls was cut the "Window of Appearances," where Akhenaten and Nefertiti could be seen by his people. Omissions? It was rich and confident, with soldiers and officials established in foreign countries. [6][7][20][21][22] Akhenaten's rediscovery and Flinders Petrie's early excavations at Amarna sparked great public interest in the pharaoh and his queen Nefertiti. The new city had many spacious villas with trees, pools, and gardens. What, then, was this new religion that motivated Akhenaten to upend so many elements of Egyptian society? The Cosmic Order used their ultimate might to force peace onto the universe. A freelance writer and former part-time Professor of Philosophy at Marist College, New York, Joshua J. However, the pharaoh's loyalty was not enough, and soon Akhenaten required that all of Egypt adopt his new god and abandon . He was the son of Amenhotep III (1386-1353 BCE) and his wife Tiye, husband of Queen Nefertiti, and father of both Tutankhamun (by a lesser wife named Lady Kiya) and Tutankhamun's wife Ankhsenamun (by Nefertiti). A> Akhenaten, formerly Amenhotep IV, an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, who was married to Nefertiti, worshiped the Egyptian god Aten, renamed himself, wrote the Hymn to Aten, and, therefore, could be considered one of the first monotheists. In Hinduism, the Absolute Spirit is known as. Akhenaten. Much scholarly debate has centred on whether these features reflect the actual appearance of the kingextended by convention to his family and retainersand various theories have been argued about the presumed pathology of Amenhotep IV and what medical conditions might produce the anatomical traits shown. In addition, settings became less formal as well. Akhenaten (ca. But uncertainties surround his demise. Heads became larger than in the traditional style and were supported by elongated and slender necks. Since October 1966, an expedition of the University Museum has been engaged in a study of polychrome relief-cut blocks from the Aten Temple built by Akhenaten at Thebes (modern Karnak) in the early years of his reign. 100% (5 ratings) Answer The following events are ordered from earliest to latest: 1. During the reign of Akhenaten we find the first examples of the royal family being depicted in scenes from everyday life rather than in traditional, more formal settings. View L04 Reading Quiz.pdf from PHIL 119 at Pennsylvania State University. However, within a few years there were changes. In addition, the enormous expanse of the exterior temple wall provided a stone canvas on which experiments in large-scale composition were undertaken. Our publication has been reviewed for educational use by Common Sense Education, Internet Scout, Merlot II, OER Commons and School Library Journal. The previous name of Akhenaten was King Amenhotep IV before the fifth year of his reign and he was also known as Akhenaton. 3 Pages. At or shortly after the time of his accession, Amenhotep IV seems to have married the chief queen of his reign, Nefertiti. Powerhouse X-Men creator Ann Nocenti teams up with Sid Kotian for 'Storm' #1 this May. On its walls were pictured the transformation of Amenophis III to the godly sphere, and the renaming of his son fromAmenophis ("the god Amun is content") to Akhenaten ("he who is effective on the Aten's behalf.". Get the latest news, original content, and special offers from Marvel. Elongated, spindly limbs and narrow eyes figure prominently in depictions of the royal family during this period, causing some scholars to wonder whether Akhenaten had a medical condition such as Marfan syndrome. Priests of Amun who had the time and resources hid statuary and texts from the palace guards sent to destroy them and then abandoned their temple complexes. The introduction of Akhenaten's monotheistic views attributed to the decline of the Egyptian empire during his reign in the 18th dynasty. Amarna Letter from Burna-Buriash II to Amenhotep IIIOsama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright). Abstract. King Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) King Akhenaten or Amenhotep IV was the great Egyptian pharaoh for the 18th dynasty for 17 years and died in 1336 B.C. Akce tdne. Was Akhenaten a reactionary, creating the new religion to consolidate his power, raise his status and make him more famous than any pharaoh before. We also examine his actions in foreign policy and the changes in Egyptian art during his reign. Those 'old tribal deities' of Egypt, however, had encouraged peace, harmony, and the development of one of the greatest ancient cultures the world has ever known. A sculptor's model of Akhenaten, in Amarna style, c. 1353-1337 BCE, via The Louvre, Paris. Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten and defied tradition by establishing a new religion that believed that there is but one god; the sun god Aten. Unlike the traditional ritual prescribed for most Egyptian deities, which was carried out in small, darkened sanctuaries in the innermost recesses of their temples, Amenhotep IVs devotion to the Aton was celebrated through the presentation of foodstuffs on large numbers of offering tables and made in open sunlight. While there are, then, examples of Akhenaten looking after state affairs, there are more which substantiate the claim of his disregard for anything other than his religious reforms and life in the palace. She encouraged and supported her husband in his revolutionary ideas and together they took on the religious establishment. He created a new monotheistic religion devoted to a single god named the Aten. Not only was it rich, but it was at peace with its neighbors and well-positioned for long-term stability. Much has been written about this compelling, controversial pharaoh whose appearanceelongated and effeteis totally at odds with that of the traditional Egyptian ruler. Akhenaten became best known to modern scholars for the new religion he created that centered on the Aten. This can also be explained as stemming from Akhenaten's religious beliefs in that the Aten, not the pharaoh, was the most important consideration, and under the influence of the Aten's love and grace, the pharaoh and his family thrives. Akhenaten is often not credited as being one of the great pharaoh's of ancient Egypt; his name is not as recognized as his son, Tutankhamen. In the 5th year of his reign, Amenhotep IV outlawed the old Egyptian religion and proclaimed himself the living incarnation of a single all-powerful deity known as Aten and, by the 9th year, he had closed all the temples and suppressed religious practices. One temple at Karnak shows only Nefertiti as the primary officiant before the Aton, sometimes accompanied by Meritatonan unprecedented privilege for a mere queen. He abandoned work on a temple dedicated to Re-Harakhte and began to build a new temple to worship the sun god Aten. Religious persecution was new to the Egyptians, who had always worshipped many deities and were ever ready to add new gods to the pantheon. Mark, Joshua J.. Open Document. Amenhotep IV broke with tradition and held his first sed festival in his second or third year as pharaoh. What was unique about her was the she was not a Royal, as it was rare for kings . Mark has lived in Greece and Germany and traveled through Egypt. It had several royal greater-than-lifesized statues made in a new art style, located north of the temple of Amun, and near a mudbrick palace for the king. Within the first few years of his rule, Amenhotep IV introduced sweeping changes in the spheres of religion, architecture, and art (see Amarna style). At the beginning of his reign, the young pharaoh, Amenhotep IV, still worshiped the old gods, especially Amun of Thebes and the sun god, Re-Harakhte. Akhenaten's religious reforms resulted in his being despised as 'the heretic king' by some while admired as a champion of monotheism by others. Akhenaten, known as Amenhotep IV at the start of his reign, was a Pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Egypt.He was born to Amenhotep III and his Chief Queen Tiy at some point during his father's reign. Furthermore, Akhenaten sought to remove the power of the priesthood and so he moved the capital from Thebes to a new ground where he made a new capital for his own god Aten: Akhetaten or El-Amarna. The famous Stele of Akhenaten, depicting the royal family, shows the rays of the Aten touching them all and each of them, even Nefertiti, depicted with the same elongation as the king. - Act of a Pharaoh determined to keep his political power in face of the threats from the Amun cult. The 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt was full of intrigue. Akhenatens son, Tutankhaten, restored the disgraced Amun as king of the gods, and he renamed himself Tutankhamun to honor Amun. "Akhenaten." Atenism, however, was a very exclusive religion confined to the royal family, with the king as the only mediator between man and god. Unfortunately, Moses lived around three-hundred years earlier the story of the Exodus covers a period between 1657 and 1512 BCE. Hatshepsut and her successors, such as Tuthmosis III (1458-1425 BCE), employed a balanced approach of diplomacy and military action in dealing with foreign nations; Akhenaten chose simply to largely ignore what happened beyond the borders of Egypt and, it seems, most things outside of his palace at Akhetaten. Life in his palace at Akhetaten seems to have been his primary concern. In Akhenaten, Nicholas Reeves presents an entirely new perspective on the turbulent events of Akhenaten's seventeen-year reign. He ordered the name of the previous god to be scrubbed from all official buildings and writings, to the point that some instances of his father's pharaonic name were destroyed because it began with 'Amen.' Thank you! These works are unique in Egyptian art, as they do not flatter the king and his family but reveal them as real people, in all their beauty and decay. Situated at the center of the enormous new city was a giant temple dedicated to Aten. Instead, Akhenaten began his reign as Amenhotep IV, the son of Amenhotep III. The answers are rooted in uncertainties, leading Egyptologists to long debate the nature of Akhenatens transformation. His legacy of monotheism, however, if Freud and others are correct, influenced other religious thinkers to emulate his ideal of one true god and reject the polytheism which had characterized human religious belief for millennia. Dr. Doom learned Akhenaten's origins, and traveled back in time to slay him before he gained power, but Akhenaten anticipated this and foiled him. Discovering Egypt Website Established 1997. http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/ioth/ioth_20091001-0900a.mp3, Who else might be in Pharaoh Tutankhamuns Tomb, Women of Power and Influence in Ancient Egypt. Pharaoh during Egypt's 18th Dynasty, Amenhotep established a monotheistic religion worshipping the sun god Aten, alleged creator of the universe. The location chosen for the new capital, named Akhetaton . 1379 BCE). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. 220 lessons Akhenaten's attempt to suppress one god and advance another in a culture that reveled in a complex pantheon of ever-changing deities did not endure. 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