 Akhenaton Pharaoh of "Amenhotep IV" Egypt, son of Amenhotep III Pharaoh of Egypt and Tiy of Egypt.Died at Abt. 1336 BC [Neet3.FTW] Born as Amenhotep IV, he changed his name within a few years of becoming Pharaoh. -------- Akhenaton or Ikhnaton, also called Amenhotep IV, pharaoh of Egypt from about 1350 to 1334 BC. Akhenaton was the son of Amenhotep III and Tiy, and husband of Nefertiti, whose beauty is now famed through celebrated portrait busts of the period. Akhenaton was the last important ruler of the 18th dynasty and notable as the first historical figure to establish a religion based on the concept of monotheism. He established the cult of Aton, or Aten, the sun god or solar disk, which he believed to be a universal, omnipresent spirit and the sole creator of the universe. Some scholars believe that the Hebrew prophets' concept of a universal God, preached seven or eight centuries later in a land that Akhenaton once ruled, was derived in part from his cult. After he established the new religion, sometimes referred to as solar monotheism, he changed his name from the royal designation Amenhotep IV to Akhenaton, meaning "Aton is satisfied." He moved his capital from Thebes to Akhetaton (now the site of Tall al 'Amarinah), a new city devoted to the celebration of Aton, and he ordered the obliteration of all traces of the polytheistic religion of his ancestors. He also fought bitterly against the powerful priests who attempted to maintain the worship of the state god Amon, or Amen. This religious revolution had a profound effect on Egyptian artists, who turned from the ritualistic forms to which they had been confined, to a much more realistic representation of nature as evidence of the all-embracing power of the sun, Aton (see Egyptian Art and Architecture). A new religious literature also arose. This blossoming of culture, however, did not continue after Akhenaton's death. His son-in-law, Tutankhamen, moved the capital back to Thebes, restored the old polytheistic religion, and Egyptian art once more became ritualized. Source: "Akhenaton," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 98 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. ----------- The tenth king of the 18th Dynasty was perhaps the most controversial because of his break with traditional religion. Some say that he was the most remarkable king to sit upon Egypt’s throne. Akhenaten was traditionally raised by his parents, Amenhotep III and Queen Tiy (1382-1344 B.C.) by worshipping Amen. Akhenaten, however, preferred Aten, the sun god that was worshipped in earlier times. Early in his reign he changed his name to Akhenaten, meaning “He Who is of Service to Aten” and renamed his queen to Nefer-Nefru-Aten, which is “Beautiful is the Beauty of Aten.” The king and his queen, leaving Thebes behind, built elaborate buildings at Akhenaten (Amarna) “The Horizon of Aten.” He then sent his officials around to destroy Amen’s statues and to desecrate the worship sites. These actions were so contrary to the traditional that opposition arose against him. The estates of the great temples of Thebes, Memphis and Heliopolis reverted to the throne. Corruption grew out of the mismanagement of such large levies. Akhenaten died in the 18th year of his reign. His successor, Horemhab, claimed his reign began from the date of Amenhotep III, thus wiping out the entire rule of Akhenaten. Source: www.touregypt.net Married/ Related to:  Nefertiti, daughter of Yaya and Tuya. PRIVACY FILTERChild: 1. Daughter of Akhenaton PRIVACY FILTER | |||