General Notes

Alias:<ALIA> /Amenhotep/ IV
[Neet3.FTW]
Born as Amenhotep IV, he changed his name within a few years of becoming
Pharaoh.
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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. Akhenatonwas 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 theroyal designation Amenhotep IV to Akhenaton, meaning "Aton is
satisfied." Hemoved 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.
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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 toNefer-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