Akhenaten

Statue of Akhenaten in the early Amarna style: one of the things this pharaoh did was to introduce a more realist style on carved and painted portraits.

Akhenaten (first known as Amenhotep IV) was a pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. His reign is dated as 1353–1336 BC or 1351–1334 BC.

Akhenaten is one of Egypt's most well-known pharaohs. In the fifth year of his reign, he changed his name from Amenhotep IV, meaning "Amun is satisfied". He did this because he left Egypt's traditional polytheism. He founded a monotheistic worship of the Egyptian sun god, Aten. He destroyed the temples of Amun. His new religion was called Atenism. It was the first known attempt at monotheism in the world. Naturally, this made enemies of the many priests of the old religion.

This culture shift away from traditional religion was not widely accepted. This helps to explain why after his death, his monuments were dismantled, his statues were destroyed, and his name excluded from lists of rulers compiled by later pharaohs. Traditional religious practice was gradually restored, notably under his close successor Tutankhamun, who changed his name from Tutankhaten early in his reign. However, it was Horemheb who destroyed all the works of Akhenaten.

Akhenaten was all but lost to history until the late 19th century discovery of Amarna, the new capital city he built for the worship of Aten. Its rediscovery and Flinders Petrie's early excavations sparked great public interest in the pharaoh and his queen Nefertiti. The interest comes from his connection with Tutankhamun, the unique style and high quality of the pictorial arts he patronized, and interest in the religion he attempted to establish.

Akhenaten Media

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  This is a horizontal serekh for use with hieroglyphic cartouches

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  Akhenaten, Nefertiti and their children

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  This limestone relief of a royal couple in the Amarna style has variously been attributed as Akhenaten and Nefertiti, Smenkhkare and Meritaten, or Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun.

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  Akhenaten's elder brother Thutmose, shown in his role as High Priest of Ptah. Akhenaten became heir to the throne after Thutmose died during their father's reign.

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  Wooden standing statue of Akhenaten. Currently in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin

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  One of the stele marking the boundary of the new capital Akhetaten

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  Talatat blocks from Akhenaten's Aten temple in Karnak

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  Amarna letter EA 362, titled A Commissioner Murdered. In this letter, Rib-Hadda of Byblos informs the pharaoh of the death of Pawura, an Egyptian commissioner.

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  Painted limestone miniature stela. It shows Akhenaten standing before 2 incense stands, Aten disc above. From Amarna, Egypt – 18th Dynasty. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London

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  A Bust of Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten in the Luxor Museum, Egypt.