| Rule: | 18th Dynasty: 1350-1334 BC |
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor: | Father Amenhotep 3 | |
| Mother: | Tiye | |
| Nomen: | Birth name: Amenhotep: Amun is satisfied | |
| Praenomen: | Throne name: Akhenaten: Glory of the solar disk Aten | |
| Consorts: | Nefertiti daughter of Vizier Ay Meritaten, Kya, Meketaten, Ankhesenpaaten | |
| Capital City: | - In honor of Aten the new capital was called Akhetaten, the modern Tell el Amarna, and new provincial capitals were founded in Nubia and Syria. | |
| Reign: | - His name at his accession was Amenhotep 4, but changed it to Akhenaten in the sixth year of his reign honoring to the god Aten.
- Akhenaten is important for religious innovations, he abandoned polytheism to embrace monotheism and held that the sun named Aten was the only god. This new religion was the first documented example of monotheism. in history The solar monotheism was absolute; through the rays of the sun everything that lived had its being. - The royal artists founded a new artistic school, characterized by the abandonment of convention and a turning to nature because it showed the power of the sun. Of the many artistic achievements of the era of Akhenaten, the most familiar today is the bust of his wife Nefertiti. - He defaced every monument on which appeared the name of Amun, previously the greatest god of Egypt. The Aten cult died with Akhenaten because the sentiments of the priesthood and the Egyptians were outraged by his destruction of their traditions. The story of Akhenaten and his name itself was erased efficiently from Egyptian history, and he was referred to as 'that heretic' or 'rebel' if necessary. - Akhenaten's religious zeal also lost Egypt the empire, because he seriously neglected the provinces. As a result Egypt lost territories in Nubia and Syria | |
| Burial: | - The location of the bodies of Akhenaten and his family is unknown
He might be the unidentified mummy found in the Valley of Kings WV 25 | |
| Successor: | - It has been suggested that Smenkhkara, the mysterious successor of the Egyptian Pharaoh, was in fact Nefertiti | |
| Wikipedia: | Akhenaten |