Indeed, the peculiar son of Amenhotep III had matured into an equally peculiar pharaoh. Having only one form and not resembling either man or beast, the Aten was unlike any of the traditional gods of Ancient Egypt, making it difficult for the public to comprehend and embrace. He then commissioned them to erect a new temple dedicated to the sun disc Aten. The First Monotheistic Religion Is Bornįive years into his reign, Amenhotep IV ordered his builders to halt their work on a temple dedicated to Re-Harakhte, mid-construction. The new pharaoh took the soon-to-be legendary beauty Nefertiti as his chief wife and continued to worship the traditional gods of his father’s kingdom, paying special homage to the sun god, Re-Harakhete, and the god Amun of Thebes. Archaeologists speculate that it was for this reason that Amenhotep II’s 38-year rule saw a peaceful, prosperous empire, with order among his many dutiful citizens and diplomacy with the empire’s bordering regions.įor some time after Amenhotep IV rose to power, life in ancient Egypt continued without much upset. And, indeed, Amenhotep III’s citizens kept their end of the bargain in their display of piety and reverence for the gods that lent their graces to each aspect of daily life. At the time, it was widely believed that if Egypt’s many deities were worshiped and paid homage, food would be bountiful, the weather would remain fair, and peace would preserve the kingdom. When her first son, Thutmose, met an untimely death, the shunned Amenhotep IV emerged from the background to enjoy a co-regency with his frail father before seizing absolute power over the kingdom.Īmenhotep IV ascended the throne as the 10th king of the 18th dynasty, inheriting the great land of Egypt that his father had gently, yet firmly, ruled. In spite of his perceived strangeness, Queen Tiye was determined for her son to one day rule their vast empire. Portraits of the family depict the pharaoh and chief queen with only five children - disregarding Amenhotep IV completely. Even with a devoted and doting mother, the child was regarded as a peculiar sort - possibly due to a physical deformity that left him with an elongated skull and exaggerated features, He was left out of public records and kept in the shadows when the royal family attended festivals and public events. , Queen Tiye gave birth to King Amenhotep III’s second son, whom they named Amenhotep IV. From Pariah to KingĪround the year 1380 B.C. This city, as they would learn, was named Akhetaten, and its location was chosen not by any ruler, but by the life-giving power of the sun disc - the god Aten that presided over heaven and earth and all within them during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten. When archaeologists first came upon it in 1892, they were stunned, for this city was unmatched by Cairo, Thebes, Luxor, or any of the others they’d excavated. In the middle of a scorching desert, two hundred miles from the ancient city of Thebes, lay another ancient Egyptian city, intentionally forgotten, yet preserved by the arid climate.
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