WORDPLAY
died c. 1362 B.C.; king of Egypt (as Amenhotep IV , c. 1376-c. 1362) & religious reformer
FAST FACTS
Aton (or Aten), the sun, sole god in religion of Ikhnaton, pharaoh of Egypt
El Amarna, (ancient Akhetaton, now called Tell al-Amarna), Egypt, site of city built by Akhenaton (Amenhotep IV) during his rule but soon deserted
In the 14th century BC the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep IV undertook a religious reform by displacing all the traditional deities with the sun-god Aton (also Aten). In the god’s honour, the pharaoh changed his name to Ikhnaton, which means “It is well with Aton.” Ikhnaton (also Akhenaton) ruled from 1379 to 1362 BC. His queen was Nofretete (also Nefertiti), one of the most famous women in Egyptian history. On his death, he was succeeded by the boy-king Tutankhamen, the discovery of whose tomb in 1922 was an archaeological sensation.
Ikhnaton’s reform was one of the earliest attempts to enforce monotheism, the belief in one god. Images and inscriptions of other gods were all removed. To further enforce his views, Ikhnaton moved the country’s capital from Thebes to a site 200 miles (300 kilometres) north, which he called Akhetaton (now called Tell el Amarna).
Ikhnaton’s reforms, and the artistic and literary revival that accompanied them, did not survive for long. So much of his time was devoted to religion that the powerful Egyptian Empire began to disintegrate. This, combined with the opposition of the priests of the displaced gods, worked to undermine the new religion. After Ikhnaton’s death the capital was moved back to Thebes and the former gods restored.
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Related articles: RELIGIOUS INSIGHT, IKHNATON
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