King Akhenaten
[ez-toc]
Who is King Akhenaten?
King Akhenaten, whose name means “Living soul of Aten,” was one of the rulers of Ancient Egypt during the 18th dynasty. He ruled from “1353 B.C. to 1336 B.C.” Other names for him include Amenhotep IV, Akhenaton, Ikhnaton, and Khuenaten. He was the second son of Amenhotep III and his wife Queen Tiyee, and he governed Egypt following the death of his father Pharaoh Amenhotep III at the end of his 38-year rule. Akhenaten wasn’t the next in line to succeed his father as king until the death of his older brother Thutmose.
King Akhenaten’s Life
He moved his capital from Thebes, which supports Amun, to Horizon of Aton in modern Armarna, and he gave the order to remove the name of Amun from all of his temples in Egypt. King Akhenaten ruled an empire that is dominant in Palestine, Phoenicia, and Nubia. He was preoccupied with his new religion and was interested in poetry for his new god, neglecting his empire and acting as a rogue.
He was married to someone who supported him in his new religious beliefs and who saw themselves as intermediaries between people and god. In addition to declaring monotheism and outlawing polytheism, King Akhenaten was seen as a heretic. He relocated his capital from Thebes, which worshipped Amun, to Amarna, which became the new capital of Aton, and he ordered the removal of Amun’s name from all of Egypt’s temples. He was in charge of an empire that dominated Palestine, Phoenicia, and Nubia, but he neglected his kingdom and lost a significant piece of it in Asia because he was preoccupied with his new religious revolution, interested in writing poetry, and interested in building temples for his new deity. He was married to Queen Nefertiti, who supported him in his new religious movement because they saw themselves as the intermediary between the gods and the populace.
King Akhenaton Family
His distinctive facial features, which can be seen in all of his statues, were thought to be caused by Marfan syndrome, a genetic abnormality that affects the body’s connective tissue and the face. One of the most beautiful women in Egyptian history was said to be his wife. He had six daughters, all of whom shared the same ailment. Along with his primary spouse and children, he had numerous other wives and children, including those of Tutankhamun, Smenkhkare, and Ankhesenamun.
King Akhenaton Achievement
The primary goal of Akhenaton’s declaration of monotheism was to bring about a societal transformation by uniting the Egyptian populace around the Sun Disk God Aton. He wanted to put a stop to the polytheism that had existed for two thousand years since the Cult of Amun was becoming more and more powerful and held more land than the kings themselves. So, in the ninth year of his rule, he declared himself the living embodiment of a single all-powerful deity Aton, the loving, ultimate creator, and sustainer of the cosmos, in order to curtail their influence and further his political goals. He also closed all the temples of Amun and the other gods and moved the main capital from Thebes to Amarna plus he removed all the names of Amun from all over Egypt but this didn’t last for long.
Foreign Policy of King Akhenaton
He inherited a large kingdom that ruled over territory in enormous nations like Palestine, Phoenicia, and Nubia, but he was unsuccessful in forging diplomatic ties with other nations. The Amarna letters are proof of his carelessness in keeping friendly and diplomatic ties with his supporters. He neglected to build his kingdom and instead devoted his time to producing works of art and poetry for his new deity. When his son Tutankhamun assumed power, he restored Amun the country’s chief deity and Thebes once again served as the nation’s capital. His attempt to make Aton the sole god in Egypt had failed tragically.
When Did King Akhenaten Die?
In the grave of Merya II in his new city, he passed away in 1336 B.C. After his passing, they cleared his city, everyone departed Thebes, and they went back to ancient times to worship Amun. King Akhenaten’s statue, is housed in Cairo’s Egyptian Museum.
