The Akhenaten: An Unusual Ruler In The History Of Ancient Egypt

Amenhotep IV better known as Akhenaten is one of the most interesting pharaohs to have ever ruled over Egypt (BBC). He changed his name to Akhenaton, which means 'the servant of Aten' early in his reign (ehistory). He came into power around 1353 BCE and stayed in power for 17 years (BBC). His wife was queen Nefertiti and they had six daughters, he also fathered king Tut (BBC). Akhenaten was a true visionary as he made revolutionary changes to the religion and art of Ancient Egypt.

When it comes to the Akhenaten's art style, the artistic style during that time made a sudden changeover from the traditional Egyptian style of portraying people with ideal, perfect physiques, to a new and rather jarring style which can be seen in some of the statues that were created during that time. It would seem that the artists were trying to portray people (Akhenaten in particular) with ruthless honesty, to the extent that the images became travesties. Akhenaten was a king and did have a big ego to the people and it really should in some of the art form of states that were created during this time. What I think is very interesting that the Akhenaten created, when it comes to their art is just the picture and certainty of the people that

Pharaohs were governors of the Ancient Egyptian realm who broadcasted themselves as sons of gods who upheld Ma’at – the Egyptian order of life. Most pharaohs ruled in a typical and expected way carrying the beliefs of their ancestors- though not all ruled this way. Akhenaten of the 18th Dynasty New Kingdom was not an “archetypal” pharaoh as seen through his goal to change Egyptian religion from polytheism to monotheism and through his building project in Amarna. Though he used traditional means to incorporate his changes he did so in an atypical way. After all his attempts at reform all was forgotten when he died and Egypt returned to the religious beliefs it had beforehand. This essay will analyse historical evidence that demonstrates

Fig. 1 Statue of Yuny and Renenutet, ca. 1290–1270 BCE.; Fig. 2 Akhenaten and his Family,18

Along with his striking religious changes, Akhenaten also led a political revolution, namely in the perception of the pharaoh. One of the most visible changes in Akhenaten’s reign was a drastic change in art. Public perception of the pharaoh was essential to political power, but Akhenaten's portraits do not portray the pharaoh in the “larger-than-life” style associated with other New Kingdom rulers. Firstly, Akhenaten was feminine in appearance, and is shown affectionately playing with his children and Nefertiti. Amarna art is realistic and Akhenaten chose to portray a reality no other pharaoh had been willing to show. Nicholas Reeves explains these changes: “In Akhenaten’s ‘new look’ these striking changes in composition and gesture, which

Akhenaten did not reign for a long period of time. He died in his eighteenth year of his reign due to unknown causes. However, the changes he made did not last long due to the sentiments of the strong Amen priesthood and the angry Egyptians whose traditions were destroyed by Akhenaten. His name and reign were erased from the royal records of the Egyptian Pharaohs. His city, Akhetaten, was dismantled by his successor and the stones were moved to Thebes for the building of other monuments. His religious and governmental reformations were undone, and the religious capital was back to Thebes with polytheistic beliefs. To add salt to wound, his coffin was defaced and his royal nameplate was erased. It was believed to be an ultimate disgrace to a Pharaoh as this punishment was meant to keep his soul from recognizing his body in the Afterlife and his soul would wander around forever without being able to reincarnate.

Akhenaten was born at around 1362 B.C. He was the son of Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye. When he was a child, Akhenaten was a family outcast: he was never depicted in any of the family portraits, there were no records of him going to any public events, and is thought to have never received any honors. His brother, Thutmose was going to be the successor of his father who was the Pharaoh Amenhotep III. However, it is believed that Thutmose unexpectedly died and Akhenaten, the next one in line succeeded the throne. However, another theory suggests that Queen Tiye wanted Akhenaten to succeed the throne. We do not know what actually happened but we do know that he ended up reigning as Amenhotep IV.

On his fifth year of reign, Amenhotep IV went to the site of the new city Akhetaten, in present-day Amarna, Egypt. It is said that he was guided by the lights of Aten, which is the one and only god that he forced people to worship. This light made him think that Aten was telling him to create a new city and he ended up in Akhetaten (the horizon of Aten). This is when Amenhotep IV officially changed his name to Akhenaten (effective for Aten). He changed 4 out of 5 of his titles and these new title names had something to do with Aten. In his sixth year of his reign, Akhenaten abandoned the city of Thebes, the capital city and moved the capital to Akhetaten. In the center of the city, there was a large road. This road was believed to be the widest

     During the New Kingdom of Egypt (from 1552 through 1069 B.C.), there came a sweeping change in the religious structure of the ancient Egyptian civilization. "The Hymn to the Aten" was created by Amenhotep IV, who ruled from 1369 to 1353 B.C., and began a move toward a monotheist culture instead of the polytheist religion which Egypt had experienced for the many hundreds of years prior to the introduction of this new idea. There was much that was different from the old views in "The Hymn to the Aten", and it offered a new outlook on the Egyptian ways of life by providing a complete break with the traditions which Egypt held to with

Akhenaten, either before or shortly after he became pharaoh, would marry Nefertiti, who in some works of art is shown standing equal next to her husband. Some have even speculated that she may have become a co-, or even sole, ruler of Egypt. Akhenaten’s final years are shrouded in mystery. Until recently, Egyptologists had noted that Nefertiti’s name appears to disappear around year 12 of his reign, the time the last of his major monuments were built. It has been speculated that she may have fallen out of favor with Akhenaten, or that her name was changed so that she became a co-ruler of Egypt. Whatever happened in Akhenaten’s final years his religious changes, and new capital, would not survive his death. Within a few years of his death a new king named Tutankhamun, whom many researchers now believe to have been Akhenaten’s son, ascended the

The statue of Amenhotep III is a work of art that displays the virtues of art from the time period in which he ruled. Amenhotep III ruled from around 1391-1353 BCE, which of course is the era of the New Kingdom in the 18th dynasty. The replica of the statue of Amenhotep III shows a lean, muscular figure who is wearing the triangular skirt most commonly worn by kings. The skirt, which sits just above the ankles, is detailed with deep lines that originate in the bottom right corner and move outward in all directions. These lines are interrupted by a series of squares that begin at the top of the skirt and work toward the bottom, incrementally increasing in size.

had grown up in the most powerful family in ancient Egypt. Once he became pharaoh and ruler of Egypt’s empire in 1378 BCE, he changed his name to Akhenaten, “effective spirit of Aten”, and was known to the people as “the heretic king. Early in his reign, Akhenaten encouraged ideas by using art as a way of emphasizing his political and religious intentions of doing things differently; therefore,

Amenhotep IV was the first pharaoh to challenge the Egyptian culture and religious beliefs. His decision to make Aten, “The God of the Sun Disk”, the only god, took power away from the temple priests. Before Amenhotep IV made the changes, Egypt practiced polytheism not only worshiping the Sun Disk God, but around 12 other gods with roles such as fertility, the sky, the Nile River, childbirth, etc. With Egypt practicing monotheisms the temple priest have lost control of any political or religious gain they once held. This will be the first time Egypt practices monotheism. In making this change Amenhotep IV became known as Akhenaten, “Shining Spirit of Aten”. Becoming Akhenaten was not the only changes reflected from his reign as pharaoh.

Akhenaten was a pharaoh of Egypt in the 18th Dynasty. He was born in Egypt and died in Egypt. His birth name was Amenhotep however after he was named pharaoh, his name changed as it represented the sun god of Aten, “Living spirit of aten”, which was a new religion at the time. Akhenaten ruled Egypt for 17 years and was also known for changing the religion of ancient Egypt and building Amarna (a city in Egypt), in 1346 BC. In his first year of being a pharaoh, he built a temple dedicated to Aten. In his third year, he celebrated a Sed festival and the place he celebrated at was the temple that he built. During that time, he was married to Queen Nefertiti and had 9 children, their names were Tutankhamun, Ankhesenamun, Smenkhkare, Meritaten, Meketaten, Neferneferure, Setepenre, Neferneferuaten Tasherit and Ankhesenpaaten Tasherit. Akhenaten had 7 siblings and he was the youngest of all of them. Akhenaten lived in Thebes, Egypt (which is now

Through the years of Egyptian art, many various pieces hold a great deal of significance and beauty to their names. One piece in particular, known as the Bust of Nefertiti, which was crafted by Thutmose, radiates beauty as well as demonstrates a number of characteristics and skills from Egyptian art. This portrait came about during the 18th dynasty around 1350-1335 BCE. The piece shows Nefertiti, who was a queen of Egypt, from the neck up. The Bust of Nefertiti was made to portray Akhenaten's wife as an elegant beauty with a soft facial expression, using curving contour accompanied by a few other methods to display these features.