Akhenaten, an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, ruled for seventeen years in the 18th dynasty of Egypt (1353 - 1334 BC). He was the successor of his father, Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Pharaoh Smenkhkare, a short-lived pharaoh of the late 18th dynasty, continued Akhenaten’s reign. Akhenaten is best known for introducing a monotheistic worship around the god Aten. Akhenaten came to the throne in 1353 BC. There are theories that Akhenaten shared the throne with his father Amenhotep III. Immediately after his father’s death, Akhenaten pioneered radical changes in his state. Primarily, he built a temple dedicated to Aten, not Amun (principal deity at the time). Following construction of Aten’s temple, Akhenaten obliterated the names and worships of all other gods and eradicated the name of his father wherever he found it. During his fifth year as pharaoh, Akhenaten changed his name (Originally known as Amenhotep IV, but changed his name to Akhenaten. Akhenaten is defined as beloved of Aten). …show more content…
Aten, the sun disk which can be seen traversing the sky each day, had become the most eminent of the solar gods. Akhenaten promoted Aten to the position of “sole god” being worshipped. During the introduction in worship of God Aten, Akhenaten constituted a location solely for the worship of Aten (without the “contamination of other gods”) known as the “Horizon of Aten”. It is a desert site known today as el-Amarna. East of el-Amarna is a valley leading to city and desert. There, Akhenaten began excavating tombs for the royal family. This is the location of Akhenaten’s