Akhenaten is often represented as somewhat of a passive ruler when concerned with the military. Akhenaten - Amenophis IV Ruled 1352-1336 BC. Early Dynastic Period(1st–2nd Dynasties) 4. It was in Thebes that the pharaoh was crowned as the new ruler, but the date of his succession is not certain. The following is the list according to conventional Egyptian chronology. The funerary religion of Osiris was dropped, and Akhenaten became the source of blessings for people after death. He is believed to have possibly ascended to the thrown at the young age of 11 and to have ruled Egypt from Amarna for another 17 years or so. All Text & artwork is © Mark Millmore. Amenhotep III (Ancient Egyptian: imn-ḥtp(.w) "Amun is Satisfied"; Hellenized as Amenophis III), also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent, was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty.According to different authors, he ruled Egypt from June 1386 to 1349 BC, or from June 1388 BC to December 1351 BC/1350 BC, after his father Thutmose IV died. This could also help to explain why king Tut’s rule was so short and insignificant. While most rulers would think of invading neighbouring kingdoms to expand their territory, Akhenaten’s interests solely lied within the confines of Egypt. It should be noted that `cult' did not have the same meaning in this regard as it does in the present day. Other pharaohs would have gone to Nubia to stamp out this rebellion. The Royal Tomb at Amarna contains a prominent but unfinished side chamber that was likely intended for Nefertiti’s tomb but it was never used. Life of Tutankhamun. He moved his capital from Thebes to a place now called Tell el-Amarna or Amarna, more than 200 miles (300 km) north, on a desert bay on the east side of the Nile River. 0 0. 0 0. Akhenaten Timeline. Timeline Search. Akhenaten was the assumed name of Amenhotep IV, the son of Amenhotep III. It seems that the A… For how many years did Tutankhamun rule Egypt? 8. Akhenaten had a rule of 17 years over Egypt, but as Amenhotep IV for the first couple of years after which he changed his name. Akhenaten came to the throne of Egypt around 1353 BC. Later Egyptian historians would refer to him only as “the heretic king.”. Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten and defied tradition by establishing a new religion that believed that there is but one god; the sun god Aten. 1. C. Akhenaten D. Amenhotep III . She may have ruled briefly with Akhenaten, reigned alone in her own name or served as coregent in the early years of Tutankhamun’s reign. rule. Akhenaten’s father ruled for about forty years and his rule is believed to have been successful. 1353 BCE - c. 1336 BCE. His reign lasted for seventeen years till his death in 1336 BC or 1334 BC. The new city had many spacious villas with trees, pools, and gardens. The reign of his father, Amenhotep III, had been long and prosperous with international diplomacy largely replacing the … Akhenaten was believed to be related to King Tut. Ay (Aye) was the second last Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. He was thought to live during the 18th dynasty which was roughly 35,000 years age. The boundary texts, dated the fifth, sixth, and eighth years of his rule, describe the planned city in some detail and reveal Akhenaten’s primary intention: to construct a city dedicated to the worship of the Aton separate from already established cults. Branded a madman and a heretic, he certainly did himself no favours. We have to go back four generations to find the beginnings of the religious upheaval that was to culminate in the so-called “heresy” of Akhenaten. Not only did Horemheb try to eliminate all traces of the time in Amarna, he also tried to eliminate all traces of the rule of Tut and Ay. Under his father's rule, Egypt had become one of the most powerful and wealthy nations in the world. … Life of Egyptian queen Nefertiti. In the fifth year of his reign, the king changed his name from Amenhotep (“Amun is Pleased”) to Akhenaten, or “Servant of the Aten” thus formally declaring his new religion. Akhenaten’s Biography Born in either 1379 or 1362 BCE, Akhenaten was the 10th ruler in the 18th dynasty of Egypt. The foundation of the site was marked by sixteen ornate stelae, n… Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so. Timeline Search. But this religious and artistic renaissance was short lived; Akhenaten made himself unpopular by closing the old temples, and his lack of enthusiasm for the practical duties of kingship was detrimental to Egypt’s Imperial interests. Akhenaten Timeline. He abandoned work on a temple dedicated to Re-Harakhte and began to build a new temple to worship the sun god Aten. Ay is thought to have been of common birth. Initially given the name Amenhotep IV (David, and David 175) Akhenaten came from two different lineages; Mitanni Aryan lineage of his father Amenhotep III and his intellectual and spirited mother, Tii, who was assumed to come from the Beja or Abebdeh tribe. Unknown. In the fourth year of his reign, he changed his name to Akhenaten and created a new monotheistic religion that was devoted to a single god he named the Aten. Life of Egyptian queen Nefertiti. First, he built a temple on the perimeter of the famous Temple of Amun at Karnak during the first year of his … 1353 BCE - c. 1336 BCE. Akhenaten - meaning "living spirit of Aten" - known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV (sometimes given its Greek form, Amenophis IV, and meaning Amun is Satisfied), was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt who ruled for 17 years and died perhaps in 1336 BC or 1334 BC. Horemheb ruled for 14 years, but as he too had no male heir, he set about to select a replacement that would ensure a strong ruling family for generations to come. It was rich and confident, with soldiers and officials established in foreign countries. Amenhotep IV, Akhenaten, ruled 1352-1336 BC Amenhotep IV is better known as Akhenaten, the new name he took early on in his reign-ushered in a revolutionary period in Egyptian history. Some accounts suggest that Akhenaten was crowned somewhere in 1370 BC while others suggest that the succession to the throne was in the year 1358 BC. Letters to the king discovered in the ruins of Tell el-Amarna, known as the Amarna Letters, show the discontent of the army commanders and high commissioners in Palestine and Syria. Nine B. Eleven C. Two D. Five . Aten was the life-giving and life-sustaining power of the sun. Search Results. At the center was the god Amun of Thebes and his priests had become powerful. Queen Nefertiti (1370-c. 1330) ruled Ancient Egypt with her husband Akhenaten (aka Amenhotep IV). Source: ancient.eu. Of course foreigners, in turn, came to live in Egypt, bringing new customs and ideas. Discovering Egypt Website Established 1997. 9. Akhenaten's principal queen was Nefertiti. The religion of the Aten is not completely understood today. Also known as Amenhotep IV, Akhenaten established a new religion in Egypt and created a new capital city. Akhenaten (original pronunciation ʔxnʔtn, vowels unknown; modern pronunciation axɛnatɛn), known as Amenhotep IV at the start of his reign, was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty, especially notable for single-handedly restructuring the Egyptian religion to monotheisticly worship the Aten.He was born to Amenhotep III and his Chief Queen Tiye and was his father's younger son. Here he began to build a new city, which he called Akhetaten, “Horizon of Aten.”. Akhenaten was the son of the great Amenhotep III (1386-1353 BCE) whose reign was marked by some of the most impressive temples and monuments of the New Kingdom of Egypt (c. 1570 - c. 1069 BCE) such as his palace, his mortuary complex, the Colossi of Memnon who guarded it, and so many others that later archaeologists believed he must have ruled for an exceptionally long time to … He embarked on a revolution to turn the culture of worship in his country on its head - bringing the Egyptian Empire to the brink of disaster. How did Akhenaten Radically Change Egyptian Religion and Culture? But Akhenaten’s religion did not go much further; he promulgated his belief in the supreme sun-disc by having temples built and hymns composed—and by disfiguring the “false” gods—and that was largely that. Much has been written about Akhenaten and sun worship, but Akhenaten's religion was not that—it was an understanding of a creator deity, best represented by the rays of the sun; the intangible essence of sunlight giving and maintaining life in the world, with Akhenaten and his queen its high priests . Akhenaten encouraged artistic inventiveness and realism and the walls of the temples and houses were painted in an eccentric new style. ( Public Domain ) History Behind the Heresy of Akhenaten . Most other rulers went on some military expedition during their reign, and there's no evidence that Akhenaten ever accompanied the army on any expedition. We do know about Akhenaten, in fact, probably quite a bit more than the ancient Egyptians who lived even just a few generations after the monotheist's rule. It seems likely that he was born in or around Akhmin (known to the Egyptians as Ipu, or Khent-min and the Greeks as Khemmis or Panopolis), the capital of the ninth nome of Upper Egypt. Akhenaten - meaning "living spirit of Aten" - known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV (sometimes given its Greek form, Amenophis IV, and meaning Amun is Satisfied), was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt who ruled for 17 years and died perhaps in 1336 BC or 1334 BC. He also became estranged from Nefertiti. From the temple of Aton, Karnak, Egypt, Sandstone. Nefertiti became one of the most recognizable female figures from the ancient world after a portrait bust of her was found in the 20th century and brought to Berlin. Therefore, the rule of the female Amarna pharaoh known as Neferneferuaten must be placed between the death of Akhenaten and the accession of Tutankhamun. He may have been the son of Yuya, a respected official who held many offices including; priest of Min, “Master of the Horse” (charioteer) and “Overseer of the herds of Akhmin… At the beginning of his reign, the young pharaoh, Amenhotep IV, still worshiped the old gods, especially Amun of Thebes and the sun god, Re-Harakhte. Reign of Akhenaten, Tutankhamun's father, 'Heretic King' of Egypt. Under King Akhenaten’s rule, Egypt moved to worship a single sun god, Aten, thus forming Atenism. Either way, Akhenaten took over as pharaoh around the year 1353 BC when his father died. To some, Akhenaten was the first Monotheist who may have been inspired by Joseph or Moses. For the first time, researchers were able to reproduce 3D models of some of its buildings. Akhenaten and Monotheism Akhenaten • yet we do know about Akhenaten! Akhenaten - Akhenaten - Move to Akhetaton: In the fifth year of his reign, the king changed his name from Amenhotep (“Amon Is Content”) to Akhenaten (“Beneficial to Aton”). When Akhenaten died, he was succeeded briefly by Smenkhkare, his favorite, and then by Tutankhaten who change his name to Tutankhamun, dropping the Aten and embracing Amun. After Akhenaten’s death, a female pharaoh named Neferneferuaten ruled over ancient Egypt for two years. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. He is also known as `Akhenaton’ or `Ikhnaton’ and also `Khuenaten’, all of which are translated to mean `successful for’ or `of great use to’ the god Aten. Answer for question: Your name: Answers. Eventually, dissatisfied priests and civil officials combined with the army to discredit the new religion. By the time Akhenaten took the throne, his family had been ruling Egypt for nearly two hundred years and had established a huge empire dominating Palestine, Phoenicia, and Nubia. 10. It is thought by some that Nefertiti did this because Tutankhamun was too young to become pharaoh. Step Five was fully realized by the early … Guests include Kate Spence, Richard Parkinson and Elizabeth Frood. Akhenaten was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the Eighteenth Dynasty of the New Kingdom period of Ancient Egypt. Pharaoh Akhenaten imposed a single religion, based on the worship of the sun disk “Aten,” and built a new capital city, Amarna, using entirely new architectural techniques. He began his reign under the name Amenhotep IV (“Amun is satisfied”). As the son of Amenhotep III, he inherited a prosperous and peaceful nation. Thebes was well established as the city of Amen, and Akhenaten claimed that his god required a capital built on virgin land. Some people think that this was also Nefertiti. Akhenaten’s artistic and religious reforms were radical indeed, but they were not the most consequential aspect of his plan. read more. Father: Amenhotep III (1390-1352 BC) Mother: Queen Tiy There have been theories that Akhenaten shared the throne with his father Amenhotep III for a time. Akhenaten was an intellectual and philosophical revolutionary who had the power and wealth to indulge his ideas. The idea that Akhenaten co-ruled with his father has, however, been questioned by many, most notably Dr. Redford (Redford, 1967, cited in Aldred, 1988). Akhenaten, also spelled Akhenaton, Akhnaton, or Ikhnaton, also called Amenhotep IV, Greek Amenophis, king (1353–36 bce) of ancient Egypt of the 18th dynasty, who established a new cult dedicated to the Aton, the sun’s disk (hence his assumed name, Akhenaten, meaning “beneficial to … His … 1353-1335 BCE. Nefertiti, queen of Egypt and wife of King Akhenaton, who played a prominent role in the cult of the sun god known as the Aton. These works are unique in Egyptian art, as they do not flatter the king and his family but reveal them as real people, in all their beauty and decay. Read more. He was the second son to the Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Positive: 50 %. Akhenaten was succeeded by his 9-year old son, Tutankhamun. The royal tomb intended for Akhenaten at Amarna did not contain a royal burial, which prompts the question of what happened to the body. Amenhotep IV, Akhenaten, ruled 1352-1336 BC Amenhotep IV is better known as Akhenaten, the new name he took early on in his reign-ushered in a revolutionary period in Egyptian history. . By the time Akhenaten took the throne, his family had been ruling Egypt for nearly two hundred years and had established a huge empire dominating Palestine, Phoenicia, and Nubia. How would you describe Tut's tomb? c. 1370 BCE - c. 1336 BCE. It should be noted that `cult' did not have the same meaning in this regard as it does in the present day. Source: ancient.eu. The local princes, who had been loyal to Egypt, no longer saw any advantage in trading with Egypt. Whatever the case may be, this durbar marked the beginning of the end of the reign of the "heretic king." It took generations of pharaohs – his son Tutankhamun, the former general Horemheb, and Rameses the Great among them – to repair the damage caused by Akhenaten’s radical rule. However, in around 1332 BC, Tutankhamun became pharaoh at eight or nine years of age. In the years following the event, the situation at Akhetaten rapidly disintegrated. The imperial elegance of Egypt was supreme. During their rule, Egypt ruled an empire that stretched from Syria, in west Asia, to the fourth cataract of the Nile River in modern-day Sudan.At the site of Akhenaten’s new capital about 350 tablets known as the “Amarna letters” were uncovered in 1887, showing the diplomatic correspondence between Akhenaten, his fellow kings in west Asia, as well as those of v… The date of his succession to the throne is not known with certainty and varies between 1370 BC and 1358 BC. Surviving documents show that Akhenaten paid little attention to the army and navy, foreign trade began to fall off, and internal taxes began to disappear into the pockets of local officials. Likewise, when did Akhenaten marry Nefertiti? Akhenaten seems to have ruled with Smenkhkare until Akhenaten’s death in his 17th regnal year, when he was presumably buried in the royal tomb at Akhetaton; Smenkhkare then seems to have had an independent rule of perhaps three years, although Smenkhkare’s biographical and regnal details remain unclear. The young prince and future king grew up in this new and changing Egypt. He is famous for changing the traditional religion of Egypt from the worship of many gods to the worship of a single god named Aten. At Karnak, Akhenaten constructed a series of Jubilee buildings with talatat, small stone blocks that became a signature of his reign. How to solve: Where did Akhenaten rule? In the fifth year of this reign, the pharaoh announced his intention to move the entire Egyptian court to a city he called “Akhetaten”, or “The Horizon of the Aten”, located at Tell el-Amarna in Middle Egypt. c. 1350 BCE. Akhenaten chose this name for himself after his conversion to the cult of Aten. Predynastic Period(Prior to 3100 BCE) 2. Akhenaten (ca. Akhenaten’s institution of monotheism throughout 14 th century BCE Africa, though brief and quickly overturned, bears striking similarities to the three Abrahamic religions of today. Akhenaten (r. 1353-1336 BCE) was a pharaoh of Egypt of the 18th Dynasty. Find out more about how the BBC is covering the. It was his intention to have his rule begin at the time of Tutankhamun's rule. What kingdom did akhenaten rule? Queen Nefertiti, famous from her portrait bust, is thought to have been an Asian princess from Mitanni. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. He closed all the temples to the old gods and obliterated their names from monuments. There is some evidence that at the urging of Tiy, the queen mother, Akhenaten made compromises to placate the different factions growing within Egyptian society. Tutankhamun eventually returned Egypt to its traditional values and Akhenaten’s memory was erased. By signing up, you'll get thousands of step-by-step solutions to your homework questions. The city of Akhenaten was abandoned and the court returned to Thebes. Pharaoh Akhenaten’s Early Years Of Reign. His sudden death resulted in Akhet–Aten being abandoned almost immediately. To use the materials on this site please eMail me and ask permission. Akhenaten, 18th Dynasty, ca. In any case, her time on the throne lasted just a few years. The body of Akhenaten is further altered as his posture is much more fluid than had previously been seen in Egyptian art. Late in his third year of rule, however, he took the extraordinary step of celebrating a Jubilee Festival, a ritual renewal of kingship usually held after 30 years on the throne. One of the most mysterious and powerful women in ancient Egypt, Nefertiti was queen alongside Pharaoh Akhenaten from 1353 to 1336 B.C. Others have had plenty to say about the king, who ruled from around 1353 B.C. However, it does appear Akhenaten did turn his world of Egypt on its head when he lived. We do know that Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti worshipped only the sun god, and the names of other gods and goddesses were removed from view. Voyage to the Divine Union Feast for MAC and Windows FREE, Karnak Great Court for MAC and Windows FREE, http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/ioth/ioth_20091001-0900a.mp3, Who else might be in Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s Tomb, Women of Power and Influence in Ancient Egypt. Birth of Ankhsenamun, daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, wife of Tutankhamun. Akhenaten ruled for 17 years. However, the ancient Egyptians were a deeply religious people who loved their ancient traditions and were not ready to embrace such radical changes. Birth of Ankhsenamun, daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, wife of Tutankhamun. The Aten was not new to the rule of Akhenaten and, prior to his conversion, was simply another cult among the many in ancient Egypt. It was in Thebes that the pharaoh was crowned as the new ruler, but the date of his succession is not certain. A century before, Thutmose III had swept all before him, conquering the Middle East and Nubia and establishing a military priesthood which now controlled the empire. The end of Akhenaten's reign is cloaked in confusion—a scene acted out behind closed curtains. Akhenaten • the most important ruler of the 19th Dynasty was Ramses II • during this period, El-Amarna was abandoned and later destroyed – official purge of the memory of Akhenaten – it’s hard even to find hints of Akhenaten’s religion in later Egyptian culture. Unlike the old gods, he had no carved image hidden in a dark room deep within a temple, but was worshiped out in the light of day. What was found with Tutankhamun's body? Egyptian history is broken into several different periods according to the dynasty of the ruling pharaoh. Both during and after his reign, Akhenaten was despised. Illustrated Papyri translations edited for the modern reader. Akhenaten (“He who is of service to the Aten” or “Effective Spirit of Aten”) is one of the most famous pharaohs of ancient Egypt, despite the attempts of later rulers to omit him from the lists of kings. Akhenaten, colossus at Karnak Protodynastic Period(Approximately 3100 - 3000 BC) 3. Akhenaten has been described as a visionary who cut through the formality of Egyptian religion to establish a connection with one God, the Aten. At the height of the 18 th Dynasty, the eldest son of King Amenhotep III, Crown Prince Tuthmosis died unpredictably, making his younger brother Akhenaten - who at the time still had his original name, Amenhotep IV - next in line for the throne. This means that Nefertiti was alive in the second to last year of Akhenaten's reign, and demonstrates that Akhenaten still ruled alone, with his wife by his side. Akhenaten, in fact, built a new capital that he dedicated to Aten in Amarna, Egypt. However, it is by no means as simple as that. Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Pharaoh Akhenaten. Search Results. The city of Akhetaten was abandoned, after being occupied for only 20 years. Ol… Some accounts suggest that Akhenaten was crowned somewhere in 1370 BC while others suggest that the succession to the throne was in the year 1358 … Ancient Egyptian History: Originally born Amenhotep III, Akhenaten is one of the most controversial figures in ancient Egyptian history. and may have ruled the New Kingdom outright after her husband's death. Until recently Akhenaten’s subjects seemed to be the only people who hadn’t weighed in on his legacy. He constructed a chapel to Min(the patron of Akhmin) in the vicinity of the city, adding weight to this theory. However, within a few years there were changes. After his father's death, however, he initiated drastic changes in his state. Amenhotep IV was pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt. c. 1370 BCE - c. 1336 BCE. Prior to this conversion, he was known as Amenhotep IV (or Amenophis IV). His temples were outdoors, meant to be hit by the sun. In the fifth year of his reign, Akhenaten rejected the traditional religion in favour of worshiping the Aten, or sun disc, after whom he renamed himself. Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and their children. Akhenaten’s unorthodox rule came to an abrupt end when he died what was believed to be 16 years into his rule. The Hittites from the north began to make gains and this led to a general disintegration of the empire. Nefertiti’s name was expanded to Neferneferuaten (“Beautiful Is the Beauty of Aton”)-Nefertiti. The Aten was not new to the rule of Akhenaten and, prior to his conversion, was simply another cult among the many in ancient Egypt.