In a move to further distance he created a new capital at Akhenaton now known as el-Armana. Akhenaten died either in 1336 BC or 1334 BC. Akhenaten – meaning “living spirit of Aten. Over time, this representation was replaced by images of the royal family, which was always receiving sacred emanations from the solar disk. Later Egyptian historians would refer to him only as “the heretic king.” Akhenaten - Akhenaten - Religion of the Aton: The religious tenets Akhenaten espoused in his worship of the Aton are not spelled out in detail anywhere. Tutankhamun eventually returned Egypt to its traditional values and Akhenaten’s memory was erased. How did Akhenaten die? In the beginning, the sun god Aten was represented with a human body and a hawk’s head. 6. As the only one with access to the god, Akhenaten established himself as a god-king and became the first king to be called Pharoah. In 1352 BC. While there is no record of his death nor have any material remains from his burial as yet come to light, it is safe to assume he died in middle age. 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. The king most likely died during his 17th regnal year, as this is the highest date attested for him. During his reign the city of Akhetaten was abandoned and Amun and the other gods were reinstated. 3. But uncertainties surround his demise. First, Akhenaten’s cause of death is unknown largely because it is unclear whether his remains have ever been located. His co-regent and successor Smenkhare, died after a short reign and power passed to the boy king, Tutankhamun (originally Tutankhaten). 4. Since archaeologist Howard Carter discovered King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, mysteries have surrounded the final resting place of the boy-king – and exactly how he got there at an early age. New Capital at el-Armana. Akhenaten: Akhenaten was an Egyptian pharaoh who lived in the 14th century BC. Born Amunhotep (IV), Akhenaten ruled Egypt for a mere fourteen years (ca. 5. Nefertiti and Akhenaten. Scholars have cast about any number of theories, but his ultimate cause of death remains uncertain. Akhenaten ascended the throne after his father died. It was never determined how the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten died. Nefertiti disappears from the historical record around the 12th year of Akhenaten’s 17-year reign. Akhenaten promoted himself and his wife to the position of living gods. Did his friends and family get away with murder? However, it is thought that he may have had some type of disease or illness. Pharaoh Akhenaten died in his seventeenth year on the throne and his reforms did not survive for much longer. The end of Akhenaten’s reign is murky. His co-regent Smenkhkare, about whom we … Nefertiti As a Possible Ruler . They must be reconstructed largely from the iconography of the temple reliefs and stelae that depict him with his deity and from the one lengthy religious text from Tell el-Amarna, the Aton Hymn, preserved in several of the private tombs. What put Tut in that tomb? 1352-1338 BCE), a relatively short reign by the standards of the day. Akhenaten died in his seventeenth year on the throne and his reforms did not survive for long in his absence. Early on in his reign he was known as Amenhotep IV, but he changed his name to Akhenaten to reflect his close link with the new supreme deity of his making.