Akhenaten was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled for 17 years in the 18th dynasty. Akhenaten was the son of the pharaoh Amenhotep III. His wife was Queen Nefertiti and his son was the famous Tutankhamen who he had from a lesser wife. He was originally known as Amenhotep IV before the 5th year of his reign when he changed Egypt's religious policies and became the first known monotheistic ruler in history. Before this religious revolution Akhenaten followed the policies of his father Amenhotep III and his predecessors. However in the fifth year of his reign he underwent a dramatic religious transformation, changing his cult worship of the god Amun to that of Aten, the obscure sun god who existed during the time. This change led to him being labelled a heretic king, as his officials and citizens did not agree with his policies. This also led to him being omitted off the list of Egypt's pharaohs. He was unknown in Egyptian history until the discovery of Amarna in the 19th Century. Amarna is an archeological site that represents the remains of the city Akhenaten created during his reign which was left abandoned after his death. Many historical perspectives which will be included in this site argue that Akhenaten rule was a failure, agreeing with the statement above. In this website I will be arguing how Akhenaten rule was a "complete failure" and why he was unknown in Egyptian history until the discovery and excavation of his capital.
This website was created Priya Upadhyaya for a Year 12 Ancient History Assessment