Akhenaten's religious reforms led him to being despised and labelled a 'heretic king'. His worship of the one god Aten led to religious turmoil, especially in relation to the god Amun who was a more popular cult. Reasons why Akhenaten may have converted Egypt to a monotheistic rule was due to the power of the Amun cult being similar to that of the pharaoh himself which may of threatened his power. However his religious reforms prevented ancient Egyptians from worshipping other gods which would have been detrimental to them maintaining Maat within the empire, which would result in Egypt questioning the actions of their Pharaoh. This highlights another reason why Akhenaten's rule could be seen as a "complete failure" as he was unable to hold the trust of his subjects. This can be also viewed in how our information on Akhenaten his limited as his name was erased in history by his own people, and his new capital of Akhenaten was deserted. His religious policies were deserted after his death and the Amun cult which threatened his position arose again through the actions of his son Tutankhamen.
Ruins of El-Amarna - House of Ranefer
(The city/capital is located at El Amarna today. The site was rediscovered in 1887 when a woman digging for sebakh discovered a cache of over 300 cuneiform tablets (the Amarna Letters). The city was abandoned after Akhenaten's death and was only occupied for 20-25 years).
An important example of Akhenaten's religious reformations and the appeasing the god Aten was the construction of the new capital 'Horizon of the Aten'. Akhenaten decided the worship of Aten needed a place uncontaminated by the worship of other gods, in particular Amun. He chose a site in Middle Kingdom Egypt to create this grand capital.
Nancy Parker writes: The radical changes Akhenhaten implemented were advanced for the 1300s BCE. Egypt was not ready to follow a single deity and the removal of gods could have been the kindling that started a whirl of resentment. In the aftermath, much of the period was destroyed by both supporters of Aten and the old gods in an attempt to erase the other. Unfortunately, we may never fully grasp what had happened to this ancient pharaoh.
Cyril Aldred: Aldred has speculated that monotheism was Akhenaten's own idea, the result of regarding Aten as a self-created heavenly king whose son, the pharaoh, was also unique.
With religious reforms also came new ways of representing himself during his reign in Amarna art. Despite Akhenaten thoroughly proving his association to the sun god Aten, as the only vessel between him and god, he did not represent himself as a godly figure in Amarna art.
Early in his reign Akhenaten used art as a way of emphasising his intention of doing things very differently. Colossi and wall-reliefs from the Karnak Aten Temple are highly exaggerated and almost grotesque when viewed in the context of the formality and restraint which had characterised Egyptian royal and elite art for the millennium preceding Akhenaten's birth. - Dr Kate Spence
Although all this effort became useless as his religious policies were dropped shortly after his death. He had failed to make a change in Egypt. This can be tied back to the statement of his rule being a "complete failure" as he failed to make any significant change and was branded a heretic by his own people.
(The city/capital is located at El Amarna today. The site was rediscovered in 1887 when a woman digging for sebakh discovered a cache of over 300 cuneiform tablets (the Amarna Letters). The city was abandoned after Akhenaten's death and was only occupied for 20-25 years).
An important example of Akhenaten's religious reformations and the appeasing the god Aten was the construction of the new capital 'Horizon of the Aten'. Akhenaten decided the worship of Aten needed a place uncontaminated by the worship of other gods, in particular Amun. He chose a site in Middle Kingdom Egypt to create this grand capital.
Nancy Parker writes: The radical changes Akhenhaten implemented were advanced for the 1300s BCE. Egypt was not ready to follow a single deity and the removal of gods could have been the kindling that started a whirl of resentment. In the aftermath, much of the period was destroyed by both supporters of Aten and the old gods in an attempt to erase the other. Unfortunately, we may never fully grasp what had happened to this ancient pharaoh.
Cyril Aldred: Aldred has speculated that monotheism was Akhenaten's own idea, the result of regarding Aten as a self-created heavenly king whose son, the pharaoh, was also unique.
With religious reforms also came new ways of representing himself during his reign in Amarna art. Despite Akhenaten thoroughly proving his association to the sun god Aten, as the only vessel between him and god, he did not represent himself as a godly figure in Amarna art.
Early in his reign Akhenaten used art as a way of emphasising his intention of doing things very differently. Colossi and wall-reliefs from the Karnak Aten Temple are highly exaggerated and almost grotesque when viewed in the context of the formality and restraint which had characterised Egyptian royal and elite art for the millennium preceding Akhenaten's birth. - Dr Kate Spence
Although all this effort became useless as his religious policies were dropped shortly after his death. He had failed to make a change in Egypt. This can be tied back to the statement of his rule being a "complete failure" as he failed to make any significant change and was branded a heretic by his own people.