In the Shadow of a Heretic: The Story of the Power Hungry King Akhenaten in a Time Known as the Amarna Interlude

By Jeff Jackson Jeff Jackson, 2011 Jeff is a Toledo native who joined the U.S. Navy right out of high school. He is currently a member of the Ohio Air National Guard. He has had a lifelong interest in history especially the history of Ancient Egypt. He hopes to pursue an M.A. in History after his graduation from Lourdes College as a history major in May 2011. Et Ti el Amarna known today as Tell el Amarna is a place located in Egypt at the center point between the Mediterranean Sea and the First Cataract of the Nile River.1 It is west of the Eastern Desert and is situated on the eastern side of the Nile River.2 It was here that a legend was born which has been debated ever since. This place probably has little to no meaning to the average person in modern times. However, to historians, theologians, Egyptologists, even psychotherapists, Tell el Amarna is a location that over the last 200 years has brought a torrent of controversy to the academic world. A chain of events took place approximately 2,500 years ago at Tell el Amarna that rocked Ancient Egypt to its core. This chain of events is known today as the Amarna Heresy and it was led by a heretical, despotic and egomaniacal pharaoh known as Akhenaten. What was the Amarna Heresy and who exactly was this despot known as Akhenaten? There are many theories concerning Akhenaten that have developed over the past 200 years or so. Many researchers from a plethora of different backgrounds have tried to tell Akhenatens story. From what historians can ascertain, Akhenaten was a heretical Egyptian king who led a massive religious and cultural revolution (or some might say reformation) in the Eighteenth Dynasty during the period of Ancient Egypts New Kingdom (c. 1352-1336 B.C.E.).3 Up until the twentieth century and even for some until today, it was Akhenatens revolutionary changes that brought about the first belief in monotheism. During his reign, Akhenaten made massive

changes to Egyptian religious beliefs, artwork, and cultural attitudes. These changes were so radical that pharaohs who followed after Akhenaten attempted to erase him from history by destroying his temples and monuments. In fact, there is not a single mention or listing of Akhenaten in any of recorded histories provided from antiquity. The only other possible references to Akhenaten from ancient times were made by a Ptolemaic Egyptian priest named Manetho in the third century B.C.E. and the Geek historian Herodotus who lived in the fifth century B.C.E. Manetho mentioned in his writings about a king who moved 80,000 people to live in a city in the middle of the desert just east of the Nile River that would later be abandoned by later Egyptian dynasties. Herodotus mentions in his work Histories, a despotic Egyptian king who closed all the temples of the Egyptian gods and made all of the people work for him.4 But neither of these ancient writers mentioned Akhenaten by name. The deeds recorded could be of anyone. Scholars attribute the references in these works to Akhenaten because of the actions done by the king mentioned seem to depict his behavior. It is precisely in this methodology where the problems lay. Historians try to fill in the blanks as they see fit. Many people have told the story of Akhenaten by filling in the blanks through the cultural experiences of their own time. Since there is no historical record of the Amarna Period, the only evidence we have of this time comes from facts and observations obtained from the archaeology done at Tell el Amarna. The many theories concerning Akhenaten and the Amarna Heresy must be traced, weighed and quantified against the multitude of archaeological data that has accumulated over the past two centuries. Over the centuries many individuals had visited Tell el Amarna either to explore the ruins or to search for treasure. Serious work was not done until the late eighteenth century when Jean Franois Champollion deciphered the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs on the Rosetta Stone. Once this occurred, many

others learned the language of Ancient Egypt and better attempts were made at learning what actually happened during the Amarna Period. One of the most influential people in western scholarship who made this attempt was an English traveler and antiquarian, John Gardner Wilkinson (1797-1875). He was an astute scholar whose observations culminated in a work entitled The Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians (1836). His book was the most influential one of its era and expressed Victorian views on Ancient Egypt. Wilkinson was the first to mention how the Ancient Egyptians of the Amarna period had a significant change in their religious views. He argued how the representation and worship of the sun differed from the main stream religious views of Ancient Egypt, and the artwork of the time period was so dissimilar to the norm that Egyptians of the Amarna Period must have been of a foreign origin. In his work, Wilkinson, also wrote that the names of the kings found at Amarna perhaps belonged to a dynasty of shepherd kings.5 He was unable or unwilling to provide an explanation about the origin of these foreign shepherd kings ruling Amarna. Wilkinson opened up a Pandoras Box of speculation which led to one the most absurd theories surrounding the Amarna period. Namely his use accounts of the Amarna Period to confirm the Book of Exodus in the Bible as historical fact. During the 1850s, many scholars and amateur historians were concerned with the new discoveries in Egypt and the legitimacy of the Bible. One individual in particular was an amateur Egyptologist and staunch anti-Catholic named William Osburn. Between the years 1851 and 1854, Osburn wrote several books on Ancient Egypt and used Wilkinson as his main source of information. Each one of his works attempted to show how the archaeology of Ancient Egypt proved the historicity of the Hebrew Bible. Some of his works include: The Antiquities of Egypt; Ancient Egypt, Her Testimony to the Truth of the Bible; Israel in Egypt, Books of Genesis and

Exodus illustrated by Existing Monuments. In these works, Osburn, painted a picture of the relationship between Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti as the perfect marriage which had to be divinely inspired. Osburns works were well-received by the general public and acquired a favored status especially among the English who saw his work on Akhenaten as a defense of the progression of monotheism from polytheism, and an example of one who lived a pious family life. His works would bear a heavy influence on one particular Englishman, Sir William Mathew Flinders Petrie (1853-1942).6 Petrie is considered by most to be the father of modern Egyptology and his work on Ancient Egypt remains respected by scholars to this day. He forever changed how scholars approached Egyptology. Petrie excavated at Amarna between November 1891 and March 1892. His essays about Amarna were published in books that were sponsored by the Religious Tract Society. Other scholars like Reverend S. Manning, in his work The Land of the Pharaohs Drawn with Pen and Pencil in 1897 used Petries research to discuss how archaeology confirmed the Bibles historicity. This action brought Petrie much notoriety and support. According to Petrie, he viewed Akhenaten as a highly enlightened being who was living in truth. Petrie had unbounded admiration for Akhenaten. He saw Akhenaten as an innovator, idealist, religious reformer and pacifist. Petrie believed Akhenatens ethics were above reproach and not typical of the average Egyptian king. As Petrie described him, His affection is the truth, and as the truth he proclaims it. Here is a revolution in ideas! No king of Egypt, nor of any other part of the world, has ever carried out his honesty of expression so openly Thus in every line Akhenaten stands out as perhaps the most original thinker that ever lived in Egypt, and one of the great idealists of the world. Not only was Petries interpretation of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs plagued with his cultural illusions, so was his interpretation of the artwork. By studying the

Amarna reliefs and statues, Petrie determined that the wife of AmenHotep III, the father of Akhenaten, was ethnically Mesopotamian in origin. He stated that this was because of the odd facial features of Akhenaten which were inherited as a direct result of having an Asiatic mother. Petries analysis of Amarna influenced a whole generation of scholars, especially American born Egyptologist, James Henry Breasted.7 Breasted was one of the most notable pupils of the Berlin School of Archaeology under German archaeologist Adolf Erman. His classical study of Akhenatens reign can be summed up in these words: there died with him such a spirit as the world had never seen before a brave soul, undauntedly facing the momentum of immemorial tradition, and thereby stepping out from the long line of conventional and colourless Pharaohs, that he might disseminate ideas far beyond and above the capacity of his age to understand. Among the Hebrews, seven or eight hundred years later, we look for such men; but the modern world has yet adequately to value or even acquaint itself with this man who, in an age so remote and under conditions so adverse, became not only the worlds first idealist and the worlds first individual, but also the earliest monotheist, and the first prophet of internationalism the most remarkable figure of the Ancient World before the Hebrews.8 By now, the links between Amarna and the Bible were built solidly throughout the academic world. Even Sigmund Freud (1856 1939), the renowned pioneer of psychotherapy, was quoted as saying that he believed Akhenaten was the mentor of Moses and the originator of Jewish monotheism. However, Freud had his own interpretations of Amarna artwork; he believed that Akhenaten suffered from an array of mental illnesses including the Oedipus complex. His diagnosis was made by the odd appearance of Akhenatens features plus his understanding of Ancient Egyptian marriage arrangements.9 Freuds major work on this subject was entitled Moses and Monotheism (1939). This work was a result of his deeply emotional and intellectual battle against anti-Semitism that was being perpetrated by Fascists on a global scale. In it Freud credits the Amarna Period as the 5

source of our moral heritage. He even went as far as attributing the well known stele called a Hymn to Aten as a tribute by the Hebrew people to Egypt for the gift of monotheism. Unfortunately for Freud his only sources for his argument came from secondary sources (such as A History of Egypt) already supporting this belief. Believing the Amarna Period and Akhenaten to be the precursors to Moses and a western moral legacy is a vain and un-intellectual attempt to somehow redeem Jewish peoples in the minds of westerners.10 Regrettably during much of the first one-hundred years of Amarnas excavation in the 1920s and 1930s, there were many fascist theories being published about Akhenatens time period that were false. This would include fascists views of the Amarna Period and racist views of Akhenaten. Periodicals published in Germany from the 1920s-1930s by an organization who went by the name of Die Schonheit embraced a fascist view of Akhenaten and his religion as nude sun worship. This was due to a very inaccurate interpretation of the Amarna period artwork. Many people in Germany who supported this view saw pictures of Amarna inscriptions detailing Akhenatens half nude body with his arms stretched toward the sun. To them, this looked like sun and nature worship. Richard Ungewitter, a nudist and racial hygienist, and a distributor and writer for Die Schonheit was himself an ardent supporter of these fascist views. He wrote on how the Jews were an infestation on the Aryan body politic. Ungewitter believed that Akhenaten was from an Aryan aristocratic race that had mixed with Semitic races. He even went as far as creating pseudo-genealogies in order to prove his theory and make Akhenaten part Aryan. This concoction of his fit since many of the Aryan races did have sun and nature worship. There were many others in Germany who sympathized with Nazi propaganda at this time and followed the same morbid logic.

Fascists views supporting a lost civilization of a white Aryan race (instead of a Semitic one) influencing the Amarna period have no basis in reality nor did they conjure any support from the academic arena and quickly died out. Racist views are altogether a bogus concoction. Some approaches to a racist view still survive today. 11 At first the racist view was an attempt to prove the inferiority of black Africans. Many believed throughout the late 18th through the 19th centuries that it was absolutely impossible for a black civilization to create a viable, moral and ethical society. Through the 20th and finally in the 21st centuries, many of these assumptions were discredited by genetic studies done by scientists on mummified remains proving that black Africans did play a major role in the development of Ancient Egypt. Racism today has taken a 180 degree turn. There are some people who now argue that the entire 3000 years Ancient Egyptian civilization was solely constructed by that of black Africans. Modern genetic testing and DNA samples taken from a multitude of sources dispute this claim. The one thing modern scientists can agree on is that the ancient Egyptians were an amalgam of many different races and ethnic backgrounds. It is ones own vanity to instill any modern or postmodern views of racism upon a civilization whose culture is still very alien to western ideas. The same can be said of any monotheistic connections made between western religions and the Amarna period. Still even today many western scholars propose this antiquated theory and it is accepted as gospel among religious zealots wishing to establish Akhenaten and the Amarna Period as the major influence for the belief in a single god. Any connection between monotheism or a belief in the Hebrew god Yahweh and Akhenaten can be easily dismissed by interpreting primary source inscriptions of the Amarna Period. One such inscription, seen in Figure 1, is at a temple built by AmenHotep III

(c. 1408-1372) in Soleb. It was a temple built in honor of the Egyptian god Amen and bears the inscription of Yahweh.12 It is referred to as the Soleb inscription.

Figure 113

the land of the Sashuthe tribes of Yhw.

It is still in debate who exactly the Shasu were. Some link them to the Edomites and others believe them to be the Bedouins. The word Shasu in Ancient Egyptian can be interpreted as wanderer in the English language. But a more accurate interpretation is those who wandered on foot.14 This actually can refer to anyone. However, it really does not matter to whom the inscription is referring. Everyone can agree that AmenHotep III ruled before AmenHotep IV (Akhenaten). The fact of the matter is that there were a people who already worshipped Yahweh in the region long before Akhenatens iconoclastic reformation. If the belief in the Hebraic god Yahweh was not influence by Akhenaten, did the Ancient Hebrews influence 8

Akhenatens belief in Aten as the sole Egyptian deity? The answer to this is no. The two religions have absolutely nothing in common. The truth behind Akhenatens story can only be told by accurately reading the surviving primary sources of the time period through an Ancient Egyptian perspective and not a modern western one. Akhenatens rule was marked by religious upheaval but it had nothing to do with anything outside of already existing Egyptian beliefs during his time. The foundation for Akhenatens religious revolution actually took root many generations before he was even born. It was a power struggle between the worshippers of the sun disc cult of Iunu (an Ancient Egyptian city known to historians by its Greek name Heliopolis) and the powerful Amen cult of Waset (an Ancient Egyptian city known to historians by its Geek name Thebes). It would appear religious beliefs were not the driving force behind the conflict surrounding Akhenatens story. In fact, the two cults had lived side by side in peace for some time. The real story was that it was more or less a grab for political power. The sun disc cult worship, first of the two cults, began in Ancient Egypts early Dynastic period around 3100-2686 B.C.E. This period was the beginning of the unification of Ancient Egypt. Many Gods were worshipped at this time. The prominent god was Ra, the sun god. Ra was the manifestation of the sun and his name was fused with many other gods. This is what scholars call syncretism, where two known gods are fused so creating a new one. An example of this is when worshippers of Atum, Heliopolian god who created the universe, combined their belief with the worship of Ra and formed the combined god Atum-Ra. Early kings of the first Dynasty known as the Horus kings brought about the worship of a combined deity RaHorakhty. This was an amalgamation of the sun god Ra and the god of the horizon Horus. Around 2600 B.C.E., during Ancient Egypts old kingdom period, the first temple at Heliopolis

(translation means city of the sun) was dedicated to the new role of this manifestation of sun disc worship. Over time Sun disc worship infiltrated all aspects of religion. Many pharaohs included the title of son of Ra in their titles.15 Akhenatens worship of Aten is another manifestation of sun disc worship. This belief was a syncretism of Ra and Aten. It was not created by Akhenaten as many scholars would like to believe. Instead it evolved over time. Aten was originally a local god worshipped in Heliopolis who grew in popularity during the New Kingdom Period of Ancient Egypt. The earliest literary text known mentioning Aten as a solar deity comes from a 12th Dynasty pharaoh known as Ammenemes I. It is known as the Tale of Sinuhe. The tale describes the ultimate integration between Ammenemes I and the solar disc god Aten. The first inscriptions of Aten in the form of a sun disc with outstretching rays of light emerged during the reign of AmenHotep II (1427-1400 B.C.E.). But it wasnt until the reign of AmenHotep III (1390-1352 B.C.E.) that Aten was propelled into the status of being a major deity.16 This was in fact due to his wife Tiys influence.17 The Amen cult developed much later that the sun disc cults. Amen was initially a local god worshipped in Waset during Ancient Egypts 11th Dynasty. The rise of the Pharaohs from Waset, particularly Pharaoh MentuHotep II (2055-2004 B.C.E.), elevated Amen to the status of a major deity. One of the first inscriptions of Amens elevated status is at the temple of Senusret I (r. 1965-1920) where Amen is referred to as the king of the gods. Many Ancient Egyptians combined other gods with Amen. For example, the god Ra and became Amen-Ra or Kamutef became Amen-Kamutef. Pharaohs of this time period also adopted son of Amen-Ra into their titles.18 With all of their success the Amen cult did not dominate the countrys political and religious organizations. The Amen cults chief rival was still the ancient sun disc cults of Iunu.

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This is probably why the concept of Amen-Ra (the solar manifestation of Amen) came into being. It was an attempt to unite the two theological rivals under one banner. However, this attempt would be in vain. Political tension between the two competing cults came to a head during the reign of the Pharaoh Hatshepsut (1472-1458 B.C.E.). It was at this time the seeds of Akhenatens revolution were sown.19 The conflict began with pharaoh Tuthmoses II (1492-1479 B.C.E.). He had no male offspring with his wife Hatshepsut and when he died only seven years into his reign the throne of Ancient Egypt was left vacant. The title of kingship would not be passed to the queen (Hatshepsut) but to a child of his less significant wife named Isis. The childs name was Tuthmoses III. He was just an infant and too young to assume control of the throne. Greedy for power, Hatshepsut made her move for control of Ancient Egypts throne. The details concerning her rise to power are obscure. But one thing is certain; she could not have done it on her own, especially being a female in Ancient Egypt. She received support from powerful government officials and also won the support of members of the Amen cult who might have seen this as an opportunity to vie for political power over their long time rival the sun disc cult. Hatshepsut took the throne of Ancient Egypt and began portraying herself as a man. Her chief vizier was none other than a high priest named Hapuseneb. He continued to maintain support from the Amen cult by establishing the Opet festival and building an elaborate temple at Karnak. This brought Hatshepsut even more powerful allies such as the grand steward of Amen. He was Senmut, who many historians believe, would later became Hatshepsuts lover.20 During Hatshepsuts reign, the Amen cults power was firmly in place. Other cults like the worshippers of the sun disc deities (RaHorakty, Atum, Aten, etc.) flourished, too. Ancient Egypt saw a prosperous time with little to no conflicts. The consequence of Hatshepsuts actions

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was the weakening of kingship power and its interdependence on the Amen cult. With the Amen cult having a heavy influence in making political decisions, much of the riches that Ancient Egypt acquired at this time fell into their coffers. Hatshepsut and the Amen cult had complete control of the country and had successfully blocked Tuthmoses claim to the throne. This would have been very humiliating and frustrating for Tuthmoses to only be in the shadows of political power with no direct control over his country. Tuthmoses III came to power 22 years later. He led a series of military campaigns that secured region and brought Ancient Egypt to new heights of power. Many scholars refer to him as the Napoleon of Ancient Egypt. Because of his absence on military campaigns he was unable to prevent much of the wealth Ancient Egypt accumulated during this time from falling into the hands of the Amen cult. In his 51st year of his reign Tuthmoses appointed his son, AmenHotep II as co-regent. With succession secured to AmenHotep II, Tuthmoses III went on a rampage and destroyed much of Hatshepsuts memory including her images, cartouches, and inscriptions on temple walls.21 His actions are seen as a result of years of his frustration with Hatshepsut and the Amen cult. AmenHotep II took power after his fathers death, he followed in the footsteps of his father and launched a series of military campaigns. The king was determined not to let the fruits of his conquests fall into the coffers of the Amen cult and in the ninth year of his last campaign he put plans into motion to prevent it. The precise plans put into place by AmenHotep II are unclear. However, scholars note that during AmenHotep IIs reign many inscriptions on steles and temples were dedicated sun disc worship. It would appear that AmenHotep II was trying to elevate sun disc worship while weakening the influence of the Amen cult. Upon AmenHotep IIs death, his son, Tuthmoses IV assumed control of Ancient Egypts throne. The tensions between Tuthmoses IV and the troublesome Amen cult would increase. The ability of the Amen cult to

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maintain prominence as Ancient Egypts controlling religious faction would be an uphill struggle.22 The support for the solar disc worship throughout Ancient Egypt by Tuthmoses IV was apparent. One well known inscription left by Tuthmoses IV was called the Dream Stela. It is a stele of an inscription he had placed at the base of the Sphinx. (Figure 5)The content of the inscription was about a dream he had. In it Tuthmoses IV proclaims that his right to succeed his father was given to him by the Egyptian god Harmachis, a solar deity who was the manifestation of Ra-Horakty and Atum. Tuthmoses IV made it clear that his legitimate right to the throne did not come from Amen or his cult. Also during this time a new concept about Aten was flourishing. This concept depicted Aten as Ras most sentient aspect or light energy. The Aten Scarab is one the most important documents from this time period which describes Atens new role. As sun disc worship began to grow, political ambitions of the Amen cult was diminished. The Amen priesthood could no longer claim the status of the overseers of the priests of upper and Lower Egypt. Tuthmoses IV died before his 30th year of reign leaving his son AmenHotep III in control of the throne.23 When AmenHotep III took the throne, a tribute was made to Amen. The temple at Luxor bears an inscription detailing the birth of AmenHotep III. In it, he credits the god Amen with his birth and legitimacy to rule. (Figure 2). It is clear in the left tracts of the inscription he was paying tribute to Amen. Scholars have no credible explanation for this other than it may have been a matter of prestige for the king or helped him to win over supporters from the Amen cult and keep the peace. One thing is for certain. While it seems AmenHotep III gave credence to Amen and his cult, it was also during this time that the worship Aten as a major Ancient Egyptian deity was set in stone. The worship of Aten during this time period was influenced

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greatly AmenHotep IIIs first wife Tiy. Queen Tiy had considerable sway over her husband. It was in this time period that Aten manifested into the essence of a single deity. Figure 224
.

Words spoken by Amen-Ra, lord of the thrones of the Two Lands, before her: Amen-Hotepruler of Waset is the name of this child that I have placed in your body. .He shall rule the Two Lands like Ra forever.

AmenHotep III and Queen Tiy had a son named AmenHotep. Prince AmenHotep brought the political tension between the Amen cult and the sun disc cults to a climax. According to inscriptions from Waset and Gebel es Silsila, he appeared onto the political scene as Pharaoh AmenHotep IV. He was made coregent with his father at the age of 16. Not much is known about how long he remained coregent with his father. It was sometime within this period that

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AmenHotep IV was matched with his future wife Nefertiti. Beyond this, very little is known of AmenHotep IVs early reign or religious convictions. It is known that at the Sed festivals held at Karnak during this time tribute was paid to all the chief gods including Amen, Ptah, Thoth and Osiris. There did not seem to be any quarrel between followers of the major gods at this time. Many scholars believe this was partly due to the fact that AmenHotep IV shared co regency with his father. Historians are aware that he did commission inscriptions to be carved at Waset. At Waset, AmenHotep IV can be seen worshipping the solar deity Ra-Horahkty. (Figure 3)This was a bold move since this site of Waset and Karnak was the Amen cults main center of worship. In the fourth year of AmenHotep IVs reign, he decided to build an elaborate temple in East Karnak. This would more than likely form a wedge between any hope of a political compromise between the worshippers of the sun disc and the Amen cult.25 Figure 326

Track with AmenHotep IVs cartouche: Son of Ra, AmenHotep, Ruler of Waset Horizontal track next to his cartouche: Given life, like Ra

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The first five years of AmenHotep IVs reign are recorded on the buildings at Karnak. It ends with his building of the Ben-ben mansion undertaken at Waset. Very little is known about this time period and speculations of what actually took place come from fragmented inscriptions scholars are still trying to decipher. The one thing that can be known for certain is that tensions between the Amen cult and Akhenaten rose. Everywhere Amen priests went they would be inundated with symbolic jubilees and inscriptive symbols of AmenHotep IV and sun disc worship. It was sometime within this year when Akhenaten claimed Aten manifested himself to him and described how he brought the world into existence. The fifth year of his reign closed with Akhenaten disclosing his radical ideas to his high officials, courtiers and citizens in a foundation ceremony. AmenHotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten (which translates into he who is beneficial of Aten) on the13th day of the eighth month. He then formed the Priesthood of the Aten.27 The reign of Akhenaten is actually 17 years long and the only evidence for historians to surmise of what actually took place comes from ancient inscriptions found from that time period.28 For some unknown reason Akhenaten decided to move the capitol of Ancient Egypt from Memphis to the middle of the dessert we know today as Amarna. What prompted this decision is truly speculative. Most historians believe that the action to move the capitol was a likely occurrence of the result of the political tensions between the Amen cult and Akhenatens new sun worship cult of Aten. In an inscription endorsed by Akhenaten he claims that it was Aten himself that brought him to the Amarna site. Akhenaten moved the capitol to Amarna and called it Akhenaten which translates to the horizon of Aten. This is commemorated in one of the boundary steles (15 total) surrounding Akhetaten city. Everything historians can possibly know about why Akhenaten moved the

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capitol to Amarna comes from these steles.29 With building projects increasing at Amarna, funds for building at Waset decreased. This would certainly provoke resistance from the Amen cult. It is no wonder although pure speculation of why Akhenaten moved the capitol. Life in the Ancient Egyptian state had always been a Machiavellian affair. The evidence of the precarious events that took place in Ancient Egyptian statehood was passed down by Ammenemes I. It is entitled The Teaching of Ammenemes I. In it states: It was after supper, night had come. I was taking an hour of rest, lying on my bed, for I was weary. As my heart began to follow sleep, weapons for my protection were turned against me, while I was like a snake in the desert. I awoke at the fighting, alert, and found it was a combat of the guard. Had I quickly seized weapons in my hand, I would have made the cowards retreat in haste. But no one is strong at night; no one can fight alone; no success is achieved without a helper. Thus bloodshed occurred while I was without you, [my son Sesostris]; before the courtiers had heard that I would hand over to you; before I had sat with you so as to advise you. For I had not prepared for it, had not expected it, had not foreseen the failing of the servants. It concludes with the following warning: Beware of subjects who are nobodies, of whose plotting one is not aware. Trust not a brother, know not a friend, make no intimates it is worthless! When you lie down, guard your heart yourself, for no man has adherents on the day of woe. I gave to the beggar, I raised the orphan, I have success to the poor as to the wealthy; but he who ate my food raised opposition, and he whom I gave my trust used it to plot Surprisingly, The Teaching of Ammenemes I was one of only two surviving texts found at Akhetaten. It would have been evident that Akhenaten was aware of these teachings and one of the driving forces behind his decision to move his capitol city to the Amarna territory. This was a decision that could have been based on the survival of him and his religion.30 In all actuality it was a move to gain further control of his country. Even with Akhenaten moving the capitol he still would have been met with stiff resistance from Amen cult as well as worshippers of other Egyptian cults of the period. It is documented that Akhenaten moved the Ancient Egyptian

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capitol because of religious reasons. However, what appeared to be a religious revolution on the surface was actually a grab for power and it is in the fifth year of his reign one can see his egomania and lust for power had surfaced. Concerned with consolidating power, in the fifth year of his reign, Akhenaten forced all the people within his circle of power as well as the Egyptian elites of society to convert to his new religion. New steles were added in Akhetaten city with statues of Akhenaten and Nefertiti carved with the names of Aten on them. Once again the concept of Aten worship would evolve further. Aten would now be heralded as the one and all powerful Egyptian god, and from this point on, Akhenaten and Nefertiti were the sole intermediaries between Aten and the Egyptian people. Some scholars believe that by elevating Aten to the status of the one and all powerful god of Egypt, was a move towards monotheism. This is not an accurate interpretation of the facts. What Akhenaten did was take total control of the religious aspects of his nation, and in turn, took power for himself and away from the Amen cult. It is also clear that the worship of Ancient Egypts older gods was still practiced even in Akhetaten. The city Akhenaten created. This would demonstrate a belief in henotheism more than monotheism. Some of those gods included Maat, the personification of cosmic order, Hapi, the Nile river god, Shu, god of the air and Tefnut, goddess of moisture. It is unclear why Akhenaten allowed the beliefs of these deities in his city. It could be because many of these deities sometimes had an embodiment of Ra depicted in some of their images and was a rudimentary form of sun worship. Or these older belief systems posed no threat to the hierarchy he was building. Other indications that might prove that Akhenaten tolerated the worship of other deities were found in some of the homes of ancient Egyptian people who had no political power and lived Akhetaten. These people posed no threat

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to Akhenatens lust for supremacy. It would seem the only people required to convert would be royalty and the inner circles of political power.31 Akhenatens fifth year of reign also marked the beginning of his campaign of terror against the Amen cult. Inscribed on the first boundary stele dedicated in the fifth year of his reign, at Akhetaten, he decreed that the Mnevis-bull statue, a statue of the divine bull worshipped at Iunu, be moved and buried in the east mountain Akhetaten. By doing this he made the land of Akhetaten more sacred and desecrated the worship center at Iunu.32 If Akhenaten was dedicated into eradicating all other forms of deity worship he would have simply destroyed the Mnevisbull. Instead he sought to gain the support of its worshippers. This is another example of how he manipulated religion to gain further power. Obsessed with his own lust for power, Akhenaten went on a rampage against those who stood in his way, particularly the Amen cult. In the eighth and twelfth year of his reign, Akhenaten gave orders to smash, deface and destroy the images of the god Amen and his consort the goddess Mut that appeared on any shrines, obelisks, tombs and pottery. His main focus was attacking the divine birth scenes of past pharaohs, such as, the well known birth scene of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri (Figure 4). This focused campaign of religious vandalism had reached new depths as Akhenaten ordered his the desecration of his own fathers reliefs that bore the name of Amen.(Figure 5) The archaeological record of this period provides evidence that it was not only reliefs that were damaged but small personal items as well. Amens inscription on personal items like make-up pots, commemorative scarabs and utensils was scratched off. It is highly unlikely that all of these items were damaged by soldiers or followers of the Aten cult. It was more likely that they were damaged by the owners of these objects out of fear. It would be a sound hypothesis to insinuate that many Egyptians at this time did this out of

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fear of being caught with those items.33 Fear of retribution from a delusional king who was leaping towards apotheosis. Figure 434 Figure 535

Divine birth scene of Hatshepsut

AmenHotep IIIs marred scarab

Akhetaten was officially occupied by the royal family in the tenth year of Akhenatens reign.36 The building of this holy city put a great strain on financial resources. Egypt at this time had no way to recovery, especially with the dismantling of the Amen cult. The Amen cult had assimilated itself into every aspect of Egypt life. Their temples were the motivating force behind what drove the Egyptian economy. With the temples closed, corruption ran rampant. Akhenaten had little concern for taxation or any other statehood affairs that took place outside of the Nile valley in his Utopia he created in the middle of nowhere.37 In 1887 a cache of documents that were written in cuneiform were discovered were discovered at Akhetaten by Flinders Petrie and John Pendlebury.38 They are known as the Amarna letters. Under the rule of his father, AmenHotep III, contracts were made with other kingdoms. He had built alliances as with Babylon, Mitanni, Hatti and Syrian city-states. 39The letters show the diplomatic relationships that AmenHotep III had built. The earliest of these 20

letters began in the thirtieth of his reign and continue through the reign of Akhenaten.40 Akhenaten had little concern for foreign affairs. Lost in the delusion of his self proclaimed piety nothing seemed to matter to him and Egypt and its allies paid the price. One of the letters pertaining from Akhenatens reign was from Rib-Hadda, the mayor of Byblos. 41 He requested military aid and protection from a military alliance between the Bedouin of the Syrian Desert and the Apiru who were constantly attacking them. Another letter was a request made by Tushratta, the king of Mitanni for troops to help defend his cities against the Hittites. All pleas made to Akhenaten were ignored. Because Akhenaten did nothing to help Egypts allies, the king of the Hittites, king Suppiluliumas I, methodically annexed smaller kingdoms that were supposed to be under Egypts protection. As a result of his arrogant negligence and devotion to his religion Akhenaten ruined all the alliances his father had built and within 10 years and reduced the influence Ancient Egypt had to only the Nile Valley.42 The final years of Akhenatens reign and life were plagued with troubles, both on the world diplomatic stage and at home. The last of Egyptian diplomatic ties and influence, which was with Syria, was collapsing. Many of his consorts, his mother Tiy, as well as some his daughters died in the fourteenth year of his reign. It is presumed that Nefertiti died sometime in the fourteenth year too, but historians are not sure.43 The death of Akhenaten is shrouded in mystery. It would appear that the Ancient Egyptians saw him not as a hero but a tragic mistake. He had no offspring with Nefertiti. The heir to the throne had fallen upon the shoulders of a young prince named Tutankaten (which translates to the living image of Aten). He was the son of one of his other wives, Kiya. Tutankaten inherited a mess to say the least. He was nine years of age and was co-regent with the vizier, a man named Ay. The flame of heresy would still be lit until Ays death. A man named Horemheb, a general of the Egyptian army, would seize power

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alongside Tutankaten. Under his leadership, Horemheb led a successful offensive against the Hittites reclaiming many of the territories lost due to Akhenatens neglect.44 Tutankaten was concerned with restoring normalcy and Akhetaten was abandoned. During his reign he issued what is called the Restoration Decree from Memphis. He changed his name from Tutankaten to Tutankamen (which translates as the living image of Amen).45 He ruled with his consort Ankhesenamen until he was 18 years old. Few details remain about his reign and his death is shrouded in mystery.46 He was the last of the Amarna dynasty. With the Amarna dynasty gone the Amen cult regained prominence once again. They did their best to repay Akhenaten in like kindness. By destroying his statues and desecrating anything that had his image they had hoped to erase him from history. There is not a single mention of Akhenaten or the Amarna heresy anywhere in ancient Egypts written record. He is not even mentioned in any of the kings list. They almost succeeded if it were not for modern archaeology. The final analysis of who was Akhenaten and what his heresy entailed is evident. He was not the precursor monotheism or Judaism. Nor can he be used to support radical ideas concocted by the western world. What the archaeological evidence found at Amarna shows us is that he was a despotic king who lusted after power and became intoxicated with his own religion and self adulation.

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Endnotes
1

Cyril Aldred, Akhenaten: King of Egypt (New York: Thames and Hudson, 1988), 16.

Lorna Oakes and Lucia Gahlin, Ancient Egypt: An illustrated reference to the myths, religions, pyramids and temples of the land of the pharaohs (New York: Barnes & Noble, 2006), 386-387.
3

Helen Strudwick, ed. The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt (London: Amber Books, 2008), 74. Dominic Montserrat, Akhenaten: History, Fantasy and Ancient Egypt (London: Routledge, 2000), 52. Ibid., 61-66. Ibid., 64-66. Aldred, Akhenaten, 112. Ibid., 113. Ibid., 113. Montserrat, Akhenaten, 105-108. Ibid., 108-113. Lawrence Boadt, Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction (New York: Paulist Press, 1984), 167.

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12

Ustronie, Rumburaka. 2002/08. Accessed March 27, 2011. http://www.rumburak.friko.pl/BIBLIA/JHWH/archeologia/soleb.php

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13

Ibid., Internet. Strudwick, The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, 108. Nicholas Reeves, Akhenaten: Egypts False Prophet (New York: Thames & Hudson, 2001), 78. Strudwick, The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, 74. Ibid., 112-113. Ibid., 113. Reeves, Egypts False Prophet, 32-35. Ibid., 38-39. Ibid., 40-41. Ibid., 46-51. D.M. Murdock, "The Nativity Scene of Amenhotep III at Luxor." Love-Evolve-Transcend. Internet. Reeves, King of Egypt, 260-265. Montserrat, Akhenaten, 18.

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Ibid., 267-268. Ibid., 291. Reeves, Egypts False Prophet, 107. Ibid., 105-106. Montserrat, Akhenaten, 37. Ibid., 37. Reeves, Egypts False Prophet, 154.

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33

Kenneth Garrett Photography, Kenneth Garrett, accessed April 14, 2011 http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://c.photoshelter.com/img-get/.
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34

Reeves, Egypts False Prophet, 154. Ibid., 154. Ibid., 155. Helen Strudwick, ed. The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, 75. Reeves, Egypts False Prophet, 62. Ibid., 63. Ibid., 153. Helen Strudwick, ed. The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, 75. Aldred, Akhenaten, 287. Helen Strudwick, ed. The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, 81. Reeves, Egypts False Prophet, 181-182. Helen Strudwick, ed. The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, 81.

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List of Sources Primary Sources Aldred, Cyril. Akhenaten: King of Egypt. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1988. Montserrat, Dominic. Akhenaten: History, Fantasy and Ancient Egypt. London: Routledge, 2000. Reeves, Nicholas. Akhenaten: Egypt's False Prophet. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2001. Secondary Sources Boadt, Lawrence. Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction. New York: Paulist Press, 1984. Dodson, Aidan and Dylan Hilton. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. London: Thames & Hudson, 2004. Kenneth Garrett Photography, Kenneth Garrett, accessed April 14, 2011 http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://c.photoshelter.com/img-get/. Murdock, D.M. "The Nativity Scene of Amenhotep III at Luxor." Love-Evolve-Transcend. https://sites.google.com/site/religionsciencevsfaith/christ-in-egypt-the-horus-jesusconnection/the-nativity-scene-of-amenhotep-iii-at-luxor (accessed April 1, 2011). Oakes, Lorna andLucia Gahlin. Ancient Egypt: An Illustrated Reference tot he Myths, Relidions, Pyramids and Templesof the Land of the Pharaohs. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2006. Ustronie, Rumburaka. 2002/08. Accessed March 27, 2011. http://www.rumburak.friko.pl/BIBLIA/JHWH/archeologia/soleb.php Strudwick, Helen, ed. The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. London: Amber Books, 2008.

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