Akhenaten
Akhenaten (known variously as Akhenaton or Ikhnaton; previously as Amenhotep IV) was pharaoh of Egypt from 1353 - 1336 B.C. as part of the 18th dynasty. He rejected the traditional gods of Egypt in favor of the sun, which he called Aton. He moved the capital from Thebes to Akhenaten (modern Amarna) to escape the influence of the priests of Amun.
Statues of him show an artistic form new in Egypt, including various deformities which have led some scholars to conclude he had Marfan's syndrome or Frolich’s syndrome. However, various courtiers were also depicted similarly.[1]
The mysterious disappearance of his wife Nefertiti from the historical record has led scholars to many speculations, ranging from her usurping power to Akhenaten's banishing her.
Akhenaten died young and was succeeded by a pair of pharaohs who used the reign names Nerferneferuatan and Semenkhkare. There has been much speculation concerning the identity these two pharaohs, with some writers arguing that Nerferneferuatan was Nefertiti posing as a man. Within a year, both names disappear from the records and Tutankhamun, still a boy at this time, ascended to the throne. Real power in this period was probably held by Ay, a vizier appointed by Akhenaten. Tut reversed many of Akenaten's policies. Egypt reverted to polytheism and the priests of Amun regained power.
Akhenaten, Semenkhkare, and Tut are omitted from the Abydos king list. This suggests that they were viewed as illegitimate rulers. Genetic testing in 2010 established that mummy KV55 is both a son of Amenhotep III and Tut's father. An inscription in Tut's tomb identifies him as the son of a pharaoh, so the mummy could be either Akhenaten[2] or Semenkhkare.[3]
Akhenaten and Moses
The similarities between Akhenaten's monotheism and the monotheism described in the Pentateuch has led some historians to speculate about correlations between Akhenaten and Moses. Akhenaten's religion is the earliest historical example of a monotheistic religion.
Sigmund Freud proposed that Moses was Akhenaten's priest, and that the Exodus happened soon after the pharaoh's death[4].
References
- ↑ John Ashton & David Down. Unwrapping the Pharaohs, chapter 21'
- ↑ Lost Pharaoh Akhenaten Found After Further DNA Testing Of Tutankhamun
- ↑ DNA Shows that KV55 Mummy Probably Not Akhenaten
- ↑ Moses And Monotheism, by Freud; see chapter "If Moses was an egyptian" at www.archive.org
