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[[File:Akhenaten.jpg|right|thumb|Pharaoh Akhenaten]]

[[File:Akhenaten.jpg|right|thumb|Pharaoh Akhenaten]]

'''Akhenaten''' (known variously as '''Akhenaton''' or '''Ikhnaton'''; previously as '''Amenhotep IV''') was [[pharaoh]] of [[Egypt]] from 1352 - 1336 [[B.C.]] as part of the 18th dynasty. He led a religious revolution, rejected the traditional gods of Egypt, and worshiped the Sun, which he called [[Aten]]. He moved the capital from [[Thebes]] to Akhenaten (modern [[Amarna]]) to escape the influence of the priests of [[Amun]].

'''Akhenaten''' (known variously as '''Akhenaton''' or '''Ikhnaton'''; previously as '''Amenhotep IV''') was [[pharaoh]] of [[Egypt]] from 1352 - 1336 [[B.C.]] as part of the 18th dynasty. He led a religious revolution, rejected the traditional gods of Egypt, and worshiped the disk of the Sun, which he called [[Aten]]. 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 some kind of deformity or genetic disease. A thorough examination of the royal mummies did not uncover evidence of unusual diseases or deformities, so the depictions are most likely an artistic style.<ref name=Hawass>Hawass, Zahi, PhD, et al., "[http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=185393 Ancestry and Pathology in King Tutankhamun's Family]", ''JAMA''</ref> In addition, various courtiers were depicted in a similar style.<ref name="AIG">John Ashton & David Down. ''[http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/utp/akhenaten-and-nefertiti-the-beautiful Unwrapping the Pharaohs, chapter 21]'''</ref>

Statues of him show an artistic form new in Egypt, including various deformities which have led some scholars to conclude he had some kind of deformity or genetic disease. A thorough examination of the royal mummies did not uncover evidence of unusual diseases or deformities, so the depictions are most likely an artistic style.<ref name=Hawass>Hawass, Zahi, PhD, et al., "[http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=185393 Ancestry and Pathology in King Tutankhamun's Family]", ''JAMA''</ref> In addition, various courtiers were depicted in a similar style.<ref name="AIG">John Ashton & David Down. ''[http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/utp/akhenaten-and-nefertiti-the-beautiful Unwrapping the Pharaohs, chapter 21]'''</ref>

==Monotheistic revolution==

==Monotheistic revolution==

The earliest Egyptian gods were nature gods. Such gods were typically associated with a particular city or other locality. With the rise of the pharaonic state, these gods were organized into a pantheon headed by a chief god, analogous to the structure of the royal court. The wars of Thutmose III (r. 1479-1425 B.C.) had exposed Egyptians, particularly those who had served in the army, to a variety of religious experiences. Each nation, it was learned, had its own gods. But the Sun was everywhere. Beginning with the reign of Amenhotep III (r. 1390-1352), the Sun was promoted as a universal god under the name "Aten." The powers of this god transcended national boundaries, just as pharaoh's authority now stretched across nations. "In the ancient East, monotheism was but imperialism in religion," wrote Egyptologist James Breasted.<ref>Breasted, James, ''A History of Egypt''</ref>

The earliest Egyptian gods were nature gods. Such gods were typically associated with a particular city or other locality. With the rise of the pharaonic state, these gods were organized into a pantheon headed by a chief god, analogous to the structure of the royal court. The wars of Thutmose III (r. 1479-1425 B.C.) had exposed Egyptians, particularly those who had served in the army, to a variety of religious experiences. Each nation, it was learned, had its own gods. But the Sun was everywhere. Thutmosis IV (r. 1400-1390) proclaimed the Aten the protector of the army. Amenhotep III (r. 1390-1352), Akhenaten's father, was an even more diligent Aten worshiper. The powers of this universal god transcended national boundaries, just as pharaoh's authority now stretched across nations. "In the ancient East, monotheism was but imperialism in religion," wrote Egyptologist James Breasted.<ref>Breasted, James, ''A History of Egypt''</ref>

Akhenaten began his revolution by enclosing the name of Aten in a cartouche identical to his own. Aten would be a pharaoh among the gods. The word "gods" was hacked out of monuments and inscriptions. The capital was moved from Thebes to Amarna, a previously uninhabited location that was uncontaminated by association with any of the old gods.

Akhenaten began his revolution by enclosing the name of Aten in a cartouche identical to his own. Aten would be a pharaoh among the gods. The word "gods" was hacked out of monuments and inscriptions. The capital was moved from Thebes to Amarna, a previously uninhabited location that was uncontaminated by association with any of the old gods.