Amenhotep

A detailed Summary of Amenhotep

Amenhotep IV ascended the throne of Egypt following the death of his father, Amenhotep III. This new ruler proved to be different in almost every way from both his predecessors and the pharaohs who ruled after him. The purpose of this essay is to present the issues of religion, art, architecture, literature and foreign policy in relation to the rule of this unique pharaoh.

Newby (1980) states that the most noticeable difference rested in the religious beliefs of Amenhotep IV. In the past, Egypt had worshipped many gods, but under this new pharaoh's rule, polytheism would be replaced by a religion that believed in a single god. In one of his first decisions as pharaoh, Amenhotep IV proclaimed Aten to be the only true god, and named himself high priest of the deity (Weigall, 1923). The symbol of this new god featured rays drawn from a solar disk with each ending in a tiny hand stretched out as if in benediction over all lands (Mayer & Prideaux, 1961). This new religion advocated by the pharaoh was more than the simple worship of the sun itself, his god was the intangible energy that penetrated the earth in the sun's rays and gave all things life. His encouraged his followers to worship in truth, simply and without lavish cer

Because of growing opposition by the high priest of Thebes, Akhenaten decided to leave the 'City of Amen" and make a new beginning in a capital where Amen and his priests would have no power (Sheppard, 1960). This new capital was named Akhetaten, was to be dedicated to the glory of Aten. Weigall (1923) writes that there, like the Pope in the Vatican, Akhenaten would remain within the city and rather than be distracted by the cares of state or the worries of the empire, devote his life to his religion.

Redford (1987) states that about the same time as the move to Akhetaten, a drastic change overcame the pharaoh's cultic program. Akhenaten commanded that his people only worship Aten and ordered all other temples to be closed. He further ordered the name of Amen to be erased and chiseled out of every monument on which it was figured, which ultimately meant the removal of his own father's name.

With respect to literature, Akhenaten rejected the archaic writing of the past. He encouraged literature to be written more in a colloquial style that one would speak. In much of his literature there appeared to be a noticeable difference in the tone and content from that of his predecessors. For example, his predecessor Tuthmosis III spoke of humiliating his enemies. Akhenaten, in his 'Hymn to the Sun', wrote of the lands of Syria and Kush as being blessed by the sun god despite their differences in language, customs and traditions.

While in the past the pharaoh had remained aloof from his people, Akhenaten could be found in their midst. Where the Court had demanded that the pharaoh should drive alone through the city, Akhenaten sat in his chariot with his wife and children. Aldred (1968) states that nowhere in antique art has a family been disclosed with such intimacy and humanity. There are portrayals of landscape and scenery; evidence of palace decorations featuring animals and flowers further indicates an unprecedented freedom of artistic impression. Newby (1980) states that the result of all of this was greater naturalism, the genesis of perspective drawing, animation and impressionism in painting landscape. Mayer and Prideaux (1961) write " for the firs

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Approximate Word count = 1470
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Religion