Akhenaten’s Amarna in New Kingdom Egypt: Relations of Landscape and Ideology

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Jessica Joyce Christie (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: a few years after Pharaoh amenophis iV (ruled ca.1353– 1337 in the Eighteenth dynasty during new Kingdom Egypt) had assumed the highest office in Thebes, he decided to radically reorganize and redirect the Egyptian political and religious system: he left the new Kingdom capital of Thebes and demoted the traditional Theban triad of gods—amun, Mut, and Khonsu—and their powerful attending priestly classes. Out of this tabula rasa1 he created amarna as the new capital of his reign, dedicated to the sun disk—the aten—which he raised to the lone supreme god of Egypt, and to him- self as this god’s only messenger and earthly incarna- tion. The new era was initiated by an important act of name changing: amenophis iV meaning “amun is content” officially changed his name to Akhenaten, or “beneficial to aten”\; the new capital, the remains of which are known today as amarna (or el-amarna or tell el-amarna) became Akhetaten, or “Horizon of the aten.”

Additional Information

Publication

Other

Language: English

Date: 2023

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