A. After Hatshepsut died, her nephew, Tuthmosis III, took the throne and ruled as a great pharaoh. The 18th Dynasty, of which these rulers were a part, was the high point of Egypt’s power and prosperity. B. Akhenaten brought about change in the three pillars of Egyptian society—religion, the pharaoh, and the military—and, in doing so, almost destroyed Egypt. II. Let’s begin by looking at these three foundations of Egyptian society. A. Ancient Egyptians had a notion of divine order, and the place of their nation in this hierarchy was on top. 1. Periodically, the Egyptian army would march out, conquering territories in its path, to assert Egypt’s supremacy. 2. The military looted these territories and brought back the wealth to Egypt. Conquest, then, contributed to the economy. B. In turn, a portion of the spoils of war was donated to the temples of Egypt, creating a connection between religion and the military. C. The pharaoh was not just a political figure in this society; he literally led the army into battle. The pharaoh’s proper actions ensured the continuance of divine order in Egypt. III. When Akhenaten came to power, he would bring change to these foundations of Egypt, which had become the most conservative society in the world
A. The unchanging climate of Egypt led to the notion that change was bad. Even the dead, uncovered a thousand years after they were buried, remained unchanged—naturally mummified. B. In art, adherence to tradition was valued over creativity and innovation. 1. No words exist for art or artist in the ancient Egyptian language. 2. Plato, who saw most art as illusory and false, found eternal truth only in the art of the ancient Egyptians. C. The political structure of Egypt had been the same for thousands of years. The pharaoh smiting an enemy was the central symbol of the nation. D. Finally, Egyptians had worshipped the same gods for 3,000 years. IV. Akhenaten’s father, Amenhotep III, was a great pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty. In the last few years of his reign, he took his son as coregent. A. Amenhotep III may have taken a coregent because he suffered dental problems. His son, known first as Amenhotep IV, was never mentioned as part of the royal family in any official records until he became king. B. Amenhotep IV served as coregent for about four years, until his father died. A year later, he changed his name to Akhenaten. 1. To the ancient Egyptians, names had magical meanings. Amenhotep meant, “Amun is pleased.” Akhenaten meant, “It is beneficial to the Aten,” who was a minor solar deity. 2. With this change, Akhenaten instituted monotheism. He declared, “There is no god but Aten,” a stunning statement in a world of polytheistic religions. C. Akhenaten also brought about changes in art. Unlike preceding pharaohs throughout history, Akhenaten is not shown in art as young and vigorous. His statues depict a man who may have suffered from deformities: He seems to have an elongated face with a pronounced chin, almond-shaped eyes, wide hips, and a suggestion of breasts. These physical deformities may explain why Akhenaten was not mentioned in official records until he became king. D. Consider the implications of a change to monotheism for Egypt. The thousands of temples and priests throughout the nation were put out of business. E. Finally, Akhenaten had no interest in the military; he was, instead, a religious visionary. Thus, he altered the three pillars of Egyptian society. V. Akhenaten’s actions were so unpopular that he may have been forced to leave Thebes. A. Akhenaten moved the capital about 200 miles north of Thebes to Tell el Amarna, an isolated spot in the desert absent of previous temples or gods.
B. Who would have moved with Akhenaten? Besides his wife, Nefertiti, and two daughters, the losers of Egyptian society probably followed their pharaoh to his new religious capital. Nonetheless, the period of construction must have been an exciting time. C. Akhenaten erected stelae to delineate the boundaries of his new city. On these stelae, he had carved a proclamation. 1. First, he says that the Aten showed him where to build. He had a religious vision of “the horizon of the Aten.” 2. Second, he says that he will never leave the city after it is built. He could not, therefore, lead the army, nor govern Egypt. D. Akhenaten was no longer the political or military leader of Egypt; he served only as a religious leader. 1. Archives of diplomatic correspondence reveal problems with Egypt’s foreign connections, but Akhenaten never addressed them. 2. Akhenaten was concerned only with religion. He wrote the “Hymn to the Aten,” presenting a creator god of all people, not just Egyptians. Akhenaten’s god was so abstract that his subjects were probably unable to understand the concept and unwilling to embrace the religion. E. Akhenaten built his tomb in a location that resembles the Valley of the Kings. The walls of the tomb show some remarkable scenes. 1. In one view, Akhenaten and Nefertiti are shown mourning the death of a woman, perhaps Akhenaten’s other wife. Nearby stands a nurse holding a royal child. Such private scenes of the details of life are not found on tomb walls elsewhere. 2. Another scene shows Akhenaten and Nefertiti with their children, a view of a happy domestic life. F. In the 17th year of his reign, Akhenaten died, leaving the question: What course would his followers take?