In the history of ancient Egypt, already mysterious, there is one special page. This is the era of the reign of Akhenaten - Pharaoh Amenhotep IV. It is difficult to say which events played a decisive role in shaping his worldview. Perhaps a serious illness suffered in childhood.
Or the echoes of a geological catastrophe caused by a volcanic explosion on an island in the Mediterranean. It is unlikely that the consequences of that distant eruption had a noticeable effect on Egypt. But the incredible stories certainly reached the ears of the impressionable scion of the royal family and shook the faith in the omnipotence of the gods.
It is possible that the mother had the strongest influence on the boy. The queen's brother, the uncle of the future “heretic”, served the god Ra in Heliopolis. And during the coronation of the pharaoh, the place of which, contrary to tradition, was not the temple of Karnak in Thebes, but Hermont - "southern Heliopolis", Amenhotep IV proclaims himself the "First priest of Ra-Horakhti". In the second year of his reign, he adds: "The only one belonging to Ra."
In principle, nothing surprising. From about 2600 BC, Egyptian kings habitually referred to themselves as the sons of the sun and the children of Ra. But there is a small nuance. The new pharaoh carefully avoids the generally accepted cult of Amun. The very invisible Amun who "is Ra's face and Pta's body."
The name Amenhotep - "Amon is happy" is changed to Akhenaten - "useful to Aton." The capital is transferred from Thebes to Akhetaton, where new temples are erected to worship a god who has neither face nor body. The solar disk, giving radiance to the whole world, is the appearance of the supreme deity.
Heresy of Amarna
From this time, historians begin counting the so-called Amarna period in art and architecture. It is characterized by dynamics and sensuality, flexibility of lines, which is so lacking in the canonical ancient Egyptian culture. The center of political, financial and religious life, following the pharaoh, moves from Thebes to the new capital.
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The temples dedicated to the former gods are being closed and desolate. Even their names are carefully erased not only from the stone, but also from memory. The privileged priesthood, suddenly deprived of power, will never forgive Akhenaten for such a blow. Blinded by the radiance of Aton, the pharaoh completely loses sight of the foreign policy situation. As a result, the equilibrium that has been built in the region for centuries is crumbling before our eyes.
In a hurry to get rid of the old nobility and surrounding himself with like-minded people, Akhenaten lost one of the important components of the country's power. Egypt was losing in rivalry with the Hittites, losing allies one after another. Only in the sixteenth year of his reign, the pharaoh introduces troops into North Syria, thereby protecting Egypt from the Hittite invasion.
Direct descendant of alien progressors
The appearance of the heretic pharaoh, known from the sculptures, is very characteristic. The elongated skull, effeminate figure and strange cut of the eyes resemble images of aliens. It is not possible to explain the peculiarities of Akhenaten's anatomy by genetic diseases. A person with such deviations would not be able not only to rule the country, but even live to a mature age.
Perhaps, in the appearance of Amenhotep IV, the features of the gods who ruled Egypt before the pharaohs appeared? There were, according to Menephone, two whole dynasties. This was followed by a dynasty of demigods and another transitional one. Or Akhenaten really wanted to be like them, and obedient sculptors just "deified" the images of the king. It is very similar to the fact that the rebellious pharaoh considered himself equal among the gods and only Aton respected the highest power.
This is evidenced by the epithet "living by truth", which was used in Egypt only in relation to the gods, but added by Akhenaten to his name. However, it is not for us to judge this. After all, as one of the heroes Umberto Eco said: "An attempt to trace secret connections leads to a change in history."