THE GREAT ATEN

During the Amarna period, under the reign of Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV) the sundisc, as
a heavenly body, was exalted to be the only god in existence, something which had been
unheard of hitherto in Egyptian religion, and which undoubtedly caused much consternat-
ion among the priesthood.

Aten was then depicted as a sundisc with rays ending in life-giving hands.

During the first years of his reign, Akhenaten kept the capital at Waset (Thebes). He even
had a temple to Aten constructed outside of the eastern wall to the great temple to Amun.

This was torn down after his reign by Horemheb and some 35.000 blocks went into the pylon
IX at Karnak. This temple was called Per Aten (house of Aten)and included at least three
sanctuaries, where one of them was called the 'mansion of Bn-ben', thereby linking to the
Primeval Mound on which the sun god appeared to create the world in the sun cult at Heliopolis.

In the 6th year of his reign, Akhenaten founded the city of 'Akhet-Aten' ('Horizon of Aten'),
despite the grumblings of a priesthood rendered powerless.

This is the modern site of el-Amarna.

This is also the time when the king changes his name from Amenhotep (Amen is content) to
Akhenaten (Beneficial to Aten) and assumes a new royal titulary, from which can be under-
stood that Re is absorbed into and the same as Aten, and therefore it can be said to be a
renewal of kingship as it was over a thousand eyars earlier in Dyn V.