1362 – 1346 BCE: Amunhotep IV / Akhenaten (18th Dynasty, Part 7)

Interlude: An Interview with Akhnaten In 1983, Philip Glass debuted his opera Akhnaten, a bold musical exploration of the pharaoh, his reign and his legacy in ancient Egypt. Now, Akhnaten…

Akhenaten (Part 8): Precursors to Atenism Prior to Akhenaten's reign, the worship of Ra had been developing in fascinating ways. From Thebes, a variety of tomb texts show us hints of…

Akhenaten (Part 7): The Great Hymn to Aten By 1356 BCE, Akhenaten was well-ensconced in his new royal residence of Akhet-Aten (Amarna). As regnal year 7 began, the King was…

The Story So Far... We've covered a lot since Amunhotep IV / Akhenaten appeared on the throne of Egypt. Today, we take a breather to sort it all out and…

Amarna (Part 4): Raising a City in Haste. When Akhenaten demanded a new royal residence (Akhet-Aten), it fell to countless labourers, overseers and donkeys to gather the material needed for…

Amarna (Part 3): Elite Houses. The Overseer of Works, Hatiay, was one of Akhenaten's most prominent and useful servants. He helped build pharaoh's new city, bringing the vision to life,…

Amarna (Part 2): Akhenaten's Priorities and Mindset A short side episode, concerning Akhenaten's mind-set around the time he moved to Amarna. Did the King always plan this city? Did he…

Amarna / Akhet-Aten. In regnal year 5, Akhenaten decreed the foundations of his new city devoted to the sun god. One year later, the King returned to perform ceremonies and…

Akhenaten (Part 6): New Name, Who Dis? In regnal year 5, Amunhotep IV reached the conclusion of his early ideological development. His views had crystallized and he was ready to…

Akhenaten (Part 5): Amarna Art, An Introduction. By the time of his Sed-Festival, Amunhotep IV's reforms had begun to gather serious momentum. The King was even introducing new forms of representation,…