Akhenaten In Egyptian Culture

Words: 1901
Pages: 8
Open Document
Akhenaten means, ‘the one who is useful to Aten,’ he reigned for sixteen years creating much political and social change during the Armana period. Akhenaten is one of the most controversial figures in Egyptian studies, as he was at first considered a monotheist and to have completely subverted traditional Egyptian ways of belief. Taking both written and material evidence into account it is clear that this viewpoint is symptomatic of western, christian, anachronistic belief systems reflected within the interpretation of primary sources. For years within the intellectual community Akhenaten was disregarded as an outlier, and extremist, however he did attempt to synthesize his own agenda with traditional Egyptian dogma. During his reign, traditional …show more content…
As a young pharaoh, Akhenaten followed ingrained traditions of Egyptian culture through art and religious worship. Seen in the southern entrance to the temple to Amun-Re in Thebes where he is depicted worshipping Re-Harakhti. However, in conjunction with these representations of Akhenaten, he also constructed a temple to Aten at Karnak called Gempaaten, which could be considered the primordial movement towards his personal worship of Aten from Amun. (Cheng 2000, 112) This change is incredibly important as the pharaoh is the main representation of divinity upon earth, as well as the sole worshipper on behalf of the Egyptian population. (Cheng 2000, 112) As well as this, Akhenaten changed the capital of Eygpt from the traditional city of Thebes, to Amarna which was built specifically for the worship of the Aten. (Cheng 2000 112) During this shift towards Aten, a new style of artist representation flourished, one of naturalism, which held a stark contrast to the sharp lines of the traditional styles. (Cheng 2000, 112) Specifically, this artistic representation was most common in Amarna where artists were encouraged to explore more realistic forms of representation. This was especially prominent in representations of the royal family, with long faces and willowy limbs, instead of the strong imposing figures that were more common among …show more content…
Originally an aspect of the Sun god Ra, Aten comes into prominence during the reign of Akhenaten seen within his poem titled, The Great Hymn to Aten (Akhenaten sect.8), in which he
Show More

Related Documents: Akhenaten In Egyptian Culture

Ancient Egyptian Essay example

causes you to think about the art and what its civilization must have been like. Egyptian art was particularly interesting due to how colorful Egyptian culture is. The Rosetta Stone, Sphinx of Taharqo, The Standard of Ur, Narmer’s Palette, and The bust of Nefertiti are all portrayals of Ancient Egyptian culture. The Rosetta Stone is and Ancient Egyptian artifact that includes text in Greek, hieroglyphics, and demotic Egyptian writing. It was created in 196 B.C. and is made out of granodiorite. The Rosetta…

Words 756 - Pages 4

Amenhotep III: Effective Spirit Of Aten

hundreds of miles from the famous sights of Cairo and Luxor there are no tourists visiting there and below the ground lies the lost city (0:0:36). About 3,000 years ago, this abandoned landscape was the capital of the mighty Egypt empire ruled by Akhenaten ("He who is of service to the Aten" or "Effective Spirit of Aten") is one of the most famous pharaohs of ancient Egypt, despite the attempts of later rulers to omit him from the lists of kings. He began his reign under the name Amenhotep IV ("Amun…

Words 589 - Pages 3

The Great Nefertiti Essay

king and husband, Akhenaten. Together, the couple co-reigned over Egypt attempting to completely transform Egyptian religion. Though little is known about Nefertiti’s early life, it is believed that she was born around 1390 B.C.E. in the royal city of Thebes. Some say she is of Egyptian blood while others believed her to be a foreign princess. The name Nefertiti means, “the beautiful woman has come,” and is of Egyptian origin. Evidence suggests that Nefertiti had an Egyptian wet-nurse or governess…

Words 1570 - Pages 7

How Did Tutankhaten Influence Modern Culture

the throne of the Egyptian empire, he was not ready. Once Tutankhaten grew into the role of pharaoh, he built up the Egyptian empire from the shambles that had been left. The most effective actions Tutankhaten did were his response to the religious upheaval, the plan to restore the army to fight the Hittites, and his significant influence on modern day culture. Before Tutankhaten had acquired the throne, his father, Akhenaten, had the power. Akhenaten’s changes to the culture were abrupt and clashed…

Words 797 - Pages 4

Museum Assignment

following paper I will compare and contrast, as well as describe in detail two works of art from the ancient Egyptian eras. Visiting the museum at The University of Pennsylvania I decided to choose what was called, “Statue of a Man,” which derived sometime between the years of 80-50 BCE. The work of Art that I chose in the textbook to compare against “Statue of a Man,” is “The Colossal Figure of Akhenaten” which was founded somewhere between the years of 1353 and 1336 BCE. I chose to do a compare and contrast…

Words 604 - Pages 3

Ancient History Practice Test Essay

World I Test One Answer the following as TRUE or FALSE 1. Harshepsut was Egypt’s most famous indigenous woman Pharaoh. True 2. Maat stood for truth and righteousness and balance. True 3. Osiris and Thanatos were both gods of death in their cultures. False 4. Apsu was the god of salt water. False 5. Tiamat was destroyed by Anu. False 6. Humankind was created with clay and the blood of Kingu. True 7. Holofernes was an Aakaadian general. False 8. Hathor’s symbol was a cow. True…

Words 2395 - Pages 10

Egyptians reflection paper

First of all, I love talking about Egyptian history! This class kind of makes me want to take a class devoted to that period in time. I don’t know why, but the Egyptians just fascinate me! They lived a life of luxury and wore makeup and wigs. They didn’t worry about what they were going to eat or where they were going to live. They worried about wearing enough jewelry so their gods would protect them. I also love cats so this makes me love the Egyptians even more. I liked when you told the story…

Words 870 - Pages 4

history of scultpure Essay

goddess is a religious object. An encampment of mammoth hunters at Gagarino, in the Ukraine, has yielded many such figures. The huts of the Gagarino hunters even have niches in the walls, or little shrines, to accomodate them. The Egyptian style: from 3100 BC The first civilization to establish a recognizable artistic style is Egypt. This style follows a strange but remarkably consistent convention, by which the feet, legs and head of each human figure are shown in profile but the…

Words 2135 - Pages 9

Essay on Take Home Exam One 1

been the sacred center for other settlements around that area. Vultures painted on the temple walls could have represented the death aspect of the Goddess. Q2) How did Akhenaten change the political hierarchy of Egypt and why? What religious changes did he make and why? Were Akhenaten’s reforms problematic and if so why? Akhenaten was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt who ruled for 17 years. He is also known as the rebel pharaoh as he changed the whole constitution of Egypt. He is also…

Words 3038 - Pages 13

Essay On Ancient Egyptian Religion

Ancient Egyptians had a history that flourished for three thousand years before fading from existence around the time of the roman invasion. They created a culture so rich and diverse, that its influence still transcends into today’s western world. The ancient Egyptians are polytheistic in nature and the rich polytheistic culture and rituals shaped their daily life, art, religious beliefs, funerary practices, Kingship and the erection of monuments. The ancient Egyptian religion is centered on deities…

Words 854 - Pages 4