Amenhotep III

Amenhotep IV ascended the throne of Egypt following the death of his father, Amenhotep III. This new ruler proved to be different in almost every way from both his predecessors and the pharaohs who ruled after him. The purpose of this essay is to present the issues of religion, art, architecture, literature and foreign policy in relation to the rule of this unique pharaoh.

Newby (1980) states that the most noticeable difference rested in the religious beliefs of Amenhotep IV. In the past, Egypt had worshipped many gods, but under this new pharaoh’s rule, polytheism would be replaced by a religion that believed in a single god. In one of his first decisions as pharaoh, Amenhotep IV proclaimed Aten to be the only true god, and named himself high priest of the deity (Weigall, 1923). The symbol of this new god featured rays drawn from a solar disk with each ending in a tiny hand stretched out as if in benediction over all lands (Mayer & Prideaux, 1961). This new religion advocated by the pharaoh was more than the simple worship of the sun itself, his god was the intangible energy that penetrated the earth in the sun’s rays and gave all things life. His encouraged his followers to worship in truth, simply and without lavish c

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Akhenaten, in his ‘Hymn to the Sun’, wrote of the lands of Syria and Kush as being blessed by the sun god despite their differences in language, customs and traditions.

With respect to literature, Akhenaten rejected the archaic writing of the past. Weigall (1923) states that is without doubt the most enlightened religion the world had ever known.

In conclusion, Akhenaten’s different ideals of religion, art, architecture, literature, and foreign policy clearly set him apart from other pharaohs before him. Unlike his predecessors in the eighteenth dynasty in Egypt, whose priorities rested with the affairs of the state, which often meant fighting foreign wars, Akhenaten appears to have lacked the genuine will to take decisive military action. Akhenaten commanded that his people only worship Aten and ordered all other temples to be closed. Here, no roof existed to shut out the roof and sky.

Ruffle (1977) states that this was not just a political move, “ for if that were so the pharaoh had simply exchanged one set of priests for another” (p. Indeed, as Newby (1980) states, a sun god does not want a dark sanctuary but, rather an offering table in an open courtyard, where the god in his journey across the sky could reside in person. He encouraged literature to be written more in a colloquial style that one would speak. 164)

Some historians have stated that another difference between Akhenaten and other pharaohs existed in his foreign policy. Mayer and Prideaux (1961) write “ for the first time a unique style of art was consciously fostered” (p. For example, his predecessor Tuthmosis III spoke of humiliating his enemies.

Approximate Word count = 1470
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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