Akhenaten

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how Akhenaten must always be remembered as the first true monotheist in world history. It looks at how his actions, viewed as heretical by his contemporaries, triggered an entire series of world-altering events that would eventually change the very structure and purpose of many cultures throughout the world in the centuries to come. An overview of the history and society during his life is provided in the paper.

From the Paper:

"These actions by Akhenaten, which to the ordinary Egyptian citizen might have been viewed as psychotic or due to a fanatic under some kind of sudden conversion, truly had the potential to establish the first world empire, for the growth of power fostered by the imperialist pharaohs before Akhenaten had enlarged the religious significance of the sun god Amen, the main god of all Egyptians. Even before Egypt had become the main force in the Mediterranean world, Tuthmose I maintained that his kingdom extended as far as "the circuit of the sun", and the military pharaoh, Tuthmose III, said of this god "He seeth the whole earth hourly". 4 Thus, Akhenaten was exploiting forces that had already gathered when he declared that the imperialized god of the sun was the only god in the universe and proscribed any rival or idol as blasphemous. He then appropriated to himself the new and universal god, making him the son, prophet and even the bearer of Aton's soul."

More papers on Akhenaten:

• Term Paper # 116005 : "Akhenaten's Reign as Pharaoh"
• Research Paper # 108578 : "Akhenaten - The Heretic Pharaoh"
• Book Review # 49162 : "Donald Redford's "Akhenaten: The Heretic King"
• Essay # 9582 : "King Akhenaten and the Amarna Art Period"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: