Akhentep and Atun (1330 BCE)

     Egyptian religion has changed completely. The current ruler right now is named Amenhotep IV, and he has put in radical changes for the religion of Egypt. In my years of being a historian, I've never seen a civilization adopt this religion with such complacency. Amenhotep IV has turned Egypt from a polytheistic civilization to a monotheistic civilization, in which they worship one single god by the name of Aten. 

    I wanted to find out more about this new religion. So I went to the new capital, which Amenhotep IV has changed, Amarna. I went to the city square to ask about this new religion they adopted, and the response was interesting. To these people, the new god Aten is their everything. They referred to Amenhotep IV as Akhenaten and they believe Aten is a sun god that bestows light and life to the world. Apparently, this new religion removed the general publics' direct access to these deities. One local told me that this was to equal the royal and divine status of Egypt. 

I asked some locals in the center what they believe about Aten. They believe that Aten is the reason for the creation of the world. In the local's word, Aten "mad every form alone" and the ones who still believe in the other gods say that Aten created the gods such as Shu, Tefnut, and Geb. They essentially believe that once Aten was formed, existence was formed. Aten is the sole reason for the existence of the universe. This was a huge difference then what they believed under the previous pharaohs. 

    I went to a local preacher, and he told me a hymn that really shows how important this god is now to these people. His hymn attributed Aten to the creation of life and associated Aten with the sun. Aten is also apparently the reason for how people were born. This combined with how they believe Aten created the universe really shows how important religion is to these people and how revered the Pharoah is. The fact that Akhenaten proposed a monotheistic religion that is completely different then their old religion shows how much respect they have for their pharaohs. Not to mention that they believe the god Aten is responsible for every aspect of their lives proves to be a very interesting fact. 

    Akhenaten has brought a huge change to Egypt. I've been considering listing this period of Egypt as the 18th dynasty. There have been pharaohs before in other dynasties, so I feel that labeling my time here as the 18th dynasty is appropriate. I plan to stay here until the end of the 18th dynasty, I'm going to report on a 19th dynasty Pharoah next, which will be my last before I leave. I feel that I should see what the 19th dynasty offers before I leave.