The Aten.
King Akhenaten was a great religious reformer. The new thing about the religious
teaching which he introduced was that the previous large number of Egyptian gods was replaced
by the worship of one deity, the Aten (the Sun-Disc). The Aten was shown as a radiant disc with
human arms
holding symbols of life (ankh) reaching towards the worshipper.
The name of Akhenaten meant "One who is Good (akh) to (en) the Aten
(aten)". The new capital of the country which he founded in Middle Egypt, near modern
El-Amarna, was called Akhetaten, "The Horizon (akhet) of the Aten (aten)". Even
Tutankhamun was at first called Tutankhaten, "The Living (ankh) Image (tut) of
the Aten (aten)".
Back to Chariot to Heaven
or
Back to The Sphinx Nose.