Homepage Timeline Maps A-Z index Learning

Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV) (about 1351-1334 BC)

King of the 18th Dynasty

Son of Amenhotep III and queen Tiy. Called Amenhotep at birth, the king changed his name to Akhenaten in the sixth year of his reign. In the same year he created a new city as royal residence and dedicated it to the sun-god. It lay in Middle Egypt midway between the administrative and religious centres Memphis and Thebes. He called the city Akhet-Aten (today: Amarna/Tell el-Amarna). He worshipped the sun god under the name 'disk' (Egyptian: Aten) and had this depicted as a disk with rays ending in hands. In the surviving record, the Aten seems the exclusive focus of interest for Akhenaten. At an unknown point in his reign, the names and images of the god Amun and his consort Mut were erased on all accessible monuments throughout Egypt and Nubia. The highest recorded year of the reign is year 17.

Horus name: Meryaten (Kanakht Qaishuty)
Nebty name: Wernesytemakhetaten (Wernesytemipetsut)
Golden Falcon name: Wetjesrenenaten (Wetjeskahuemiunushema)
Prenomen: Neferkheperre-waenre (Neferkheperrewaenre)
Nomen: Akhenaten (Amenhotep)

Burial place: Rock cut tomb in Amarna

Attestations in the Petrie Museum (see too links at end of this page):

The family of the king
Calcite relief from Amarna
UC 401
images of the king

Further attestations:

Amarna:

Attestations outside of Amarna:

Bibliography:

the last document mentioning Akhenaten as Amenhotep | the family of the king | the Amarna period | the city Amarna


 

Copyright © 2001 University College London. All rights reserved.