Rise and Fall of Atonism During the Reign of Akhenaton
“The man [Amenhotep IV/Akhenaton] was ready for history, but history was not ready for the man” (Bratton 178). Amenhotep IV ruled Egypt for approximately seventeen years, and in that time dramatically changed Egyptian religion. Amenhotep IV created and implemented the monotheistic practice of Atonism in an empire that had relied on polytheism for approximately two thousand years (Budge 75-77). While the practice of polytheism was discarded during his reign, the endeavor was unable to survive past the death his death. “By implementing this revolutionary ideal, the heretical king hastened his empire’s end and his own tragic fate” (Bratton 85).Amenhotep IV took the throne in approximately 1377 BCE. The pharaoh was a descendant of the divine family of Amon (the powerful deity of Thebes) (Redford 57-59). To become pharaoh, Amenhotep IV embarked on a lengthy journey in which he came face to face with the god, Amon. After this encounter, Amenhotep IV was then greeted by Amon priests where they anointed him a pharaoh and a god. However, the new pharaoh “knew he would still be the pawn and slave of the [Amon] priests” (Bratton 50). Amenhotep IV was greatly disturbed by the amount of political control the Amon priests posses
sed in Egypt. In order to remedy the situation, Amenhotep IV began to denounce the polytheistic religion of Thebes (http://www.akhet.co.uk). Egyptian society revolved heavily around polytheism. While Amon was a nationally accepted god, Amon was not the only god acknowledged by the people and the court. Each area had its own god that met its specialized needs. “The isolation of cities and towns in early Egypt naturally resulted in a multitude of gods” (Bratton 85). After Akhenaton’s death, the city of Akhetaten was abandoned. His successor, Smenkhkare, began to quickly re-establish the old religions in Egypt (http://www.akhet.co.uk/). Monotheism could not survive in ancient Egypt. “Ikhnaton might have been the founder of a lasting religious movement – the first monotheistic religion – but the times were not ripe” (Bratton 178). Akhenaton unfortunately used this religious endeavor more for his individual gain and separation from the Amon priests; rather than to implement a true religion in Egypt. Once the new capital, Akhetaten was created, Akhenaton dedicated the remainder of his life to Aton and tended to abandon the political affairs of the empire. This was a contribution to the fall of Atonism. Akhenat
Some topics in this essay:
Amenhotep IV,
Horizon Aten’,
Atonism Akhenaton,
Ikhnaton Akhenaton,
Amenhotep IV’s,
Aton’” Bratton,
Aton Akhenaton,
Aton Aton,
amenhotep iv,
Amenhotep IV/Akhenaton,
Thebes Redford,
amon priests,
bratton 85 amenhotep,
fall atonism,
temples closed,
ancient egypt,
aton aton,
city akhetaten,
85 amenhotep,
bratton 85,
god amon,
Join now to see the rest of the essay!
Approximate Word count = 832
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
Example Essays Home
