Akhenaten

Akhenaten was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled for 17 years during the 18th dynasty. In partnership with Nefertiti, introduced a new monotheistic religion centered around the sun-disk Aten, relocated the capital to Amarna, and promoted artistic realism. His reign ended with a succession crisis and subsequent restoration of traditional religious practices. What kind of world did he create?

The Sun rising over the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem’s golden Dome of the Rock. Source: Px Fuel / CC0

9 September, 2021 - 18:39 Jonathon Perrin

Secret Connections Between Yom Kippur and Pharaoh Akhenaten

As Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar approaches, this article delves into the religious traditions that are followed by millions at this time of year. But it goes further, noticing...

Limestone relief of Crown Prince Thutmose in the role of high priest. Saqqara. Neues Museum, Berlin. Design by Anand N. Balaji (Merja Attia); Deriv.

25 August, 2021 - 20:50 anand balaji

On The Trail Of The Mysterious Crown Prince Thutmose: Clues To A Sudden, Violent Death? – Part II

In addition to making Crown Prince Thutmose High Priest of Ptah, Amenhotep III prepared his intended successor in the ways of Aten worship too. This was a thread later picked up by Akhenaten , who as...

A small schist statuette shows Prince Thutmose as a miller grinding grain. Louvre Museum, Paris. Design by Anand N. Balaji (Public Domain); Deriv.

23 August, 2021 - 17:44 anand balaji

On The Trail Of The Mysterious Crown Prince Thutmose: The King Who Was Not To Be – Part I

Amenhotep IV, the youngest-known son of Pharaoh Nebmaatre Amenhotep III-heqa-Waset, ascended the throne at the height of Egypt’s golden age. The seeds for that efflorescent era of the Eighteenth...

Akhenaten pic compliments of Jo from her trip. Osiris is a bronze/gold statue of the god, Louvre (Rama / CC BY-SA 3.0) (author created).

19 July, 2021 - 16:13 Jonathon Perrin

Akhenaten Heretic Pharaoh: The New Osiris

Did Egypt’s Heretic Pharaoh outlaw the God of the Dead, or become him? Akhenaten has been called ancient Egypt’s ‘Heretic Pharaoh’. From 1354-1337 BC Akhenaten so drastically altered his country’s...

9 June, 2021 - 18:59 Jonathon Perrin

King Akhenaten Offers Clues to Finding the Lost Ark of the Covenant

The Ark of the Covenant is perhaps history’s most famous archeological relic. I have been fascinated with it ever since watching Raiders of the Lost Ark , the movie that kick-started so many...

7 May, 2021 - 21:05 Jonathon Perrin

“His Face Was Radiant”: Pulling Back The Veil On The Mystery Of Moses’ Shining Face

One of the Bible’s most enduring exegetical enigmas has to be the strangely shining semblance of Moses . The Book of Exodus relates how after the great Hebrew lawgiver receives the Ten Commandments...

19 March, 2021 - 14:02 Alicia McDermott

Revealing the Face and Identity of the Controversial Mummy KV55

Ever since mummy KV55 was discovered in 1907, it has generated deep interest, debate, and controversy. The big issues have been identifying the KV55 mummy in ancient Egyptian history and combining...

27 November, 2020 - 15:22 Jonathon Perrin

Parallels Between The Jewish Fall Festival And Akhenaten’s Royal Jubilee

A deep mystery haunts the origins and rituals of the Jewish Fall Festivals: Rosh Hashanah (New Year), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and Sukkot . Representing more than individual holidays, these...

Could the origins of Jewish New Year really lie in the coronation of Akhenaten? Source: On the left Jon Bodsworth. Background image Arthur Szyk / CC BY-SA 4.0

17 September, 2020 - 13:56 Jonathon Perrin

Surprising Links Between Pharaoh Akhenaten and the Jewish New Year

The origin of Jewish New Year celebrations has long been shrouded in mystery. Families around the world celebrate it during autumn with sweet delicacies, joyous prayers, and the blasting of the...

Considering how important the illumined sun disk was to Akhenaten and the Amarna period, it would be fascinating if we could detect any possible connection, correlation and perhaps even causation between historical events and ancient Egyptian solar eclipses of the Amarna era. Source: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin / CC BY-SA 4.0

2 September, 2020 - 18:56 Jonathon Perrin

Egyptian Eclipse Enigmas: Wild Solar Influences in the Amarna Age

The Amarna age of ancient Egypt lasted only twenty years, a relatively tiny slice of time, yet it irrevocably altered the course of the country’s art, religion, and language. From ~1350-1334 BC a...

Prince Thutmose's schist recumbent bier (Soutekh67 / CC BY-SA 4.0)

17 July, 2020 - 21:34 Calumy

The Missing Prince And The Missing Papyri

A strange mystery baffled Egyptologists when opening the tombs of kings who had been laid to rest in The Valley of the Kings. In 1816 explorer Giovanni Belzoni had reached the far end of the valley...

30 May, 2020 - 23:01 Jonathon Perrin

Do Akhenaten’s Links With Shavuot Shed New Light on Moses? – Part 2

Buried beneath the themes of first fruits and wheat offerings lie deeper connections between Shavuot and Akhenaten. These are suggestive and persuasive and go far beyond delicious foods and...

The origins of the Jewish festival Shavuot’s traditions are obscure. But what if they could be linked to Pharaoh Akhenaten, offering a new view on Moses? Pictures: Representation of Moses’ famous crossing of the sea. Source: Vlastimil Šesták / Adobe stock

30 May, 2020 - 02:06 Jonathon Perrin

An Akhenaten Connection to the Harvest Festival of Shavuot - Part 1

The Jewish festival of Shavuot is taking place around the world. It is an ancient celebration of the spring harvest of grains and first fruits. It is the year’s first wheat harvest, and Jews around...

Entrance to the Luxor Temple at sunset showing the obelisk and statues of pharaohs

4 May, 2020 - 14:02 dhwty

Luxor Temple: The Sacred Sanctuary With An Eternal Legacy

Luxor Temple is one of the most famous temple complexes in Egypt. This temple complex is situated on the east bank of the Nile River, in Luxor, the main city of Upper Egypt’s fourth nome. Luxor...

A shofar is sounded under the light of the sun. Source: Rafael Ben-Ari /Adobe Stock.

8 November, 2019 - 22:48 Jonathon Perrin

“Shofar Away”: An Akhenaten Connection to the Jewish New Year

The lone blast of the shofar trumpet stretches out across the hills, illuminated by the first rays of the morning sun. The distinct sonorous call marks the important day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish...

A portrait of the Severan family, with the face of Geta removed due to the damnatio memoriae ordered by Caracalla

8 November, 2019 - 17:47 dhwty

Damnatio memoriae: Purging People from Public Memory

In the United Kingdom, Remembrance Sunday is observed annually on the second Sunday of November. This solemn occasion is meant to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and...

Akhenaten, relief of the pylons of the house of Panehsy, Chief Servitor of the Aten. It depicts Akhenaten making offerings to the Aten.

3 May, 2019 - 22:55 tedloukes

Pharaoh Akhenaten: An Alternative View of the Heretic King

Amenhotep IV, also known as the Pharaoh Akhenaten, was destined to be remembered for his attempt at a religious conversion of ancient Egypt; one that saw the old gods put aside and replaced by a...

Depiction of punishment in ancient Egypt

20 September, 2018 - 04:03 Mark Miller

Analysis of Skeletons Reveals Harsh Punishment in Ancient Egypt

Egyptian kings and pharaohs conquered entire nations, but if a person stole so much as an animal hide he could be whipped with 100 lashes and stabbed five times in the back… and then be sent back to...

"Israel in Egypt" by Edward Poynter, 1867

5 August, 2018 - 19:04 Rabbi Allen Maller

Pharaoh Ramses’ Anti-Israelite Policy Now Explained

Why were the Jews enslaved in Egypt? New evidence from a French Egyptologist, Alain Zivie, now points to an Egyptian suspect: Pharaoh’s vizier ‘Abdiel, whose Semitic name means ‘a servant of [the god...

Colossal statue of Amenhotep III in the British Museum. (Public Domain) Background: Detail of Amarna letter: Royal Letter from Abi-milku of Tyre to the king of Egypt. (CC0)

18 July, 2018 - 13:59 dhwty

To the King, My Sun, My God, the Breath of My Life… Amarna Letters Paint Remarkable Picture of Ancient Egyptian Rulership

“Your city weeps, and her tears are running, and there is no help for us. For 20 years we have been sending to our lord, the king, the king of Egypt, but there has not come to us a word from our lord...