The Chaotic Reign of Akhenaten - 1226 Words

Amenhotep III was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt from around 1388 BC till about 1350 BC. During his rule of Egypt, was a period of unprecedented prosperity and artistic splendor (Wiki: Amenhotep III). The art from this time showed several gods that ancient Egyptians worshiped, such as Amun, Anubis, Aten, Ra, and many others. Most art was drawn in a way that most of the body parts were sized according to standard proportions, yet the poses were so rigid that they seem to have little sense of movement, if any at all. Many of these drawings were reliefs on walls and pottery. The art was known for its boldness and controlled vitality. Most of the architecture and sculptures were made from heavy materials, mostly stone, which helped to emphasize†¦show more content†¦The temple appeared to not have a roof in order for the offering tables to be exposed to direct sunlight. Smaller temples, such as the Rud-menu, the Teni-menu, and Hwt benben (Redford), were also constructed as Aten templ es. These upcoming drastic changes have been thought to be either that Amenhotep has somehow lost his sanity, that he found a new religious revelation, or for political reasons like the fact that pharaohs may have been heading towards a direction where they would lose their powers over the people to the gods or the cults following them. In Amenhotep IV’s fifth year of his reign, He chose to change his name to Akhenaten. This was due to the name â€Å"Amenhotep† is directed to the god Amun by meaning â€Å"Amun is satisfied† and â€Å"Akhenaten† meaning â€Å"Spirit of the Aten†. At this time is when most of what we know as Egypt had changed for a short period in history. Soon after his change of name he found a new city called Akhentaten (â€Å"Horizon of Aten†, known now as Amarna) and started the construction of his new capital. By his seventh year he moved the capital to this new city in possible attempts of breaking previous Egyptian religion which the old capital, Thebes, was heavily influenced with. By his ninth year he created a new religion where there was no after life or other gods besides the sun god. Egyptians were banned to worship any godShow MoreRelatedAncient Egyptian Costumes : Tradition And Innovation Essay1571 Words   |  7 Pagesrulers of Egypt. This understanding was not only based on past Egyptian definitions of kingship, but also on their fulfillment of the traditional responsibilities of Egyptian kingship. These responsibilities included the protection of Egypt from the chaotic forces represented by foreigners. The study of the Kushite art in general may emphasis the archaizing tendency of Egyptian art, that we sometimes also meet in literature the view that the traditionalism of the Kushites had its root in the attempt