One of these following facts about Akhenaten should definitely give you much information about him. Akhenaten was a pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt who ruled for 17 years and died perhaps in 1336 BC or 1334 BC. He is especially noted for abandoning traditional Egyptian polytheism and introducing worship centered on the Aten, which is sometimes described as monotheistic or henotheistic. An early inscription likens the Aten to the sun as compared to stars, and later official language avoids calling the Aten a god, giving the solar deity a status above mere gods. Furthermore, to get to know more about this pharaoh, here are some facts about Akhenaten you might be interested in.

Facts about Akhenaten 1: Modern Interest

Modern interest in Akhenaten and his queen, Nefertiti, comes partly from his connection with Tutankhamun, partly from the unique style and high quality of the pictorial arts he patronized, and partly from ongoing interest in the religion he attempted to establish.

Facts about Akhenaten 2: Early Reign

The future Akhenaten was a younger son of Amenhotep III and Chief Queen Tiye. Some Egyptologists, believe that his mother, Queen Tiye is of Mitanni (Armenian) origin, and she brought the Aten religion to Egypt from her native land, and taught her son.

Facts about Akhenaten 3: Name

On day 13, Month 8, in the fifth year of his reign, the king arrived at the site of the new city Akhenaten. A month before that Amenhotep IV had officially changed his name to Akhenaten. Amenhotep IV changed most of his 5 fold titulary in year 5 of his reign. The only name he kept was his prenomen or throne name.

Facts about Akhenaten 4: Religious Policies

Some recent debate has focused on the extent to which Akhenaten forced his religious reforms on his people. Certainly, as time drew on, he revised the names of the Aten, and other religious language, to increasingly exclude references to other gods; at some point, also, he embarked on the wide-scale erasure of traditional gods’ names, especially those of Amun.

Facts about Akhenaten 5: Change after Akhenaten’s Death

Following Akhenaten’s death, change was gradual at first. Within a decade a comprehensive political, religious and artistic reformation began promoting a return of Egyptian life to the norms it had followed during his father’s reign.

Facts about Akhenaten 6: Family and Relations

As Amenhotep IV, Akhenaten was married to Nefertiti at the very beginning of his reign, and six daughters were identified from inscriptions. Recent DNA analysis has revealed that with one of his biological sisters, the “Younger Lady” mummy, Akhenaten fathered Tutankhaten.

Facts about Akhenaten 7: Nefertiti’s Mummy

Nefertiti’s mummy was never found. Archaeologist June Fletcher claimed she found Nefertiti’s badly-mutilated mummy in a side chamber of the Tomb of Amenhotep II in the Valley of the Kings. Most scholars are not convinced.

Facts about Akhenaten 8: Description

Akhenaten instituted changes in art and culture and on of the most notable changes were how he would be publicly depicted, not as a strong “untouchable” Pharaoh, but as he really was, “weak” , elongated skull, long neck, sunken eyes, thick thighs, long fingers, backward-turned knee joints a potbelly and female-like breasts.

Facts about Akhenaten 9: Poems and Writings

According to writings by Akhenaten and poems that were written about him later on, he was visited by beings that descended from the sky, these beings told Akhenaten what he needed to do and how he needed to rule over his people.

Facts about Akhenaten 10: Death and Burial

The last dated appearance of Akhenaten and the Amarna family is in the tomb of Meryra II, and dates from second month, year 12 of his reign.After this the historical record is unclear, and only with the succession of Tutankhamun is somewhat clarified.

Hope you would find those Akhenaten facts really interesting, useful and helpful for your additional reading.