Born Amenhotep IV, he changed his name to Akhenaten — “effective for the Aten” — and made the sun disc the centre of state religion. The temples of Amun were closed and the god’s name was hacked from monuments.
At Amarna he built an entirely new city in a few years. After his death the experiment was abandoned, his city emptied and later kings omitted him from their lists of rulers. The letters of the Amarna archive, however, preserve a unique record of diplomacy with Babylon, Mitanni and the Hittites.
Key achievements
- Replaced the traditional gods with the worship of the Aten, the sun disc.
- Founded a new capital, Akhetaten (modern Amarna), in middle Egypt.
- Sponsored a new, naturalistic art style; reigned alongside his queen Nefertiti.
