Ankhenaten was raised traditionally by his parents, Amenhotep III and Queen Tiy, to worship Amon. Ankhenaten, however, preferred the god Aten, the sun god that was worshipped in earlier times.
Early in his reign he changed his name from Amenhotep IV to Ankhenaten, meaning "He who is of service to Aten," and renamed his queen, Nefertiti, to Nefer-Nefru-Aten, which is "Beautiful is the beauty of Aten."
The king and his queen, leaving Thebes behind, built elaborate buildings at Amarna meaning, "The Horizon of Aten."
He then sent his officials out to destroy Amon statues and to desecrate the worship sites. These actions were so contrary to the traditional belief system that opposition arose against him.
The estates of the great temples of Thebes, Memphis and Heliopolis reverted back to the old religion. Corruption grew out of the mismanagement of such large unattended groups.
Ankhenaten is theorized to be the world's first monotheist. A monotheist is a person who tries to convert worship of deities to the worship of just one god or deity. Ankhenaton is credited for the beginning of monotheism. Christianity is a very distinct form of monotheism.
Ankhenaten died in the 18th year of his reign. His successor, Horemhab, claimed his reign began from the date of Amenhotep III, thus wiping out the history of the entire rule of Ankhenaten for future generations.
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