Aten and the Pharaoh Who Tried to Change Everything
Aten was not a central god. He was understood as the visible disk of the sun, a part of a wider system of beliefs that included many deities.
Everything began to shift during the reign of Akhenaten in the 14th century BC. He raised Aten above all other gods. It seems as if he was promoting what feels like a move toward a single focus of worship. Temples were built open to the sunlight, without dark inner chambers, allowing the rays of Aten to reach directly inside.
Aten was not shown in human or animal form, which makes him stand apart from the other gods. He was depicted as a sun disk with rays reaching down, often ending in hands. So different from the more human-like gods.
During this time, traditional gods were being pushed aside, and their temples were being closed. After Akhenaten’s death, these changes did not last. The old gods returned, and Aten’s prominence faded.
Do you think that the people of Ancient Egypt found it harder to connect Aten rather than the more familiar, human-like gods?
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