Amenhotep IV Akhénaton
The 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt was full of intrigue. Some of the most famous pharaohs come from this period. Akhenaten is perhaps one of the most infamous.
In the 4th year of his reign (c. 1350 BCE), Akhenaten claimed that a vision sent by his god, Aten, the only god he acknowledged, led him to a large tract of land on the Nile’s east bank. In a political power move, Akhenaten decided to move Egypt’s capital to this tract of land and began the construction of a new city dedicated to Aten.
Akhenaten named the city Akhetaten. In the modern-day, we refer to it as Amarna. This city was a unique cultural landscape that was used only for a short time during Akhenaten’s 17-year reign. Today, Amarna is the perfect snapshot of life during Akhenaten’s time; an Egypt torn by the new ideas of an enforced monotheism. It is also one of the most complete examples of an Ancient Egyptian city discovered by Egyptologists.
Source: https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010009624
Date: Amenhotep IV Akhénaton (1352 - -1335)
Place of discovery: Tell el-Amarna
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