Akhenaten (died 1336 BC), also called Amenhotep IV, was Pharaoh of 18th Dynasty Ancient Egypt from 1353 to 1336 BC, succeeding Amenhotep III and preceding Smenkhkare.
Biography[]
Amenhotep was the son of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and Tiye and the brother of Thutmose, Sitamun, Henuttaneb, Iset, Nebetah, and Beketaten. He married Nefertiti before taking the throne of Egypt in 1353 BC. He reigned as Amenhotep IV before adopting the exclusive worship of Aten and changing his name to "Akhenaten". Akhenaten's monotheistic practices caused him to be branded a "heretic" by the traditional priesthood, and, on Akhenaten's death in 1336 BC, his statues were destroyed, his monuments were dismantled and hidden, and his name excluded from later king lists.
Gallery[]
A statuette of Akhenaten
A statue of Akhenaten
Another depiction of Akhenaten
Akhenaten's coffin lid