Aten

Aten, also called Aton, Atonu, or Itn, was very important in ancient Egypt during a special time called the Amarna Period, around 1353 to 1336 BCE. This period began when a pharaoh named Akhenaten changed the way people worshipped. Instead of honoring many gods, he wanted everyone to worship just one — Aten. Aten was seen as a sun disc with rays that ended in human hands.

Akhenaten made Aten the main god of the country, and this new way of worshipping lasted only while he was ruling. After Akhenaten died, another pharaoh, Tutankhamun, brought back the old temples and let people worship other gods again, especially a god named Amun. Even though Atenism didn’t last long, it remains a fascinating part of ancient Egyptian history because it was a big change from the usual many-god beliefs.

Etymology

The word Aten was used a long time ago to mean "disc," describing anything flat and round. People thought of the sun as a "disc of the day" where the god Ra lived. Sometimes, they even called the moon the "silver aten." Pictures of the Aten often showed it with a curved shape, leading some scholars to believe it might be better described as a globe or sphere instead of just a flat disk.

Origins

The Aten was the sun's disc and was first thought of as part of Ra, the sun god in ancient Egyptian beliefs. It is mentioned in the Book of the Dead but does not have a creation story or family. The oldest story about Aten is in The Story of Sinuhe from the time of the 12th Dynasty. In this story, a past king joins the sun-disk in the sky as a god.

Later, during the rule of Amenhotep III, people started to honor Aten more. But it was under his son Akhenaten that Aten became the only god that the whole country officially worshiped. Even so, people likely still honored other gods in their own homes. Special writings from Akhenaten's time, like the "Great Hymn to the Aten", show how Aten was seen as the creator and life-giver for everything.

Religion

Aten was a sun god loved by people long ago during the time of a king named Amenhotep III. At first, Aten was just one of many gods, but when a new king, Amenhotep IV, took over, he changed his name to Akhenaten and made Aten the only god everyone had to worship. This new way of worship is called Atenism.

In Atenism, people believed the sun god Aten watched over everyone. The sun and its light were very important because they gave life. Aten was thought to care for all people and even created rivers in the sky for faraway lands. The king and his family were seen as special helpers of Aten, passing on his care to the people. This idea of only worshipping one god made some think Atenism might be one of the earliest forms of believing in just one main god. Aten was both a new kind of god and also linked to older sun gods, carrying their powers and adding more responsibilities.

Worship

The main place for worshipping Aten was the capital city Akhetaten that Akhenaten created. Other worship sites were also found in Thebes and Heliopolis. The city of Akhetaten was used for worship for only a short time and was left after Akhenaten passed away. Inscriptions on boundary stela show that Akhenaten wanted the city to be a special place for Aten worship.

Temples for Aten were very different. Unlike older temples that were hidden away, Aten temples had open spaces and no roofs so sunlight could shine in. There were no statues of Aten because they were thought to be wrong. Instead, pictures showed Akhenaten and his family showing respect to Aten and receiving the symbol of life from him. Priests had simpler jobs during this time because there were fewer offerings like fruits, flowers, and cakes, and no need for oracles.

In Aten worship, the usual daily cleaning, anointing, and dressing of a god’s image was not done. Instead, people placed incense and food like meat, wine, and fruits on open-air altars. Carved pictures often show Akhenaten offering gifts to Aten with a special scepter. On festival days, the royal family would ride in a chariot instead of using a boat-like procession. Important women also worshipped Aten in special sun-shade temples in Akhetaten.

Iconography

Aten was believed to be everywhere, like sunlight and energy in the world. Because of this, Aten did not have a physical form like other ancient Egyptian gods. Instead, Aten was shown as a sun disc with rays of light that ended in human-like hands. This was because Aten was thought to be beyond creation and could not be fully represented.

Later, rules were made by Akhenaten that even stopped the sun disc pictures of Aten from being used. In these rules, Aten's name had to be written in a special way.

Architecture

Main articles: Great Temple of the Aten and Small Aten Temple

Two important temples were built in the city of Akhetaten. The bigger temple was very large, with an open space about 800 by 300 meters. Unlike other temples, these were mostly open to let in lots of sunlight. The walls showed pictures of the royal family with the sun's rays.

Royal titulary

During a special time called the Amarna Period, people wrote Aten's name in a special way in tombs and temples, using a double cartouche. Some believe this means the ruler Akhenaten was like Aten, while others think it shows Aten was the most important ruler of all.

There were two ways to write Aten's title. The first way included the names of other gods, and the second way focused only on Aten. The early title was "Re-Horakhti who rejoices in the Horizon, in his name Shu, which is the Aten." The later title was "Re, ruler of the two horizons, who rejoices in the Horizon, in his name of light, which is the Aten."

Question of monotheism

Ra-Horus, also called Ra-Horakhty, combines two older gods and was seen as the hidden power behind the sun god during a special time called the Amarna Period. During this time, the visible sun was called the Aten. Some believe this was a big change because other gods, like Amun-Ra, were no longer worshipped by the state, and people were not allowed to make statues of gods. This led some to think it was like worshipping only one god, though others believe Akhenaten still knew other gods existed but chose only to worship the Aten. Scholars have different ideas about what this religion really was.

The Great Hymn to the Aten shows how Re-Herakhty, Shu, and Aten were all seen as part of the creator god. Some think Akhenaten practised focusing only on the Aten while still knowing other gods existed, which is called monolatry. Others describe the religion as henotheistic.

End of Atenism

When Akhenaten, the pharaoh, passed away, Tutankhamun brought back the worship of the traditional gods, including Amun. This shift is shown in Tutankhamun's name change from Tutankh_aten_ to Tutankh_amun_, marking the end of Aten as the sole god of official worship. Though there was no harsh punishment for Aten followers, the focus returned to the many gods of ancient Egypt. Tutankhamun worked to rebuild temples that had been torn down and restore the old ways, believing that following the traditional gods would bring peace and prosperity back to the land.

Names derived from Aten

• Akhenaten: "Effective spirit of the Aten".
• Akhetaten: "Horizon of the Aten", Akhenaten's capital. The archaeological site is known as Amarna.
• Ankhesenpaaten: "Her life is of the Aten". Early name of Ankhesenamun.
• Beketaten: "Handmaid of the Aten".
• Meritaten: "She who is beloved of the Aten".
• Meketaten: "Behold the Aten" or "Protected by Aten".
• Neferneferuaten: "Beautiful are the beauties of Aten".
• Paatenemheb: "The Aten [is] in festival"^: 287 
• Tutankhaten: "Living image of the Aten". Early name of Tutankhamun.