Akhenaten Background

Akhenaten Background

​Who was Akhenaten?

​Akhenaten was the 10th king of the 18th Dynasty. He inherited an empire created by his predecessors: the

conquests of Thutmose II had extended the empire to its greatest extent, Amenhotep II defended these conquests and Thutmose IV secured them with diplomacy.

Akhenaten is best known for his religious reforms. But there is more controversy about him than just that. Many details about him are missing and some may be guessed.

​

Archaeologist Barry Kemp feels it is "‘impossible to write a history of Akhenaten’s reign which does not embrace an element of ‘historical fiction‘

​

Multiple Choice

Which of the facts below relates to Kemp's quote "‘it's impossible to write a history of Akhenaten’s reign which does not embrace an element of ‘historical fiction"?

• Akhenaten is regarded by many historians as a fictional character, probably invented by later pharaohs

• The history that has come down to us from his time is both complex and incomplete. The missing pieces have been filled by deduction and speculation.

• Akhenaten's reign was revolutionary, like a great work of fiction

• Kemp regards the process of writing the history of great leaders as an impossible task

​A timeline of Akhenaten's reign

Draw

Circle the events that earned Akhenaten the title 'revolutionary'

Draw

Circle the events that relate to Akhenaten's marriages.

​Geography and resources of Egypt and its neighbours

• Egypt was sharply divided into fertile land, (black land), and desert, (red land). There was minimal rainfall and farming was done by irrigation.

• Agriculture and irrigation were made possible by the annual flooding or inundation of the Nile which deposited fertile soil on the black land.

Multiple Choice

Which type of land in Ancient Egypt had the most fertile (rich in nutrients) soil?

• Red land

• Black land

Multiple Choice

Which type of land was found further away from the Nile River

• Red land

• Black land

Multiple Choice

Which type of land was used by the ancient Egyptians for growing their crops?

• Red land

• Black land

Multiple Choice

Which type of land provided a natural barrier protecting the ancient Egyptians from neighboring countries and invading armies?

• Red land

• Black land

​Egypt was protected to some extent by natural barriers, a combination of sea, desert and land too poor to produce a rival power that could face Egypt when it was strong. Nomads were a problem when Egypt was weak.

• Middle Kingdom, a period of order and stability that lasted until about 1750 BC.

• Toward the end of the Middle Kingdom, however, Egypt again experienced internal disorder

• In the mid-1700s BC, a group from Southwest Asia called the Hyksos (HIK-sohs) invaded. They used horses, chariots, and advanced weapons to conquer Lower Egypt,

Multiple Choice

The Hyksos gained victory over Egypt because...

• They attacked Egypt all of a sudden

• They had iron and bronze weapons supported by chariots

• Egyptian people were in disorder

• They resched Egyptian land through ships and boats

King Ahmose

The Hyskos ruled for 100 years. Finally, in Upper Egypt, King Ahmose rebelled. The Hyksos brought to the battlefield deadly new tools including horse-drawn chariots, powerful new bows, curved swords, and body armor. Ahmose adopted these deadly weapons and threw the invaders out of Egypt. 

Multiple Choice

Which Pharaoh was able to unite lower and upper Egypt again from the Hyksos?

• Menes

• Rames

• Mentuhotep

• King Ahmose

Overview of the 18th Dynasty

Ahmose’s successors conquered Nubia and areas of Syria Palestine which brought to Egypt both greater security and considerable wealth. They embarked on extensive building programs.

​ The dynasty gave much of the credit for their achievements to the god Amun-Re. The ability to defeat the forces of chaos and establish maat or harmony was expressed in a new icon of the king actively engaged in warfare. Kings portrayed themselves as warrior pharaohs. Thutmose Ill extended the Egyptian Empire to itsmgreatest extent, Amenhotep lI defended these conquests and Thutmose IV secured them with

diplomacy.

Open Ended

Describe the 18th dynasty before the reign of Akhenaten.

​A pharaoh, a ruler who is both king and living god, served as the head of state and the top of Egypt’s social hierarchy, followed by a hierarchy of people who served him, from the highest officials to ordinary artisans and peasants near the bottom. Slaves, captured from Nubia, Libya or Syria were at the very bottom of the social ladder.

​

​Overview of social, political and military structures

Multiple Choice

The largest group of Egyptian society was made up of

• farmers and workers

• artisans and merchants

• scribes and traders

• soldiers and nobles

Multiple Choice

A government in which the same person is both the political and religious leader is called a

• dynasty

• theocracy

• bureaucrat

• pharaoh

Multiple Choice

Which of the following would have the most status, importance, and power on the social pyramid?

• artisan

• a farmer

• a scribe

• a priest

​Women’s legal rights in Ancient Egypt were greater than those in most other ancient civilizations. Women could own land and even bring a case in court, but they did it less often than men. The titles of officials’ wives are found on statues, steles, and even their own tombs. No woman was buried in Akhetaten, the city founded by Akhenaten who worshiped one god, but researchers have found several unfinished royal tombs that may have belonged to women.

Royal women in the New Kingdom could have significant status, but it was usually linked to the man in their life and raising the status of the king. Gods, after all, were married to goddesses in Ancient Egypt.​

​Women in the 18th Dynasty

Multiple Choice

The most commonly known designation for women

was:

• Mistress of the house

• Wife of the King

• Keeper of the scrolls

• Eater of the wheat

​Amun was worshipped in the Middle Kingdom and was linked with the sun god, Re. Later kings increased his importance and status as a national god. Amun, the "hidden god", was believed to be the deity responsible for helping the king expand his territory, while also protecting him and his heirs. In return, the king provided offerings, supported his priesthood and gave it land. Historians of Egypt used to say that priests (servants of Amun) overthrew the king, but now we don't have much evidence for this. Priests may have had plotted agiainst the king but we lack evidence to make a definitive statement about them.

​Role of the Amun priesthood

Open Ended

Did Akhenaten change the state religion in response to the Amun priesthood threatening his power? Justify your answer.

​Rulers before the New Kingdom of Egypt ruled because they had large armies. Tutankhamun restored the power of the priests, who had been leaders before the army took over. He made his new priests from families that had been priests before the army ruled. Later, Horemheb became king through his army position, not because he was a priest. He appointed new priests from the army and not from aristocratic families.

​The Amun Priesthood

Multiple Choice

Which of these were the two sources of leaders during the new Kingdom?

• The army

• The priesthood

• The scribes

• The priestesses

​Akhenaten did not face a rebellion when he closed the temples and erased Amun’s name. Instead, his successors had to deal with his actions a dozen years later. As historian David O’Connor notes, Akhenaten was both “offensively innovative” and also “politically strong.”

​The Amun Priesthood

Multiple Choice

Why did O'Connor think Akhenaten must have been politically strong?

• Because he revolutionised religion without repurcussions

• Because he had many temples built to honour Amun

• Because he won an unprecedented number of elections

• Because he managed to control a rapidly expanding empire

​The king was descended from the gods (or sometimes he was believed to be a god, Montu) and people thought he was their representative. His job was to maintain "maat", the order that the gods established, so there would be peace and prosperity. The gods gave the king his authority. He was their representative, and he provided temples and food for their worship. He also made sure people followed the laws to ensure stability.

​Roles of the king and relationship

with the gods

Multiple Choice

What is maat?

• Egyptian food 
• Truth and justice
• An Egyptian pharaoh
• The tradition of having a male pharaoh