Aten
E449339
Aten is the sun disk deity in ancient Egyptian religion, central to Akhenaten’s monotheistic or henotheistic religious reforms.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Atenism | 2 |
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
ancient Egyptian deity
ⓘ
solar deity ⓘ sun disk ⓘ |
| afterAkhenaten | cult largely abandoned ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Akhenaten
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Nefertiti NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| considered |
source of life
ⓘ
universal creator ⓘ |
| contrastWithTraditionalReligion | reduced importance of traditional priesthoods ⓘ |
| cosmicRole |
illumination of all lands equally
ⓘ
regulation of time and seasons ⓘ |
| cultEmphasis |
daily movement of the sun across the sky
ⓘ
direct relationship between Aten and royal family ⓘ |
| cultOfficialName | Atenism NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| cultSuppressedAfter | death of Akhenaten ⓘ |
| cultType |
henotheistic
ⓘ
monotheistic ⓘ |
| epithet |
Ra-Horus of the Two Horizons who rejoices in the horizon in his name of Shu who is Aten
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
the living Aten NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| iconography | sun disk with rays ending in hands offering ankhs ⓘ |
| inscriptionLanguage | often praised in long poetic hymns ⓘ |
| legacy | one of the earliest known examples of near-monotheistic worship ⓘ |
| linkedTo | pharaoh as sole intermediary ⓘ |
| primaryHymn | Great Hymn to the Aten NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| prominentDuringReignOf | Akhenaten NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relationshipToRa | aspect or manifestation of the sun god Ra ⓘ |
| religion | ancient Egyptian religion ⓘ |
| replacedTraditionalGods |
Amun
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Ra NERFINISHED ⓘ other major Egyptian deities ⓘ |
| role | solar disk visible in the sky ⓘ |
| scriptReform | Akhenaten altered cartouches to include Aten ⓘ |
| symbol | sun disk with rays ending in hands ⓘ |
| temple |
Gempaaten at Thebes
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Great Temple of the Aten at Akhetaten NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| timePeriod |
18th Dynasty of Egypt
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
New Kingdom of Egypt NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| worshipCenter |
Akhetaten
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Amarna NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| worshipForm |
focus on sunlight rather than cult statue
ⓘ
open-air temples ⓘ |
| worshipIntroducedBy | Amenhotep IV NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| worshipLanguageReform | Akhenaten reduced use of plural "gods" in favor of Aten ⓘ |
| worshipPeak | mid-14th century BCE ⓘ |
| worshipReformer | Akhenaten NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| worshipRestriction | ordinary people worshiped Aten through the king ⓘ |
Referenced by (4)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Atenism
this entity surface form:
Atenism