Hi, I am not an Egyptologist at all but a homeschool mom with a deep love of history. One of the things I note about historical changes in general is that they seldom pop up out of the blue..especially changes in religion. For example, Christianity didn't start out as Christianity ..it started out as a Jewish cult. And there were other cults that popped up at the same time.. like the Essenes, and those because of dissatisfaction with the way things were at the time. I guess I am asking a question here..were there any signs of such a change to monotheistic religion before Akhenaton came along? Were there other cults that showed up at the same time that would signify a generally unhappiness with the monopoly of the priesthood of Amun?Allison
As the first major discussion for Horizon of the Aten since the announcement of the reforms in the Avis-Pirum Network, I thought it would be an interesting idea to discuss whether Akhenaten's reign signified a flare of Absolutism; therefore implying that the Amarna Period was surprisingly 'modern' in respect to ancient Egyptian civilisation. Though the Amarna Period is most obviously remembered as a religious overhaul it is important that we also consider it's political ramifications. Though this may seem obvious, I believe the theological debate often overshadows the administrative revolution which occurred simultaneously.
First of all, I think an important factor behind Akhenaten's motivations is an attempt to stifle the huge influence the Amun priesthood held over Egypt. Joyce Tyldesley affirms that Amun became the 'dominant economic force' in the south, accumulating its wealth through farmers, labourers, herds (also leased out), ships and mines. Moreover, she explains that this weakened the king's hegemony and made him a 'peripheral figure'. Therefore, a great majority of the population (notably those who benefitted from the Amun cult) surely felt a primary allegiance to the temple rather than the distant king. However, Amenhotep II, Tuthmosis IV and Amenhotep III all attempted to impress monarchical control over the cult by appointing their own followers (typically northerners) as High Priest of Amun. Therefore, this would imply that the young Akhenaten, deeply encouraged by his predecessors' attempts to limit Thebes' virtual monopoly on Egypt, orchestrated his infamous assault with the intent of strengthening Pharaonic power and symbolically justified it by aligning himself with an obscure, 'new' deity, whose monotheistic connotations delivered a clear message that the king's power was indivisible and absolute.
I've posted some urls which might interest you and others concerning the Amun priesthood, deals made, [ah, politics!], etc.... Thanks for the 'welcome back',...
Hi, I am not an Egyptologist at all but a homeschool mom with a deep love of history. One of the things I note about historical changes in general is that they...
The Essenes were far more ancient than xianity. And, although they have been mistakenly described as being a 'monastery cult' living in Qumran, they actually...
Really? I had always understood that the Essenes co existed in Jesus's time and that they might have influenced John the Baptist. And I also thought the...
LOL.. ok. So.. the Amarna regime was in the opinion of most of the people here so far, purely a kingly obsession that he steamrolled his people into accepting...
I don't think it's quite as clear as that; as most members have already stated, Atenism was already in its embryonic form during Amenhotep III's reign....
Not mine.... It was begun by Amenhotep III, at least, if not earlier. The Amun priesthood was wresting more power from the throne than was comfortable to those...
I think it is extremely misleading to say that Ikhenaton "steamrolled" the AE people. The temples of AE are NOT the parallels of modern churchs and Cathedrals....
This would be one of the reasons that I personally do not agree with those who state that Akhenaten was a monotheist..... People, including the king, had many...
The Amarna Regime; More than likely the common farmer or worker went on with his daily activities uncaring of what the far away leadership did to pass their...
Hi Jane and whoever might be interested..my email is sloukanis@.... Allison ... From: Jane Richards To: horizonaten@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, July...
Now this is interesting. Not being a professional here I hadn't stopped to consider that the King and the upper class plus their gods would be removed from the...
Isn't it true that religion in Ancient Egypt didn't necessarily entail morality like it does nowadays but that they regarded it more as we do science? Tom...
I have no idea what others' opinions are but IMO and from what I've studied, the AE always practiced a traditional, symbolic, mythic style in their coping with...
... entail morality like it does nowadays but that they regarded it more as we do science? I would think that Egyptian religion, whatever its form, always had ...
<< Not being a professional here I hadn't stopped to consider that the King and the upper class plus their gods would be removed from the life of the common...
Blond hair? Doesn't the hair get bleached during the mummifying process? Allison ... From: Jane Richards To: horizonaten@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, July...
... process? Not to the point of being "blond" - usually hair retains its actual colouring throughout most of the embalming process. When analysis was done of...
I have been enjoying this discussion very much. Thank you to all the scholars here who are sharing what they know about this very fascinating time of history....
You bet.. I find this fascinating! Allison ... From: Shulamite To: horizonaten@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 13, 2007 11:43 AM Subject: Re: [horizonaten]...
Yuya ( whose pix is in the link you sent) seems to me to have a faint resemblance to Vanessa Redgrave! lol.. this is amazing. All kinds of people in Egypt....
So we all agree that a notable change occurred within the monarchy under Akhenaten? Could someone then please offer their opinion on why this new organisation...
... Tom, The new organization did not outlive Akhenaten because the priests were angry that Akhenaten changed the people's view of the all powerful and...
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