Compare Akhenaten's Worship Of/Devotion To Aten

Brandy D. McCormick
Professor Edward Hartley
FAS 201: Introduction to the Humanities
Southern New Hampshire University
11 December 2016
Akhenaten’s Worship of/Devotion to Aten
The two works I have chosen to compare are the sculpture of Akhenaten with Nefertiti and Their Children, and The Great Hymn to Aten: both works created between 1353-1336 BCE. Created by an unknown artist, the sculpture of Akhenaten with Nefertiti and Their Children is a relief sculpture currently located in the Berlin Museum. The Great Hymn to the Aten is a hymn-poem, “inscribed in thirteen columns of hieroglyphs on the west wall of the courtier Ay at Amarna”, and thought to be written by Akhenaten (Belief in one god in ancient Egypt). Both pieces share the theme of
The cult of Amun God of the air, the sun, and sky, was followed by Egyptians during the beginning Amenhotep’s reign. Worshiping more than one God is referred to as polytheism. After the first few years of ruling, Amenhotep shifted his beliefs to a monotheistic religion, worshiping one god in the cult of Aten, as opposed to the worshiping of multiple gods as Egypt was accustomed. This belief changed Egyptian culture during the reign of Akhenaten. “Amenhotep IV outlawed the old religion and proclaimed himself the living incarnation of a single, all-powerful, deity known as Aten” (Ancient History Encyclopedia). Akhenaten as a ruler used forced conversion by outlawing past beliefs. The cult of Aten was the belief that “Aten was a being who represented the God or spirit of the sun, and the actual solar disk. He was depicted as a disk with rays reaching to the earth” (Ancient Egypt: The mythology). It was then that Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten, “translated to mean `successful for' or `of great use to' the god Aten”. (Ancient History Encyclopedia). This belief can be closely related Jesus in Christianity, where Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead three days later, just as Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten, both symbolize the rebirth of the Son of
They each use different mediums. Akhenaten with Nefertiti and their Children is a relief sculpture that gives a distinct visual worship of Aten. The sun God is blessing Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and their Children. The Great Hymn to the Aten is a hymn-poem praising Aten throughout the artwork in literary form, though uncertain if this was meant to be through a song, or reading. Akhenaten is preaching praise to Aten and the world he is providing starting in the first verse, “You rise beautiful from the horizon on heaven, living disk, origin of life” (Belief in on god in ancient Egypt). Both artworks show praise and devotion to Aten however, Akhenaten with Nefertiti and their Children only show the blessings from the sun God on their family, whereas The Great Hymn to Aten praises the sun God for the world in its