Amarna Period

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Amarna Period was an era of Egyptian history during the latter half of the Eighteenth Dynasty when the royal residence of the pharaoh and his queen was shifted to Akhetaten ('Horizon of the Aten') in what is now modern-day Amarna. It was marked by the reign of Amenhotep IV, who changed his name to Akhenaten (1353 1336 BC) in order to reflect the dramatic change of Egypt's polytheistic religion into one where a sun-god Aten was solely worshipped. The Egyptian pantheon of gods and goddesses were restored under Akhenaten's successor. Other rulers of this period include Amenhotep III, Smenkhkare, Neferneferuaten, Tutankhamun, Ay, and Horemheb. The first recorded formal relations of Egypt with foreign countries were under Amenhotep III. Under his reign, Egypt enjoyed an economic boom. He built many temples and monuments across Egypt to honor his favorite deity, Sobek, who always was depicted as a crocodile. Some records of his relations were included in the el Amarna letters many of which were scattered before they could be protected properly.... Mehr