Far from perfect; the reforms of Akhenaten 1352 – 1334 BC

BY DAVE RANKIN

One could only imagine what life must have looked like to Akhenaten at this juncture. He had married a “beautiful woman” in Nefertiti who stood by his side faithfully and bore him six daughters. Akhetaten, Kemet’s newest capital city dedicated to the deity Aten, was completed with sheer elegance. Again, refer to When We Ruled by Robin Walker and When Egypt Ruled the East by George Steindorff and Keith C. Seele for complete descriptions of the city. If we had to sum it all up in one word, perfect, comes to mind. However, as perfect as it may have been on the surface, there were underlying issues that we will divulge in this week’s entry, which eventually led to the demise of the man whose name, meant “He who is Beneficial of Aten.”

As much as tributes were paid to Kemet by nation states under the empire, their allegiance slowly waned year after year when Akhenaten never appeared at the head of his army to quell any instances of a revolt. Back then, it was one thing to send your army into battle, but to never appear on the battlefield with your troops set the stage to lose alliances, especially since it was the duty of the pharaoh/nesew to ensure that nation states fell in line.

Eventually these northern Syrian states sided with the powerful Hittite group from Asia Minor who, with help from the “warlike” Haribu, began to invade surrounding areas and eliminated anyone who was still loyal to Kemet. As a side note, it is here that I make mention that the Haribu is synonymous with the Hebrews of the Old Testament. There is a report that a prince of Jerusalem wrote to Akhenaten begging the nesew “to care for his land.” However, this fell on deaf ears, and both the Hittites and Habiru successfully plundered the land. In the realm of economics, these tributes paid by nation states fattened the coiffeurs of Kemet. With Kemet losing their stronghold in Western Asia, this meant less money coming into the country, and we all know far too well that this was not a profitable situation.

To add salt to the wound, around Akhenaten’s 16th year of reign, he had a fall out with Nefertiti and she was banished to the other end of the city. Details of the fallout are sketchy at best, however there is a loose adaptation based on the life and times of Akhenaten and his family in a French animated film titled La Reine du Soleil or in English, The Princess of the Sun which details some of the events.

The ramification of the fallout and the growing presence of the Hittites led Akhenaten to act decisively with leaving an heir to the throne. First, he appointed Smenkhkare, the husband of his eldest daughter Meritaten, as co-regent. This didn’t last too long, as at some point in time he and Meritaten disappeared from the pages of history. It is believed that the couple attempted to mend the relationship with the priesthood of Amen but died in the process. Next, Akhenaten married his thirteen-year-old daughter, Ankhesenpaten. Probably in hopes to produce a male heir. However, the move was disastrous as she bore him a baby girl.

Despite the turmoil of the final years of Akhenaten’s life, his efforts still remain in the hearts, minds, and pages of history. Scholars all around the world regard his religious reformation as a precursor to Moses of the Old Testament and his monotheistic movement. The similarities of his ‘Great Hymn to Aten’bear a striking resemblance of Psalm 104.

Akhenaten was a man who marched to his own beat and attempted to curb some of the practices that allowed Kemet to lose its way. He truly was a nesew of great devotion and lived up to his coronation name “Wa-N-Re” or “the Unique One of Re.”