Egyptian mythology originated in 6-4 millennia BC. For 40-50 centuries, the inhabitants of the Nile Delta and other areas of the state of the pharaohs invented stories about the gods and goddesses whom they worshiped, considering them their patrons. One of these mythological creatures is Aton, whose cult this article is dedicated to.
"The Legend of Sinuhe"
This is one of the oldest works of world fiction that has survived to this day. It mentions the god Aton, which gave scientists the opportunity to date the emergence of his cult from a period earlier than the 12th dynasty.
According to The Tale of Sinuha, a deceased king is a god ascending to heaven. There, he forms a single whole with the solar disk, and his body merges with the one who created it. At the same time, the daylight was identified with the god Aton.
Characteristic
The full name of the god Aton is Ra-Gor. The hieroglyph by which it was designated was also used to record the title “Light of the solar disk”. It was often abbreviated, therefore, on many steles and frescoes, the god is simply called Aton. He combined the features of the female and male divine principles. It was believed that all things came from God and at the same time exist inside him. Unlike other deities, Aton, as a rule, was not considered anthropomorphic and depicted as a solar disk. However, its rays ended with hands, like human ones.
The development of the cult of the solar disk
In the period of the Middle Kingdom, Aton - the god of Egypt - was considered one of the incarnations of the supreme god Ra. Under Pharaoh Amenhotep the Third, he was no longer depicted as a sparkling solar disk. During this period, priests began to emphasize the similarity of the Egyptian god Aton with Ra, therefore, on the ancient frescoes created in the 14th century BC. e., he already looks like a man with the head of a falcon. Amenhotep III himself attached much more importance to this deity than his predecessors. In particular, it is known that he wished to name his barque for a trip to the afterlife the “Soul of Aton”.
Amenhotep the Fourth and Queen Tiya
This pharaoh ascended the Egyptian throne in 1419 BC, after his father and namesake, as his older brother died at a young age. At that time, the main royal rebel and revolutionary of the Ancient World was still a very young man, but was distinguished by a high level of intelligence.
The mother of Amenhotep the Fourth was Queen Tius, whom historians consider one of the most outstanding women in the history of Ancient Egypt. The fact is that she was not a purebred Egyptian and did not belong to the royal family, so the marriage between her and the pharaoh was considered a violation of all existing customs. Meanwhile, Tia was exalted by her royal spouse beyond all measure and influenced his decision-making regarding virtually all spheres of the country's life.
Having become a widow, Tia began to direct the actions of her son, who from childhood inspired the idea of ​​the superiority of Aton - the god of the Sun - over the more famous and influential gods of Ancient Egypt.
Following the example of his predecessor Amenhotep the Fourth, the young pharaoh began to worship the disk of the sun and decided to begin religious reform unprecedented in the history of Ancient Egypt.
Monotheistic revolution
Amenhotep the Fourth remained in the history of Ancient Egypt, as a pharaoh who tried to eradicate the centuries-old religious tradition, founded with the primacy of the cult of Amun. By his decree, it was believed that the supreme god of Ancient Egypt - Aton, and was ordered to worship the disk of the sun. The name of God was ordered to be written inside the cartouche, as the name of the pharaoh, which had never been done before. In addition, during the reign of Akhenaten, called Amarna, the god Aton (photo below) was considered as a creator, the result of the merging of all the gods together.
In honor of his all-powerful patron, Amenhotep the Fourth built a new city, Ahetaton, where he moved and moved his capital, and also changed his name. If earlier it was translated as “Amon is satisfied”, now the tsar is now called Akhenaten, that is, “useful to Aton”.
For all these grandiose transformations, which corrected the very foundations of the Egyptian state, the young reformer needed only 6 years.
Hardening the cult of the god Aton
In the 12th year of his reign, the pharaoh went even further. He forbade the use of the words “god” and “gods”, since he believed that in the minds of the Egyptians they were connected with former cults. They were replaced by the name Aton, which became a household word. Even the word “mother” fell into disgrace, which in its sound in the ancient Greek language resembled the name of the goddess Moon from the ancient Egyptian pantheon.
Akhenaten explained his decision on the adoption of monotheism by the fact that only the Sun dominates the world, which appears before the eyes of people in the form of a sparkling disk, and Lord Akhenaten rules on earth on his behalf.
In order that it never occurred to anyone to worship other gods, the pharaoh ordered the destruction of many temples and the construction of new ones dedicated to Aton in their place.
Reasons for the religious revolution
Historians still can not come to a consensus on what made the pharaoh move away from the cult of Amun. Among the most probable reasons is the desire of the young king to create a single religion for an overgrown Egyptian state that has become multinational, as well as the need to weaken the influence on society of nobles and priests. In addition, it is believed that Akhenaten was an exclusively selfish and narcissistic person who strove in every way to exalt his persona. His craving for absolute power over others surpassed all facets of the rational and forced him to do things that his predecessors could not even think of.
Santorini Volcano Eruption
In addition to class-political explanations why the cult of Aton in such a short time was able to supplant the gods, who were considered more powerful, some researchers put forward non-traditional versions. In particular, some historians attribute the fall of the cult of Amun to the disappointment of the broad masses of Egyptians associated with the failure of this god to protect his adherents from the consequences of the climate catastrophe. It is known for certain that in 1380 BC. e. Santorin volcano erupted. Researchers believe that under the well-known Bible "The Darkness of Egypt" contemporaries meant the lack of sunlight that arose as a result of a giant discharge of ash into the atmosphere. As a result, an entire significant part of the Mediterranean has experienced a series of disasters, including climate change, lean years, and more. God Amon could not protect the Egyptians from these troubles, despite all their sacrifices and prayers. Then part of the inhabitants of the Ancient Egyptian kingdom ceased to believe in its omnipotence and began to look for other patrons for themselves.
Sunset of a new religion
The ancient Egyptian god Aton was the only object of worship for only about 15 years. In 1336 (1334) BC e. Pharaoh Rebel Akhenaten is dead. Moreover, the circumstances of his death are unknown. In addition, the last years of Akhenaten's reign are covered with darkness. This is due to the fact that in the following centuries, the priests did everything to erase from the memory of people the story of a king who trampled upon the gods, previously considered omnipotent.
Aton worship at his receiver
The death of the pharaoh-reformer did not mean the end of the era of monotheism. His successor Smenkhkar, who at the time of accession to the throne was about 15 years old, decided to continue his work. He honored his father-in-law (perhaps his father) so much that he even attached a nickname to his title, according to which he was the favorite of the deceased sovereign. However, in the 3rd year of Smenkhkar’s reign, he unexpectedly changed his religious policy and allowed his subjects to worship not only Aton, but also Amon. In addition, the young pharaoh removed from his name the references to his father-in-law and the only celestial man whom he worshiped. The words "god" and "mother" again came into use. At the same time, he kept numerous images of Aton in his palace.
Double faith
After the death of Semnehkar, the child ascended the throne - Pharaoh Tutankhaton. In the fourth year of his reign, the king’s name changed to Tutankhamun, and he left the capital, founded by his father Ahetaton, to settle in Memphis.
At the end of his reign, which lasted about 14 years, the old courtier of Akhenaten, Eye, reigned for about five years, ascended the throne. He continued the tradition of double faith, which was introduced by his young predecessors.
End of the cult of the god Aton
The successor of the pharaoh Eye was Horemheb, who was not related to the representatives of the 18th dynasty. He owed his exaltation to the priests of Amon, who were greatly affected by the reforms of Akhenaten. With this pharaoh, the widespread restoration of old temples began. He issued decrees, according to which he declared all his predecessors who worshiped Aton to be heretics. Their names were crossed out on all papyri, on which the lists of "legitimate" pharaohs were recorded, so Horemheb was indicated as the next legal ruler after Amenhotep the Third. In addition, in the "Book of the Dead" Aton himself was called the deceased god.
Echoes of the cult
Over the next 10-20 years, some of the most educated Egyptians continued to secretly worship Aton. The Egyptian god (the photo of the bas-reliefs with his images see above) was put to final oblivion only after the death of those who remembered the heyday of the cult of sun worship.
According to some historians, it was the cult of Aton that most influenced the formation of Jewish monotheism. This assumption is due to the fact that the prophet Moses lived in Ancient Egypt, presumably during the reign of Akhenaten. If we consider this fact to be the case, then he could not help but get acquainted with the ideas of the new religion, the main of which was the belief in the existence of a single omnipotent Creator.
Be that as it may, the new religion was defeated, and the descendants only learned of its existence in the 19th century.