Aten

E449339

Aten is the sun disk deity in ancient Egyptian religion, central to Akhenaten’s monotheistic or henotheistic religious reforms.

All labels observed (5)

Label Occurrences
Atenism 14
Aten canonical 11
Aten cult 2

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ancient Egyptian deity ⓘ
solar deity ⓘ
sun disk ⓘ
afterAkhenaten cult largely abandoned ⓘ
associatedWith Akhenaten ⓘ
Nefertiti ⓘ
considered source of life ⓘ
universal creator ⓘ
contrastWithTraditionalReligion reduced importance of traditional priesthoods ⓘ
cosmicRole illumination of all lands equally ⓘ
regulation of time and seasons ⓘ
cultEmphasis daily movement of the sun across the sky ⓘ
direct relationship between Aten and royal family ⓘ
cultOfficialName Atenism ⓘ
linked to: Aten
cultSuppressedAfter death of Akhenaten ⓘ
cultType henotheistic ⓘ
monotheistic ⓘ
epithet Ra-Horus of the Two Horizons who rejoices in the horizon in his name of Shu who is Aten ⓘ
linked to: Ra-Horakhty

the living Aten ⓘ
linked to: Aten
iconography sun disk with rays ending in hands offering ankhs ⓘ
inscriptionLanguage often praised in long poetic hymns ⓘ
legacy one of the earliest known examples of near-monotheistic worship ⓘ
linkedTo pharaoh as sole intermediary ⓘ
primaryHymn Great Hymn to the Aten ⓘ
prominentDuringReignOf Akhenaten ⓘ
relationshipToRa aspect or manifestation of the sun god Ra ⓘ
religion ancient Egyptian religion ⓘ
replacedTraditionalGods Amun ⓘ
Ra ⓘ
other major Egyptian deities ⓘ
role solar disk visible in the sky ⓘ
scriptReform Akhenaten altered cartouches to include Aten ⓘ
symbol sun disk with rays ending in hands ⓘ
temple Gempaaten at Thebes ⓘ
Great Temple of the Aten at Akhetaten ⓘ
timePeriod 18th Dynasty of Egypt ⓘ
New Kingdom of Egypt ⓘ
worshipCenter Akhetaten ⓘ
linked to: Amarna

Amarna ⓘ
worshipForm focus on sunlight rather than cult statue ⓘ
open-air temples ⓘ
worshipIntroducedBy Amenhotep IV ⓘ
linked to: Akhenaten
worshipLanguageReform Akhenaten reduced use of plural "gods" in favor of Aten ⓘ
worshipPeak mid-14th century BCE ⓘ
worshipReformer Akhenaten ⓘ
worshipRestriction ordinary people worshiped Aten through the king ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (29)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

18th Dynasty of Egypt → hasReligion → Atenism ⓘ
linked to: Aten
Amarna → associatedWith → Atenism ⓘ
linked to: Aten
Meritaten → associatedWith → Aten cult ⓘ
linked to: Aten
Meketaten → religion → Atenism ⓘ
linked to: Aten
Aten → epithet → the living Aten ⓘ
linked to: Aten
Aten → cultOfficialName → Atenism ⓘ
linked to: Aten
Royal Tomb at Amarna → associatedWithReligion → Atenism ⓘ
linked to: Aten
Nefertiti → associatedWith → Atenism ⓘ
linked to: Aten
Nefertiti → religion → Atenism ⓘ
linked to: Aten
Amarna art → associatedWith → Atenism ⓘ
linked to: Aten
Smenkhkare → religiousContext → Atenism ⓘ
linked to: Aten
Kiya → associatedWith → Aten cult ⓘ
linked to: Aten
Kiya → religion → Atenism (court religion) ⓘ
linked to: Aten
Neferneferure → religion → Atenism ⓘ
linked to: Aten
Setepenre → religion → Atenism ⓘ
linked to: Aten
Great Aten Temple at Amarna → associatedWithReligion → Atenism ⓘ
linked to: Aten
Neferneferuaten → religiousAffiliation → Atenism ⓘ
linked to: Aten
Beketaten → cultCenter → Aten ⓘ
Beketaten → religion → Atenism ⓘ
linked to: Aten
Beketaten → nameElement → Aten ⓘ