Pharaoh & Family
Spanning Akhenaten's rule and his immediate, short-lived successors, the heretical Amarna Period lasted for roughly this many years.
Approximately 17 years
The grandest temple complex dedicated to Amun—which Akhenaten turned away from—is located at this famous site near Thebes.
Karnak
Meaning "Horizon of the Aten," this was the name Akhenaten gave to his brand-new capital city.
Akhetaten
Despite Akhenaten's strict reforms, archaeologists have found hidden figurines in commoners' homes, proving the people did not completely abandon this.
Traditional religion (or the old gods)
In ancient Egyptian, the name Akhenaten translates roughly to have this meaning.
Living for Amun
After Akhenaten's death, his legacy was dismantled by his successors, beginning with this famous boy-king who was likely his son.
Tutankhamun
Unlike traditional Egyptian gods with human or animal bodies, the Aten was portrayed purely as this celestial object with rays ending in hands.
Akhenaten established his new capital city on virgin territory in Middle Egypt, an area known today by this Arabic name.
Amarna (or Tell el-Amarna)
The Karnak Temple and the Great Temple of the Aten adopted this layered architectural approach to reinforce class and perceptions of power.
Telescopic (or axial) progression
A person could only survive in the afterlife if what was spoken by the living or preserved in stone.
Name (or Ren)
Akhenaten ruled alongside this famous Great Royal Wife, whose iconic limestone bust is one of the most copied works of ancient Egyptian art.
Nefertiti
To secure absolute power and the legitimacy of his reign, Akhenaten aimed to abolish the cult of this "King of the Gods."
Amun or Amun-Ra
Akhenaten communicated his ideological doctrine to the Egyptian people by carving his decrees into these large stone monuments, which acted as borders for his new city.
Boundary Stelae
The city of Akhetaten was planned as a palace institution that ran along this massive thoroughfare, dictating the alignment of the principal temples and the main palace.
The Royal Road
What is significant about the state of the KV55 tomb in understanding how Akhenaten was viewed by the Egyptian public?
i. Grave goods destroyed, not stolen.
ii. Name erased from sarcophagus
iii. Mask destroyed on the sarcophagus
In ancient Egyptian, the name Akhenaten translates roughly to have this meaning.
Effective for the Aten
While the Temple of Amun was in Thebes, Akhenaten built the Great Temple of the Aten in this newly constructed capital city.
Amarna or Akhetaten
A massive cache of clay tablets discovered in his capital revealed Akhenaten’s political correspondence with foreign powers, now known collectively by this name.
Amarna Letters
These two massive statues of Amenhotep III gained a mythical reputation in antiquity because an earthquake supposedly caused one of them to "sing" at dawn.
Colossi of Memnon
The name of the penultimate pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty.
Ay (The Vizier)
One reason for the archaeological intrigue surrounding Akhenaten and his reign is that his body was not found in his vandalised tomb at Amarna. Instead, historians believe the body was likely moved to this location before being relocated again.
Valley of the Kings
The leading political reason for Akhenaten’s sweeping cultural reforms was a desire to strip wealth and authority away from this powerful group of men in Thebes.
The Priests of Amun
Unlike traditional Egyptian temples that were dark and secretive, the Great Temple of the Aten intentionally lacked this architectural feature.
A roof
To speed up the construction of his new artistic monuments, Akhenaten's builders used standardised, easily transportable limestone blocks known by this Arabic term.
Talatat
According to the Abydos King List, who succeeded Amenhotep III as pharaoh?
Horemheb