Hmm... I was unaware of that. Ah, well, state or area, it's not particularly relevant to the timeline at any point in the near future.
"The Realm of Millions of Years": The World of an Atenist Egypt
- Thread starter Oracle of Sobek 𓆋
- Start date
- Status
Hmm... I was unaware of that. Ah, well, state or area, it's not particularly relevant to the timeline at any point in the near future.
And besides, if it were someone else handling this subject you can bet that I'd be breathing mercilessly down their neck, so I'm not really in any position to get offended
And you're absolutely right about how easy it can be to miss stuff or get things mixed up when dealing with this time period, given the lack of concrete dates and conflicting theories in many cases... So feedback is definitely appreciated! You're quite brave for tackling the Minoans in the novel you mentioned, given that we're not even sure what language they spoke!
I'd hope that if I ever get around to developing my "really bad Pepi II" scenario, or my alternate First Dynasty in which the delta triumphs over Upper Egypt, you and others would keep me honest.
And I used a good deal of authorial privilege about the Minoans, although I tried to stick as close as possible to available evidence. I wanted someone from a creative and advanced but peripheral civilization -- one the Egyptians would consider a clever barbarian -- to encounter this era's "middle kingdom." That, and the Minoans fascinate me in their own right.
Assuming the standard chronology, this point in your story coincides with the beginning of the Middle Assyrian empire, immediately after Assyria threw off Mitanni influence. The office of limmu/limmum still existed at this point, but it wasn't the powerful independent position that it had been during the city-state days -- it was royally appointed, and typically occupied by the king himself or a royal favorite. On the other hand, Middle Assyria was still in a formative period, and there may have been senate-type councils at the city level (this is a guess on my part, because there's little evidence about Middle Assyrian municipal government, but since there were city senates in both the early Bronze Age and the Iron Age, there may well have been continuity through the late Bronze Age). So who knows what could happen, especially if Assyria is influenced by a strange new religion from the southwest...
I hope you all like bandwidth-consuming images...
[Once again, the developments of this update do not diverge significantly from OTL except where obvious or noted – Iahames’ influence is certainly being felt, but not to the point where it radically alters the sequence of events in Akhenaten’s life… Yet!]
The search for a new home for the king’s new cult did not take long. In fact, so swiftly was the perfect site chosen that it seemed to be the product of nothing less than divine inspiration – something that Akhenaten would indeed claim in time. In fact, it had been a fairly simple matter of Akhenaten and Iahames sailing down the River in “The Dazzling Aten” (the royal yacht), surveying the land on both banks for a suitable site.
Their journey had taken them to “Middle Egypt”, sailing past the towns of Kebet, Iunet, the ancient necropolis at Abdju, the city of Khent-Min, the old fortress town at Zauty, and the town of Qis [1] before arriving at a point roughly half way between the great religious centre of Waset, and the perpetually important administrative nerve centre at Ineb-hedj. At this point, sheer, towering limestone cliffs retreated roughly three miles from the eastern riverbank to form a dry embayment - out of reach of the annual inundations – that stretched for some seven miles. It was sheltered, serviced by a vast expanse of rich, fertile flood plain on the opposite bank, and it was virgin territory that had never been claimed by any other cult. Most providentially, the shape of the eastern cliffs echoed the form of the hieroglyph for “horizon” – the birthplace of the divine Aten that rose each day to bestow new life upon the world.
In the fifth year of his reign, Akhenaten made a formal visit to the site. Standing upon a chariot plated in electrum, gleaming like the divine orb of the sun, he officially announced the founding of the new royal capital: Akhet-Aten – “The Horizon of the Aten”. Spectacular offerings to the sun were made in the open air; declarations were made that the city would belong to the Aten forever as a monument “with an eternal and everlasting name”. The details of the ceremony and the king’s decree were carved into the cliffs at the southern and northern limits of the future city and adorned with statues of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. The decision to build the city in that spot was final, as the king was known to have remarked:
The location of Akhet-Aten in Middle Egypt, between Qis (Cusae) and Khmunu (Hermopolis)
Construction of Akhet-Aten, overseen in earnest by Iahames, began at a frenetic pace. A quarry was cut into the northern cliffs, annulling the necessity of ferrying stone from Sjeny in the far south or Tura in the far north. The stone blocks, which were hewn into a standardized size of 1 cubit by ½ cubit by ½ cubit [2], were small enough to be handled by a single workman, further accelerating the pace of construction. After a mere three years, Akhet-Aten was ready to serve as the brand new religious and executive capital of the Egyptian Empire.
The city was planned out painstakingly by Akhenaten himself to give prominence to the primary administrative and public buildings, as well as to ascribe religious and ritualistic significance to the act of administration itself. The city’s three districts were linked by a single functional and ceremonial artery: the Royal Road – a massive boulevard running along a North-South axis. The king’s journey by chariot each morning from his residences to the seat of his government, and then back again each evening, indelicately evoked the daily journey of the Aten through the heavens, reinforcing the link between the celestial and terrestrial joint sovereigns.
The layout of the city
The primary royal residence was located in the North City. The North Palaces (one for the royal family proper, another for the ladies of the harem, and the sumptuous villa of prince Iahames-Paatenakhtef) were serene and opulent sanctuaries befitting the regents of the sun. They formed a network of living quarters and reception hall (all richly decorated with fine murals) arranged around a colonnaded courtyard where the gorgeous formal gardens (brimming with flora and fauna imported from all regions of the Empire) and pavilions were watered by a sophisticated irrigation system. It was all hemmed within a fortified enclosure that played host to the barracks of the royal family’s security apparatus, and surrounded by an assortment of lesser administrative structures and yet more impressive villas for the king’s closest advisors.
Interior of an Egyptian palace
To the south of the North City stood the Central City – the beating administrative and religious heart of Akhet-Aten. This sector was dominated by the Per-Aten, the “House of the Aten”; it was Gempaaten cranked up to the Nth degree, boasting a street frontage of 750 feet and extending back to the east for half a mile. Beyond the Per-Aten’s towering entrance pylons lay a vast open court covered in mud brick altars where the public could lay offerings of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and poultry to the Aten as it followed its daily course across the sky. Nearby stood the Huat-Aten, the “Villa of the Aten”, a (comparatively) smaller, private temple for the royal family’s daily worship. Like Gempaaten, both temples were based around open courts (obviously to facilitate sun-worship) with no closed rooms to divvy up the sacred space like in the temples of the old gods. Beneath the Aten, all space was sacred, and therefore to divide it up would have been a mere exercise in futility.
Aerial view of the Central City - the Per-Aten is on the left, the Per-Nesu in the centre, and the Huat-Aten on the right
Also in the Central City, not far from the two temples, was the Per-Nesu, the “King’s House” where the business of government primarily took place. A covered bridge, the “Bridge of Appearances” [3], stretched across the Royal Road, linking the Per-Nesu to the “Great Royal Palace” – the largest residential complex in the entire city (it covered roughly four acres). Its function as a residence was secondary, however, as its principle function was that of a stage for lavish state receptions and royal ceremonies. The quarters were more often occupied by visiting provincial governors and foreign dignitaries rather than members of the royal family. Visiting ambassadors would be received at these two structures, typically in the context of long, formal audiences in the open Sun-Court before the Per-Nesu. While the royal family was given the luxury of a sun-shade for these stuffy affairs (comfort apparently came before dogma in this particular case), many of the other attendees were presumably not particularly grateful for being privy to constant, unrelenting exposure to the Aten's divine light. In OTL, king Ashuruballit I of Assyria would write in a strongly-worded letter to the Egyptian king: "Why should my messengers be made to stay constantly out in the sun and die in the heat?"
The Bridge of Appearances
Akhenaten and Nefertiti shower gifts upon assembled courtiers from the balcony of the Bridge of Appearances. Note the six bound captives below - representing the enemies of Egypt. They are tied to a symbol called the "Sematawy", a representation of a papyrus plant and a blue lily plant wrapped inextricable around one another, symbolic of the union between Upper and Lower Egypt
The Central City gave way to the Southern City, a residential quarter first and foremost. Along the Royal Road stood the mansions and villas of the nobility and the high officials; here dwelled Nakhtpaaten (Chancellor and Vizier to His Majesty), Ranefer (First Charioteer to His Person; the Master of Horses), and Panehesy (First Servant [4] of the Aten), men who had risen high under Akhenaten’s reign and who owed everything to His Majesty. The Southern City was also home to the artisans and craftsmen, and farther from the Royal Road resided the common people and their markets, the city’s economic lifeblood. Just beyond the Southern City stood a number of ritual temples (the finest of which was called the Maru-Aten – the “Viewing Place of the Aten”), each dedicated to members of the royal family, that ensured a constant, visible royal presence no matter where the eyes of Akhet-Aten’s inhabitants fell.
Pavement paintings from the Maru-Aten complex
* * *
Akhenaten transferred the seat of government from Waset to Akhet-Aten late in the 8th year of his reign. With the priests of Amen-Ra now far away, he set about completely overturning the old religious order. At the Ipet-isut [5] he staged a ritual regicide of Amen-Ra, revoking his old powers as king of the gods. The temples of Amen and the other old gods were closed. Workmen were dispatched throughout the Two Lands to chisel away the mention of all gods other than Ra (and some of his various incarnations) and the Aten [6] from public monuments – even the plural form of the word “god” was targeted and “corrected”. Not even royal names containing such divine elements were spared.
With Amen-Ra and the other old gods shoved to the side, the Sun could now reign supreme as the heavenly king. Fittingly, the Aten was given a royal titulary, written in a cartouche [7], to accurately reflect the Sun’s position as the celestial ruler of all creation: “Live! Ra-of-the-Two-Horizons Who Rejoices on the Horizon in the Name of Light, Which is the Aten.”
Cartouches containing variant spellings of the Aten's royal titulary
With the Sun ruling in the heavens and the king ruling on earth, there came a fundamental shift in the traditional Egyptian theological concept of “Ma’at” (Justice, Truth, and Cosmic Order). For centuries before, it had been the role of Egyptian kings to uphold the laws of Ma’at and to stand vigilant against “Isfet” (Chaos, Anarchy, and Cosmic Imbalance); Akhenaten professed that he lived on Ma’at like the gods themselves… Ma’at no longer existed independently of the king and his actions, it was no longer an abstract concept to be upheld or defended; rather, it had morphed into a way of life. To bask in the Sun’s rays was to receive Ma’at itself, to honor the Aten was to live in and off of Ma’at, so to speak. The king and all others who adhered to the new creed believed that with each act of worship they were creating themselves anew, turning back time to the pristine, uncorrupted moment of creation. The further implication was that wherever the earthly regent of the Aten reigned also underwent such a rejuvenation – with each day, the kingdom was born anew, cleansed of the chaos and evil of the night.
Of course, no religion was complete without a holy text – a creation myth. Many Egyptian cults had their own versions of the creation myth. To this end, Akhenaten composed “The Great Hymn to the Aten” – the teaching on which Atenism would be based.
As Akhet-Aten had been springing up from the vacant plain, and His Majesty had been hard at work composing the Great Hymn, the royal family had been growing. Two hears after the birth of Tutankhaten, Nefertiti had given birth to twin daughters: Meketaten and Ba’aketaten [14]. Prince Tutankhaten was growing into a precocious toddler, and then into a mischievous and devilishly active young boy.
For prince Iahames-Paatennakhtef, His Majesty’s most trusted advisor and confidant, it seemed as though a family was not in the cards – at least not with his current wife: Nefetiti’s sister, Mutbenret. Mutbenret’s apparent infertility pained the prince, for he loved her dearly and cringed at the whispers that circulated in the court, claiming that he ought to divorce her. Akhenaten took pity on his brother’s condition, and procured for him a second wife from a noble house of good standing, the Lady Iniuya [15]. Not wanting to rebuke his brother’s kind-hearted gesture, Iahames acquiesced to the marriage, and not long after the birth Nefertiti’s twin girls Iniuya gave birth to a healthy baby boy, whom Iahames named Autdjeretpaaten (“The Aten is Generous”).
Distraught by the birth, despite Iahames’ reassurances, Mutbenret took all possible means to improve her chances of conceiving. She consulted the royal physicians, but to no avail. She tried all manner of folk remedy suggested by her handmaidens, but none of them work. This went on for years. Eventually, she began to pray to the Aten three times daily, beseeching the sun for a child.
Against all precedent, in the 6th year of Akhenaten’s reign, Mutbenret fell pregnant. The timing was exquisite, as the royal physicians had declared Nefertiti to be with child once again earlier that same month. After the nine months elapsed, the two royal sisters both gave birth to girls. Nefertiti named her daughter Meryetaten (“Beloved of the Aten”), while Iahames and Mutbenret called their child Sitaten (“Daughter of the Aten”).
Though formal and administrative duties took up a great deal of the Prince’s time, he would always endeavor to shuffle his schedule in order to find at least a couple of hours each day to dote on his beloved Sitaten, and to relax in the company of his wife. The balance of work and family life was something that the prince handled expertly, no small task for Egyptian royalty.
Sunrises and sunsets occurred over Akhenaten’s “Horizon of the Aten”, and while the family bliss and the excitement brought by the new era was enjoyable, it was to be transient. At the far reached of the Egyptian Empire, a storm was brewing – the powers of the Near East were being upset by ripples in political waters, and soon the Pax Aegyptica would be able to contain them no longer.
*****************************************************************
So, soon the shit hits the proverbial fan... News of drama around Egypt's Levantine possessions will reach the ears of the court in Akhet-Aten. In OTL, Akhenaten was prone to ignoring everything that didn't have anything to do with his new religion. With Iahames on the scene however, he may find ignoring matters of state to be no easy task. The next update should be a return to the more "story based" format rather than the "history book" type of layout we've seen for the past two updates.
Credit for the aerial shot of Akhet-Aten goes to amarna3d.com, all other images are the product of rigorous googling.
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[1] Coptos, Dendera, Abydos, Akhmim, Lykopolis/Asyut, and Cusae respectively.
[2] OTL archaeology refers to these blocks, unique to Egyptian architecture of the period, as “talatat”.
[3] At the centre of the bridge of appearances was a balcony, from which the royals would bestow honors on favored courtiers gathered on the Royal Road below.
[4] High Priest
[5] Temple of Karnak
[6] Again, Ra and the Aten are in some sense considered to be one and the same – Ra is the divine, unseen, intangible power of the Sun, and the Aten is that power in physical form; the two are united, indivisible, and immutable. Think of it in the same way as the OTL Christian concept of the Holy Trinity. In Atenism, it was (of course) the Aten that took precedence, possibly due to its earthly visibility.
[7] A “sacred loop” encircling the names of kings and queens, protecting them from evil.
[8] i.e. “rays”.
[9] The Mediterranean and Red seas.
[10] Underworld
[11] A reference to the annual inundation, which the Egyptians believed originated in the Underworld.
[12] Referring to rain.
[13] Akhenaten’s Throne Name.
[14] The names are from OTL, but once again, the genomes are different.
[15] In OTL, Iniuya was married to Meryre, steward of the Per-Aten.
The Realm of Millions of Years
The World of an Atenist Egypt
Chapter 4
The City on the Horizon
The "Akhet" (Horizon) hieroglyph
The World of an Atenist Egypt
Chapter 4
The City on the Horizon
The "Akhet" (Horizon) hieroglyph
[Once again, the developments of this update do not diverge significantly from OTL except where obvious or noted – Iahames’ influence is certainly being felt, but not to the point where it radically alters the sequence of events in Akhenaten’s life… Yet!]
The search for a new home for the king’s new cult did not take long. In fact, so swiftly was the perfect site chosen that it seemed to be the product of nothing less than divine inspiration – something that Akhenaten would indeed claim in time. In fact, it had been a fairly simple matter of Akhenaten and Iahames sailing down the River in “The Dazzling Aten” (the royal yacht), surveying the land on both banks for a suitable site.
Their journey had taken them to “Middle Egypt”, sailing past the towns of Kebet, Iunet, the ancient necropolis at Abdju, the city of Khent-Min, the old fortress town at Zauty, and the town of Qis [1] before arriving at a point roughly half way between the great religious centre of Waset, and the perpetually important administrative nerve centre at Ineb-hedj. At this point, sheer, towering limestone cliffs retreated roughly three miles from the eastern riverbank to form a dry embayment - out of reach of the annual inundations – that stretched for some seven miles. It was sheltered, serviced by a vast expanse of rich, fertile flood plain on the opposite bank, and it was virgin territory that had never been claimed by any other cult. Most providentially, the shape of the eastern cliffs echoed the form of the hieroglyph for “horizon” – the birthplace of the divine Aten that rose each day to bestow new life upon the world.
In the fifth year of his reign, Akhenaten made a formal visit to the site. Standing upon a chariot plated in electrum, gleaming like the divine orb of the sun, he officially announced the founding of the new royal capital: Akhet-Aten – “The Horizon of the Aten”. Spectacular offerings to the sun were made in the open air; declarations were made that the city would belong to the Aten forever as a monument “with an eternal and everlasting name”. The details of the ceremony and the king’s decree were carved into the cliffs at the southern and northern limits of the future city and adorned with statues of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. The decision to build the city in that spot was final, as the king was known to have remarked:
“Neither the Great Royal Wife
[Nefertiti] nor the king’s exalted brother [Iahames] shall say to me, ‘Look, there is a good place for Akhet-Aten elsewhere’, nor shall I listen to them.”
The location of Akhet-Aten in Middle Egypt, between Qis (Cusae) and Khmunu (Hermopolis)
Construction of Akhet-Aten, overseen in earnest by Iahames, began at a frenetic pace. A quarry was cut into the northern cliffs, annulling the necessity of ferrying stone from Sjeny in the far south or Tura in the far north. The stone blocks, which were hewn into a standardized size of 1 cubit by ½ cubit by ½ cubit [2], were small enough to be handled by a single workman, further accelerating the pace of construction. After a mere three years, Akhet-Aten was ready to serve as the brand new religious and executive capital of the Egyptian Empire.
The city was planned out painstakingly by Akhenaten himself to give prominence to the primary administrative and public buildings, as well as to ascribe religious and ritualistic significance to the act of administration itself. The city’s three districts were linked by a single functional and ceremonial artery: the Royal Road – a massive boulevard running along a North-South axis. The king’s journey by chariot each morning from his residences to the seat of his government, and then back again each evening, indelicately evoked the daily journey of the Aten through the heavens, reinforcing the link between the celestial and terrestrial joint sovereigns.
The layout of the city
The primary royal residence was located in the North City. The North Palaces (one for the royal family proper, another for the ladies of the harem, and the sumptuous villa of prince Iahames-Paatenakhtef) were serene and opulent sanctuaries befitting the regents of the sun. They formed a network of living quarters and reception hall (all richly decorated with fine murals) arranged around a colonnaded courtyard where the gorgeous formal gardens (brimming with flora and fauna imported from all regions of the Empire) and pavilions were watered by a sophisticated irrigation system. It was all hemmed within a fortified enclosure that played host to the barracks of the royal family’s security apparatus, and surrounded by an assortment of lesser administrative structures and yet more impressive villas for the king’s closest advisors.
Interior of an Egyptian palace
To the south of the North City stood the Central City – the beating administrative and religious heart of Akhet-Aten. This sector was dominated by the Per-Aten, the “House of the Aten”; it was Gempaaten cranked up to the Nth degree, boasting a street frontage of 750 feet and extending back to the east for half a mile. Beyond the Per-Aten’s towering entrance pylons lay a vast open court covered in mud brick altars where the public could lay offerings of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and poultry to the Aten as it followed its daily course across the sky. Nearby stood the Huat-Aten, the “Villa of the Aten”, a (comparatively) smaller, private temple for the royal family’s daily worship. Like Gempaaten, both temples were based around open courts (obviously to facilitate sun-worship) with no closed rooms to divvy up the sacred space like in the temples of the old gods. Beneath the Aten, all space was sacred, and therefore to divide it up would have been a mere exercise in futility.
Aerial view of the Central City - the Per-Aten is on the left, the Per-Nesu in the centre, and the Huat-Aten on the right
Also in the Central City, not far from the two temples, was the Per-Nesu, the “King’s House” where the business of government primarily took place. A covered bridge, the “Bridge of Appearances” [3], stretched across the Royal Road, linking the Per-Nesu to the “Great Royal Palace” – the largest residential complex in the entire city (it covered roughly four acres). Its function as a residence was secondary, however, as its principle function was that of a stage for lavish state receptions and royal ceremonies. The quarters were more often occupied by visiting provincial governors and foreign dignitaries rather than members of the royal family. Visiting ambassadors would be received at these two structures, typically in the context of long, formal audiences in the open Sun-Court before the Per-Nesu. While the royal family was given the luxury of a sun-shade for these stuffy affairs (comfort apparently came before dogma in this particular case), many of the other attendees were presumably not particularly grateful for being privy to constant, unrelenting exposure to the Aten's divine light. In OTL, king Ashuruballit I of Assyria would write in a strongly-worded letter to the Egyptian king: "Why should my messengers be made to stay constantly out in the sun and die in the heat?"
The Bridge of Appearances
Akhenaten and Nefertiti shower gifts upon assembled courtiers from the balcony of the Bridge of Appearances. Note the six bound captives below - representing the enemies of Egypt. They are tied to a symbol called the "Sematawy", a representation of a papyrus plant and a blue lily plant wrapped inextricable around one another, symbolic of the union between Upper and Lower Egypt
The Central City gave way to the Southern City, a residential quarter first and foremost. Along the Royal Road stood the mansions and villas of the nobility and the high officials; here dwelled Nakhtpaaten (Chancellor and Vizier to His Majesty), Ranefer (First Charioteer to His Person; the Master of Horses), and Panehesy (First Servant [4] of the Aten), men who had risen high under Akhenaten’s reign and who owed everything to His Majesty. The Southern City was also home to the artisans and craftsmen, and farther from the Royal Road resided the common people and their markets, the city’s economic lifeblood. Just beyond the Southern City stood a number of ritual temples (the finest of which was called the Maru-Aten – the “Viewing Place of the Aten”), each dedicated to members of the royal family, that ensured a constant, visible royal presence no matter where the eyes of Akhet-Aten’s inhabitants fell.
Pavement paintings from the Maru-Aten complex
* * *
Akhenaten transferred the seat of government from Waset to Akhet-Aten late in the 8th year of his reign. With the priests of Amen-Ra now far away, he set about completely overturning the old religious order. At the Ipet-isut [5] he staged a ritual regicide of Amen-Ra, revoking his old powers as king of the gods. The temples of Amen and the other old gods were closed. Workmen were dispatched throughout the Two Lands to chisel away the mention of all gods other than Ra (and some of his various incarnations) and the Aten [6] from public monuments – even the plural form of the word “god” was targeted and “corrected”. Not even royal names containing such divine elements were spared.
With Amen-Ra and the other old gods shoved to the side, the Sun could now reign supreme as the heavenly king. Fittingly, the Aten was given a royal titulary, written in a cartouche [7], to accurately reflect the Sun’s position as the celestial ruler of all creation: “Live! Ra-of-the-Two-Horizons Who Rejoices on the Horizon in the Name of Light, Which is the Aten.”
Cartouches containing variant spellings of the Aten's royal titulary
With the Sun ruling in the heavens and the king ruling on earth, there came a fundamental shift in the traditional Egyptian theological concept of “Ma’at” (Justice, Truth, and Cosmic Order). For centuries before, it had been the role of Egyptian kings to uphold the laws of Ma’at and to stand vigilant against “Isfet” (Chaos, Anarchy, and Cosmic Imbalance); Akhenaten professed that he lived on Ma’at like the gods themselves… Ma’at no longer existed independently of the king and his actions, it was no longer an abstract concept to be upheld or defended; rather, it had morphed into a way of life. To bask in the Sun’s rays was to receive Ma’at itself, to honor the Aten was to live in and off of Ma’at, so to speak. The king and all others who adhered to the new creed believed that with each act of worship they were creating themselves anew, turning back time to the pristine, uncorrupted moment of creation. The further implication was that wherever the earthly regent of the Aten reigned also underwent such a rejuvenation – with each day, the kingdom was born anew, cleansed of the chaos and evil of the night.
Of course, no religion was complete without a holy text – a creation myth. Many Egyptian cults had their own versions of the creation myth. To this end, Akhenaten composed “The Great Hymn to the Aten” – the teaching on which Atenism would be based.
The Great Hymn to the Aten
(without preface)
I) THE ATEN AS RA WITH HIS COURSE
[Morning Beauty]
Beautiful is your ascension in the horizon of heaven,
O ATEN, creator of life!
You arise in the horizon of the East,
You fill every land with your perfections.
You are beautiful and great and dazzling, and exalted above every land.
Your arrows [8] penetrate everywhere,
Penetrate all the lands that you have made.
[Noon Dominion]
You are as Ra.
You bring them according to their number,
You subdue them for thy beloved son.
Though You are far away, Your beams are upon the earth;
You art in their faces, and they behold your course.
[Night Chaos]
You descend in the horizon of the West,
The earth is in darkness, in the likeness of death.
The sleepers lie down in their chambers, heads covered,
Each is blind to the other.
If all their possessions, which are under their heads, be carried away
They perceive it not.
Every lion emerges from his lair and all the creeping things bite.
The land is in silence.
He who made them has set in His horizon.
[Dawn Rebirth]
The earth becomes light,
You arise in the horizon, shining in the ATEN in the day,
You scatter the darkness.
You dispatch your arrows,
The Two Lands rejoice,
Men wake up and stand upon their feet,
It is You who causes them to rise.
They wash their limbs,
They take their apparel and array themselves therein,
Their hands are stretched out in praise at your rising,
Throughout the land they do their works.
Beasts and cattle of all kinds settle down upon the pastures,
Trees and plants grow green,
The fowl fly about over their marshes,
Their feathers praising Your person.
All the cattle rise up on their legs,
Creatures that fly and insects of all kinds spring into life,
When You rise over them.
At Your rising, the boats drop down and sail up the River,
Likewise every road opens.
The fish in the River dart and leap at your presence,
Your beams are in the depths of the Great Green [9].
II) WORKS & NATURE OF THE ATEN
[The Child]
You cause offspring to take form in women, creating seed in men.
You make the son to live in the womb of his mother, soothing him therein.
You are a nurse in the womb, giving breath to nourish his form.
When he drops from the womb on the day of his birth,
He opens his mouth to draw first breath,
You provide his sustenance.
[The Chick]
The young bird in the egg speaks in the shell,
You give breath to him inside it to make him to live.
You make for him his mature form so that he can crack the shell.
He comes forth from the egg, he chirps with all his might,
When he has come forth from it,
He walks on his two feet.
[The Aten as Creator and King of All]
How manifold are Your works,
Though hidden from sight.
O Sole God, apart from whom there is no other,
You alone made the Earth as You desired,
With people, and cattle, and flocks.
All upon the Earth that walk on legs,
And all on high that fly with wings!
You made the lands of Syria and Kush
And the Land of Egypt.
You settle every person in his place.
You give unto them their daily bread,
Every man having the portion allotted to him,
You compute the duration of his life.
You differed their tongues in speech,
Their bodies in form,
And likewise their skins in colour,
Giving distinguishing marks to the dwellers of all lands.
You make the Iteru [The Nile] in the Duat [10],
You bring it up it when you will to make mortals live [11],
Inasmuch as You have made them for Yourself,
Their Lord who supports them to the uttermost,
O Lord of every land, You shine upon them,
O ATEN of the day, You of great majesty!
All lands, near and far, you make them live.
You set a river in Heaven, which comes down to them [12],
With waves beating on the mountains like the Sea
To water their fields and their towns.
How excellent are your ways,
O Lord of Eternity!
You made a river in Heaven for the dwellers in the foreign lands,
And for all the beasts of the desert that walk upon legs,
As the Iteru comes from the Duat for the land of Egypt.
III) THEOLOGY OF THE ATEN
[Life-Giving Nature of the Aten]
Your beams nourish every field;
You arise and they live, they grow and bloom for You.
You ordain the seasons to foster everything of your making:
The winter, so that they may refresh themselves,
The summer, that they may taste You.
[The Aten as Sole Witness, Sole Creator & Sole Presence]
You set the sky remote on high,
That You may shine therein and behold all of Your creation.
Alone You stand, shining upon your creatures as the LIVING ATEN,
Rising, shining,
Your form so distant, yet your touch so near.
You made millions of forms from yourself alone:
Cities, villages, fields, and the River’s course.
All eyes behold You above them.
You are the ATEN of the day at its zenith.
[Akhenaten as Mediator for the Aten]
You are in my heart.
There is no other who knows You except Your son Neferkheperure-Waenre [13]. You have cased him to understand Your plans and Your power.
The dwellers on the Earth came into being by your hand.
You rise, they live;
You set, they die.
You are life itself,
Life is through You.
All eyes behold your beauties until you set.
When you go into the West, all labours are relinquished.
You rise, causing all to flourish for the King.
Every leg is in motion since You established this Earth,
You raised them for Your son, who came forth from Your body,
The Lord of the Two Lands, Living by Ma’at, Lord of the Crowns:
Akhenaten, great in the duration of his life.
Great is the Queen, whom he loves.
Lady of the Two Lands, Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti,
Living and young for always and eternity.
Hieroglyphic text of the Great Hymn to the Aten
* * *
(without preface)
I) THE ATEN AS RA WITH HIS COURSE
[Morning Beauty]
Beautiful is your ascension in the horizon of heaven,
O ATEN, creator of life!
You arise in the horizon of the East,
You fill every land with your perfections.
You are beautiful and great and dazzling, and exalted above every land.
Your arrows [8] penetrate everywhere,
Penetrate all the lands that you have made.
[Noon Dominion]
You are as Ra.
You bring them according to their number,
You subdue them for thy beloved son.
Though You are far away, Your beams are upon the earth;
You art in their faces, and they behold your course.
[Night Chaos]
You descend in the horizon of the West,
The earth is in darkness, in the likeness of death.
The sleepers lie down in their chambers, heads covered,
Each is blind to the other.
If all their possessions, which are under their heads, be carried away
They perceive it not.
Every lion emerges from his lair and all the creeping things bite.
The land is in silence.
He who made them has set in His horizon.
[Dawn Rebirth]
The earth becomes light,
You arise in the horizon, shining in the ATEN in the day,
You scatter the darkness.
You dispatch your arrows,
The Two Lands rejoice,
Men wake up and stand upon their feet,
It is You who causes them to rise.
They wash their limbs,
They take their apparel and array themselves therein,
Their hands are stretched out in praise at your rising,
Throughout the land they do their works.
Beasts and cattle of all kinds settle down upon the pastures,
Trees and plants grow green,
The fowl fly about over their marshes,
Their feathers praising Your person.
All the cattle rise up on their legs,
Creatures that fly and insects of all kinds spring into life,
When You rise over them.
At Your rising, the boats drop down and sail up the River,
Likewise every road opens.
The fish in the River dart and leap at your presence,
Your beams are in the depths of the Great Green [9].
II) WORKS & NATURE OF THE ATEN
[The Child]
You cause offspring to take form in women, creating seed in men.
You make the son to live in the womb of his mother, soothing him therein.
You are a nurse in the womb, giving breath to nourish his form.
When he drops from the womb on the day of his birth,
He opens his mouth to draw first breath,
You provide his sustenance.
[The Chick]
The young bird in the egg speaks in the shell,
You give breath to him inside it to make him to live.
You make for him his mature form so that he can crack the shell.
He comes forth from the egg, he chirps with all his might,
When he has come forth from it,
He walks on his two feet.
[The Aten as Creator and King of All]
How manifold are Your works,
Though hidden from sight.
O Sole God, apart from whom there is no other,
You alone made the Earth as You desired,
With people, and cattle, and flocks.
All upon the Earth that walk on legs,
And all on high that fly with wings!
You made the lands of Syria and Kush
And the Land of Egypt.
You settle every person in his place.
You give unto them their daily bread,
Every man having the portion allotted to him,
You compute the duration of his life.
You differed their tongues in speech,
Their bodies in form,
And likewise their skins in colour,
Giving distinguishing marks to the dwellers of all lands.
You make the Iteru [The Nile] in the Duat [10],
You bring it up it when you will to make mortals live [11],
Inasmuch as You have made them for Yourself,
Their Lord who supports them to the uttermost,
O Lord of every land, You shine upon them,
O ATEN of the day, You of great majesty!
All lands, near and far, you make them live.
You set a river in Heaven, which comes down to them [12],
With waves beating on the mountains like the Sea
To water their fields and their towns.
How excellent are your ways,
O Lord of Eternity!
You made a river in Heaven for the dwellers in the foreign lands,
And for all the beasts of the desert that walk upon legs,
As the Iteru comes from the Duat for the land of Egypt.
III) THEOLOGY OF THE ATEN
[Life-Giving Nature of the Aten]
Your beams nourish every field;
You arise and they live, they grow and bloom for You.
You ordain the seasons to foster everything of your making:
The winter, so that they may refresh themselves,
The summer, that they may taste You.
[The Aten as Sole Witness, Sole Creator & Sole Presence]
You set the sky remote on high,
That You may shine therein and behold all of Your creation.
Alone You stand, shining upon your creatures as the LIVING ATEN,
Rising, shining,
Your form so distant, yet your touch so near.
You made millions of forms from yourself alone:
Cities, villages, fields, and the River’s course.
All eyes behold You above them.
You are the ATEN of the day at its zenith.
[Akhenaten as Mediator for the Aten]
You are in my heart.
There is no other who knows You except Your son Neferkheperure-Waenre [13]. You have cased him to understand Your plans and Your power.
The dwellers on the Earth came into being by your hand.
You rise, they live;
You set, they die.
You are life itself,
Life is through You.
All eyes behold your beauties until you set.
When you go into the West, all labours are relinquished.
You rise, causing all to flourish for the King.
Every leg is in motion since You established this Earth,
You raised them for Your son, who came forth from Your body,
The Lord of the Two Lands, Living by Ma’at, Lord of the Crowns:
Akhenaten, great in the duration of his life.
Great is the Queen, whom he loves.
Lady of the Two Lands, Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti,
Living and young for always and eternity.
Hieroglyphic text of the Great Hymn to the Aten
* * *
As Akhet-Aten had been springing up from the vacant plain, and His Majesty had been hard at work composing the Great Hymn, the royal family had been growing. Two hears after the birth of Tutankhaten, Nefertiti had given birth to twin daughters: Meketaten and Ba’aketaten [14]. Prince Tutankhaten was growing into a precocious toddler, and then into a mischievous and devilishly active young boy.
For prince Iahames-Paatennakhtef, His Majesty’s most trusted advisor and confidant, it seemed as though a family was not in the cards – at least not with his current wife: Nefetiti’s sister, Mutbenret. Mutbenret’s apparent infertility pained the prince, for he loved her dearly and cringed at the whispers that circulated in the court, claiming that he ought to divorce her. Akhenaten took pity on his brother’s condition, and procured for him a second wife from a noble house of good standing, the Lady Iniuya [15]. Not wanting to rebuke his brother’s kind-hearted gesture, Iahames acquiesced to the marriage, and not long after the birth Nefertiti’s twin girls Iniuya gave birth to a healthy baby boy, whom Iahames named Autdjeretpaaten (“The Aten is Generous”).
Distraught by the birth, despite Iahames’ reassurances, Mutbenret took all possible means to improve her chances of conceiving. She consulted the royal physicians, but to no avail. She tried all manner of folk remedy suggested by her handmaidens, but none of them work. This went on for years. Eventually, she began to pray to the Aten three times daily, beseeching the sun for a child.
Against all precedent, in the 6th year of Akhenaten’s reign, Mutbenret fell pregnant. The timing was exquisite, as the royal physicians had declared Nefertiti to be with child once again earlier that same month. After the nine months elapsed, the two royal sisters both gave birth to girls. Nefertiti named her daughter Meryetaten (“Beloved of the Aten”), while Iahames and Mutbenret called their child Sitaten (“Daughter of the Aten”).
Though formal and administrative duties took up a great deal of the Prince’s time, he would always endeavor to shuffle his schedule in order to find at least a couple of hours each day to dote on his beloved Sitaten, and to relax in the company of his wife. The balance of work and family life was something that the prince handled expertly, no small task for Egyptian royalty.
Sunrises and sunsets occurred over Akhenaten’s “Horizon of the Aten”, and while the family bliss and the excitement brought by the new era was enjoyable, it was to be transient. At the far reached of the Egyptian Empire, a storm was brewing – the powers of the Near East were being upset by ripples in political waters, and soon the Pax Aegyptica would be able to contain them no longer.
*****************************************************************
So, soon the shit hits the proverbial fan... News of drama around Egypt's Levantine possessions will reach the ears of the court in Akhet-Aten. In OTL, Akhenaten was prone to ignoring everything that didn't have anything to do with his new religion. With Iahames on the scene however, he may find ignoring matters of state to be no easy task. The next update should be a return to the more "story based" format rather than the "history book" type of layout we've seen for the past two updates.
Credit for the aerial shot of Akhet-Aten goes to amarna3d.com, all other images are the product of rigorous googling.
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[1] Coptos, Dendera, Abydos, Akhmim, Lykopolis/Asyut, and Cusae respectively.
[2] OTL archaeology refers to these blocks, unique to Egyptian architecture of the period, as “talatat”.
[3] At the centre of the bridge of appearances was a balcony, from which the royals would bestow honors on favored courtiers gathered on the Royal Road below.
[4] High Priest
[5] Temple of Karnak
[6] Again, Ra and the Aten are in some sense considered to be one and the same – Ra is the divine, unseen, intangible power of the Sun, and the Aten is that power in physical form; the two are united, indivisible, and immutable. Think of it in the same way as the OTL Christian concept of the Holy Trinity. In Atenism, it was (of course) the Aten that took precedence, possibly due to its earthly visibility.
[7] A “sacred loop” encircling the names of kings and queens, protecting them from evil.
[8] i.e. “rays”.
[9] The Mediterranean and Red seas.
[10] Underworld
[11] A reference to the annual inundation, which the Egyptians believed originated in the Underworld.
[12] Referring to rain.
[13] Akhenaten’s Throne Name.
[14] The names are from OTL, but once again, the genomes are different.
[15] In OTL, Iniuya was married to Meryre, steward of the Per-Aten.
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So the hymn (and therefore the initial basic theology) is the same? That makes sense, given that Iahames isn't focused on religion: his existence probably wouldn't change Akhenaten's theological views.
So Akhenaten is actually going to do something about Aziru and the Hittite-Mitanni conflict? Hope it doesn't go too far wrong.
Great stuff, keep it coming.
twovultures
Donor
I liked the hymn-and I look forward to seeing a strong Atenist foreign policy in action. How evangelical are you thinking of making this ATL version of Atenism?
Precisely. On matters of spirituality, Iahames has always elected to defer to what he considers his brother's superior wisdom. Matters of state are where he's most effective, and where his influence will be felt.
However, events that will transpire soon will be prompting Akhenaten to fine-tune and add to Atenist theology, broadening its appeal and accessibility.
After a lot of incessant prodding from Iahames, yes, he'll actually get it together and do something
Whether or not it will have a totally ideal outcome is another matter entirely...
Well, it may not be a strictly Atenist foreign policy, at least not at the beginning - It'll just be Egypt's standard "protection of colonial interests" schtick with a light dusting of ceremonial proselytism.
As for the degree of evangelism... Atenist evangelism on the level of say, early Christianity OTL, will emerge a little bit later, once the doctrine and dogma have matured.
Now I'm wondering what an "Atenist foreign policy" would be. With the hymn to go on, Atenism (at least at this stage) is an Egypt-centered religion, with the Two Lands as the center of creation and the pharaoh as the god's vice-regent on earth. So no change there, then.
The references to Syria and Kush, to Aten as the "lord of every land," and more importantly, to the god "settl[ing] everyone in his place," do suggest some possible change in policy. The Aten is obviously conceived as a universal god -- Egypt may be a little closer to his heart than other nations, but the latter certainly aren't forgotten. In OTL, Akhenaten never meddled with the religious practices of the Levantine vassal cities, but that might be different here.
I wonder if he'll "encourage" their leading men to accept Atenism, or at least to find a local god that can be identified with the Aten in the same way that, say, Astarte was identified with Hathor. After all, the Aten creates "millions of forms from himself alone," and that may relate to local gods as well as people, cities and towns -- the beginning of a henotheistic hegemony in which city and district gods are identified as aspects of (or else subordinated to) the Aten. That shouldn't be too much of a problem in the loyal cities like Byblos/Gebal that considered themselves half Egyptian to begin with, but might be more of one elsewhere.
Or maybe the pharaoh, as vice-regent of Aten, will come to see himself as the one responsible for "settling everyone in his place," or for that matter every nation. If this is taken far enough, Akhenaten might view his responsibilities as extending beyond Egypt and its colonies, to include mediating conflicts elsewhere -- a formalized Pax Aegyptica, with peacemaking among the quarreling barbarians being one of Egypt's duties as light unto the nations. Maybe this Egypt wouldn't wait for Rameses II to begin practicing treaty diplomacy, and might see itself as an early "United Nations" in which foreign princes could settle their disputes on neutral ground. Such settlements, of course, would be Egyptian-influenced with a healthy dose of proselytization about the grace of the Aten.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing what you have in mind.
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Stop reading my mind, dammit!
Well, if we're both reading Akhenaten's mind the same way, then maybe we're on to something.
It should go without saying, of course, that Atenist diplomacy could backfire badly, and would be resented by those who see themselves as the losers. There would also be a problem of trust -- in order for Egypt to be accepted as mediator, it would have to emphasize diplomacy as a religious obligation which is not narrowly defined by Egyptian interests, rather than a political ploy which is. An idealist like Akhenaten might actually see his duty this way, and might actually try to settle disputes fairly.
Iahames, now... he could either help or hinder. On the one hand, he'd balk at sacrificing Egyptian interests in any way -- fairness is easy enough with countries like Assyria or Mycenae that don't border Egypt, but fairness to the Hittites is another matter entirely. On the other hand, he'd see the political potential of diplomacy more clearly than Akhenaten, and might understand that even a policy which has short-term costs to Egypt might bear long-term dividends in terms of being trusted and viewed as indispensable by other kingdoms. He certainly wouldn't countenance Egypt's security being compromised to any material degree, but he might help Akhenaten build a system that's sufficiently trusted, and produces a sufficient number of win-win outcomes, to prevail for a century or two. And such a system -- in which the leaders of many countries are exposed to Atenism -- could help it spread very far, very fast...
One more question: will Akhenaten actually go to Retenu? A trip to a country that's only partly Egyptianized, and where people don't see the world as Egyptians do, could be a spiritual as well as a political learning experience.
(No need to answer if you don't want to spoil the story -- just putting the idea on the table.)
(No need to answer if you don't want to spoil the story -- just putting the idea on the table.)
Akhenaten will be going to Retjenu, and he'll be taking Tutankhaten with him. That's the extent of what I'll be revealing for now.
Now, I'm going to search my room for hidden cameras, as the more you speculate the more I'm convinced that you've had at least a partial glimpse of my notes
Now, I'm going to search my room for hidden cameras, as the more you speculate the more I'm convinced that you've had at least a partial glimpse of my notes
Sorry for not reading and commenting on this before, it really is quite excellent, even if I am not a big fan of either Akhenaten or Aten (may death befall the enemies of Ra). The only thing better than reading this is reading this while listening to the Mummy soundtrack.
Maybe it's just me, but an Atenist Egypt may well become an African/Near Eastern rival to the Middle Kingdom in more ways than one...
Sweet TL. Don't really know much about this period, so it's really refreshing to see this.
Also: that was an awesome palace.
Also: that was an awesome palace.
YOU"VE BEEN NOMINATED!
I think that your TL deserves a Turtledove, so therefore I nominated you
I think that your TL deserves a Turtledove, so therefore I nominated you
Sorry for not reading and commenting on this before, it really is quite excellent, even if I am not a big fan of either Akhenaten or Aten (may death befall the enemies of Ra). The only thing better than reading this is reading this while listening to the Mummy soundtrack.
Funny story... I listened to that soundtrack to get pumped for yesterday's update
Are you still planning on doing a rewrite of U Kahlay Katun? Because I would totally read that... Enthusiastically!
Perhaps...
Merci!
YOU"VE BEEN NOMINATED!
I think that your TL deserves a Turtledove, so therefore I nominated you
Woot! Another nomination! Thanks!
Introducing SEXY TITLES!
The Per-Nesu, Akhet-Aten, Regnal Year 10 Under His Majesty King of Upper and Lower Egypt Neferkheperure-Waenre, Son of Ra Akhenaten Given Life, Stability, and Dominion
“Why does he alone keep writing to me?” His Majesty remarked with a moan. The king and his brother were seated at a table, discussing matters of state that Iahames was loath to put off any longer for the mere sake of his brother’s worship schedule, as noble a pursuit as that was.
“You are his lord and sovereign; and his city of Kebny [1] has for years been tormented by the upstart king of Amurru [2], who flouts Your Majesty’s authority and conspires with the vile Hittites against our allies in Naharin [3]. He merely requests soldiers for the protection that Egypt has long guaranteed him.” Responded Iahames, calmly.
“The king of Amurru… This is Abdi-Ashirta? The same Abdi-Ashirta who has called me brother, who has bowed before me seven times and seven times?” Inquired the king.
Iahames leaned over the table and looked his brother in the eye, “Abdi-Ashirta is a vile dog will speak one way and act in another… He allows the king of Hatti [4] to wander through the land of Retjenu, past Your Majesty’s garrisons at Sumur and Kadesh, to challenge the authority of Naharin along the river Purattu [5]… He incites the people of Ammiya [6] to kill their lord, causing chaos in the land. He may claim to bow before you seven times and seven times, but he then swiftly turns his back and says to his cronies: ‘Let us assemble in the temple of Ninurta, and then let us fall on Kebny. Look, there is no one that will save it from us. Then let us drive out the mayors from the country, that the entire country be joined to Amurru. Should even the king of Egypt come out, the entire country will be against him and what will he do to us?’ [7]… This is the nature of the king of Amurru. You must not be blinded by his flattery!” The prince paused after his tirade, watching his brother, the king, digest the slew of information.
“And this king of Kebny, Rib-Hadda, he is loyal to me?” said Akhenaten, after a brief moment of reflection. Iahames reached below to his feet and produced a sack of clay tablets, which were quickly strewn over the table.
“These are the letters from Rib-Hadda for the past few years – even with Akhet-Aten under construction, we were able to file them appropriately. Among these letters are duplicates, sent out from Kebny by different couriers to ensure they reach Your Majesty’s ears. Now, admittedly, I thought at first he was overreacting, but I ordered the commissioner of Sumur to remain at his post anyway, to monitor the situation [8], and he confirms Rib-Hadda’s claims. Additionally, the sheer volume of the king’s missives, which you see before you, in my opinion clearly demonstrates his loyalty to Your Majesty – would he not have otherwise thrown in his lot with this vile Abdi-Ashirta?” Iahames took a breath and awaited his brother’s reply.
“You speak truly…” said Akhenaten. “I suppose I should send you to Retjenu, to see that he receives the aid he requires.”
“With all due deference, I should not be the one to go to Retjenu, Your Majesty; it is you who should lead the army to the gates of Kebny, to crush this Abdi-Ashirta into the dust from whence he crawled.” Iahames retorted.
“How can I do such a thing?” Akhenaten protested, “Our father never had to march into Retjenu! I would not know where to begin!”
“Our father had that luxury because our grandfather, his father, and his grandfather before him had pacified the region in the name of the Two Lands! When the sovereignty of A’akheperure [9] was challenged by the seven chiefs of Takhsy, he did not sit idle! He took his armies into the land of Retjenu and returned with their bodies swinging upside-down from the mast of his boat!” Iahames paused briefly, and encountering no resistance, continued, “If I take the army to Retjenu, and leave you here in Akhet-Aten, what then will the king of Amurru say? He will say, ‘Look, the king of Egypt will not even face us! He sends his servant to do his bidding!’ And then we will lose Amurru – and all of Retjenu – to his schemes and to the machinations of the Hittites!”
A pregnant silence followed.
“You are not my servant. You are my brother.” Said Akhenaten, finally. “And you are also right…” He added with a sigh. Iahames bowed his head. The king rose from his seat and gazed out the window, across the Royal Road, where the Great Royal Palace filled his sight. “… But how can I lead an army?”
“That, you will not have to do…” Said Iahames, “All that matters is your presence – Allow Mai, Nakhuempaaten, and Paatenemheb [10] to lead the armies, and I will instruct Seti [11] to ensure your safety at all times, should battle be joined. You may not even have to fight; Abdi-Ashirta is clearly not expecting us to react, and your appearance may very well drive him back to his hole [12]… I can even come with you, if that is what you wish.”
Akhenaten nodded lightly “No, you must stay here…” He said, “Nefertiti can handle our duties to the Aten, there is no question about that, but I need you to keep the state in good order, as you have done while my heart has been with our creator in the sky…”
“Your Majesty, I never meant to suggest that you have been neglectful of the state! Quite the opposite, in fact… Your revelations have enriched the Two Lands a million times over – the Aten recreates Egypt daily as a pristine beacon unto all lands, all through your tutelage!” Iahames interjected, bowing low.
“I know, brother…” Said Akhenaten, smiling warmly, “But at times, I do wish I could spend every hour in adoration of the Aten… And it’s at those times that I’m most grateful that He saw it fit to place you on this earth.”
Another pause followed, in which Iahames bowed humbly before the king once again.
“You know, brother…” Akhenaten continued, “You have inspired me… This talk of campaigns has reminded me of our father’s grand tour of the Nubias, conducted just prior to his jubilee… Do you remember?”
Iahames nodded in affirmation. “He had a temple to the divine sun built at the fortress of Menenu-Khaemma’at [13], with a solar court… Not unlike the temples here…”
“That is correct!” Replied Akhenaten. “Our father was already ascending to his place as creator, as divine sun… And he was extending his radiance to the Nubias by building his temple there… Perhaps it is my duty to do the same in Retjenu; people of all lands should know the grace of the Aten, who made them.”
“Indeed they should.”
Akhenaten clapped his hands together. “I’ll take Tutankhaten [14] with me! He will see the Aten’s light spread first-hand, and from the generals he will learn to defend Egypt from men like this Abdi-Ashirta.”
“That is a most-excellent idea, Your Majesty…”
“And you…” said Akhenaten, clapping his brother on the shoulder, “You will remain here as Prince-Regent, to safeguard the Two Lands until I return with the Aten’s blessing.”
Waset, Upper Egypt, three weeks later…
Four cloaked, hooded figures wound their way through the city’s labyrinthine alleyways. They kept their heads down, ignoring the calls of hawkers and vendors plying their wares and cheap trinkets. Eventually, they came to a small, crowded market square, wherein the food vendors were beginning to put out their fires and pack up their stalls as the first beams of twilight coloured the western horizon.
“Is that the place?” Asked one of the cloaked men, gesturing to a run-down tavern crammed into a corner of the square, near an alley from which poured the scent of souring beer and urine.
“How many other taverns in this city have a desiccated crocodile’s tail pinned to lintel? [15]” Another replied, pointing to the grisly trophy hanging above the door.
A shrug and a scoff later, and the four men were cramming themselves into the tavern. Here, the smells of sour beer, wine, and urine mixed with a smattering of body odour and another medley of scents that none of the hooded men even dared to contemplate. They wound their way through the tables full of drunken, singing, arguing patrons to a larger corner table, where another four men, one of them not cloaked and sprawled over the table, were already seated.
“Who’s the fourth? There were only supposed to be the three of you!”
“Clearly he’s not with us… He came here just before you arrived, drunk like it was a festival day… He only got half-way through his name before passing out.”
“Shove him off… We don’t want to be overheard.”
One of the seated cloaked men, who had a walking stick leaning against the nearby wall, took it in his hand and contemptuously prodded the drunk man until he rolled off the table with a groan, dragging himself in the direction of the door not long after making contact with the packed dirt floor. One of the standing figures spat as he passed, and then the four latecomers took their places at the table.
“We don’t want to be overheard, so we come to a dingy tavern full of common scum whose lips have been loosened by enough alcohol to fill the Sha-Hapu?”
A hiss.
“Look around! Do you see anyone paying heed to us? They bury their faces in bowls of drink… Were we to meet in seclusion, any incidental passer-by would be sure to hear us. Here, there is no such risk.”
A forced cough, the speaker turned. Behind him was a serving lady, a commoner with a lazy eye and several missing teeth, balancing a number of jugs in her left arm.
“What do you want?” She inquired.
“I’ll take a beer.” Said one of the seven.
Six vitriolic glares were directed his way.
“Or… I’ll give you a qidet [16] of copper to leave us be…” he mumbled, correcting himself and tossing a copper weight in the shape of a hare onto the floor.
“Whatever you say…” said the serving lady, bending to pick up the qidet and disappearing into the crowd of patrons. Despite the noise of the establishment, a bubble of silence enveloped the seven as they exchanged glances and cast another cursory look around the room, to ensure no more surprises.
“So…” One finally spoke, “Why is it that we’ve gathered in this latrine?”
“Brothers, I don’t need to tell you that we are out of favour… Surely, you’ve noticed how we have been cast aside, ignored by that heretic…” Said another.
“You speak of the king…”
“Of course I speak of the king… That blasphemer sits on the Horus Throne, denying the very existence of the god to whom he owes his position. He enrages the gods by shutting up their houses; he declares that Amen is dead!”
“Precisely… Can you imagine a greater heresy? The Lord of Truth, Father of the Gods, Maker of Men, Creator of all Animals, Lord of Things that Are, Creator of the Staff of Life… Dead!”
“Yes! And then he builds palaces and wallows in luxury; he builds walls around open fields and has the gall to call them temples! And what of-…” The speaker cast a nervous glance around the tavern and lowered his voice. “-… And what of us? What of we who have served the gods since time immemorial? We are the ones who have kept Ma’at intact while the kings of this festering dynasty have swung their swords in Retjenu and the Nubias!”
“Yes! It’s we who have maintained the order of all things!”
“Yes! And now His Majesty would have us ignore over a thousand years of tradition to stand and bake in the sun? Nonsense! I will not bow before his sun, and I will not be tossed into the alley like common refuse!”
A jerk of a thumb in the latest speaker's direction.
“He wishes to be treated as exalted refuse…”
Hisses all around.
“Be silent!”
“Have you no shame?”
Silence descended once more.
“But what would you have us do?”
“The gods are already showing their displeasure… A plague [17] is moving through the villages of middle Egypt…”
“The gods are free to do as they doubtless will, of course… But in the mean time, we must be proactive ourselves.”
“And how do you suggest we do that?”
“I daresay you’ve heard, by now, that His Majesty is preparing to sail to Tjaru [18] where he will gather his armies for a campaign in Retjenu.”
“What of it?”
“With His Majesty gone, the security of Akhet-Aten will be lessened… Slightly lessened, but possibly enough to slip into the servants of the palaces one who still carries the living gods in his heart… He will be our instrument, with which we will strike.”
“But with His Majesty gone, who are we to strike?”
“His Majesty, vile blasphemer though he may be, should not be considered foremost among our concerns, at least not from a pragmatic standpoint. No, that honour goes to his loathsome brother, the scraper and bower who runs Akhet-Aten… He has been appointed Prince-Regent, have you heard? He may not even realize it himself, but he is the heart of the heretic regime… Cut out the heart, and the blasphemer’s body will whither and die…”
Silence descended once more, glances were exchanged anew.
“Then it’s agreed… The arrangements will be made as soon as time and good caution permit… The Prince-Regent has to die.”
*****************************************************************
The OTL events that took place in the Levant during the reigns of Amenhotep III, Akhenaten, and Tutankhamen are know from the Amarna Letters: a cache of official correspondence (found at the Per-Nesu in Akhet-Aten) written in Akkadian (the diplomatic Lingua Franca of the day) between the kings of Egypt and their Near Eastern vassals, allies, and contacts. However, the chronology of the Amarna Letters can, at times, be somewhat muddled, with different sources making contradictory claims regarding the time frame in which the event took place (I’m using butterflies as an excuse to adhere to this particular timeframe). It is known that Rib-Hadda of Gubla had a great deal of problems with expansionist Abdi-Ashirta of Amurru, to the point where after years of pleading the Egyptian court under OTL’s passive Akhenaten had Abdi-Ashirta assassinated.
The fix was temporary, however, and Aziru (the son of Abdi-Ashirta) would proceed to drive Rib-Hadda from Gubla and into exile in Biruta (Beirut), not long after which he would be killed by his own brother at Aziru’s behest. Aziru would be summoned to Egypt, where he apparently received nothing more beyond a slap on the wrist, and upon his return to Amurru he would renounce loyalty to Egypt completely and throw his weight behind the Hittite king Suppiluliuma, who through a number of campaigns had been terrorizing the Mitanni and undermining Egyptian dominance in Syria.
The whole sad affair concluded with the loss of Egyptian control over Amurru, Syria, and with the destruction of the Mitanni kingdom. That was the course of OTL events. However, with Akhenaten now marching north with his finest generals to confront Abdi-Ashirta and to spread the Aten’s light, it’s clear that in the world of the Realm of Millions of Years, the conflict will have a differently shaped outcome.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] The Egyptian name of Gubla/Byblos
[2] Northern Lebanon/the Syrian Coast
[3] The “alliance” between Naharin (Hanigalbat – the Mitanni kingdom) and Egypt has for the past century been really more along the lines of de-facto vassalage. The Egyptians would say “jump” and the Mitanni would ask “how high?”.
[4] The Hittite kingdom
[5] The Euphrates
[6] Near modern Tripoli, Lebanon.
[7] Iahames is quoting an alleged transcript of Abdi-Ashirta’s speech sent to him in a letter from Rib-Hadda, the king of Gubla.
[8] This is a divergence from OTL, wherein the Egyptian commissioner of the garrison at Sumur was recalled from his post.
[9] Throne name of Amenhotep II, a recent ancestor of Akhenaten and Iahames renowned for his athleticism and strength in battle.
[10] Assorted military officials.
[11] Standard-bearer of the king’s bodyguard.
[12] Iahames is not being entirely honest, here. While he suspects there’s a good chance Abdi-Ashirta will stand down, he would much prefer it if he were pursued and executed.
[13] Modern Soleb, Sudan.
[14] The young prince is 9 years old, by this point.
[15] Points (and possibly a cookie) to whomever gets the reference!
[16] A weight of about 7.6 grams – 10 qidet made a deben, a weight frequently used to denote the values of goods by comparing their worth to a weight of metal. Basically, a proto-currency used alongside the far more prevalent barter economy.
[17] This “plague”, which occurred in OTL as well, may have been the first recorded outbreak of influenza.
[18] Sile/Tell el-Habua (possibly)
The Realm of Millions of Years
The World of an Atenist Egypt
Chapter 5
A Storm Gathers
The World of an Atenist Egypt
Chapter 5
A Storm Gathers
The Per-Nesu, Akhet-Aten, Regnal Year 10 Under His Majesty King of Upper and Lower Egypt Neferkheperure-Waenre, Son of Ra Akhenaten Given Life, Stability, and Dominion
“Why does he alone keep writing to me?” His Majesty remarked with a moan. The king and his brother were seated at a table, discussing matters of state that Iahames was loath to put off any longer for the mere sake of his brother’s worship schedule, as noble a pursuit as that was.
“You are his lord and sovereign; and his city of Kebny [1] has for years been tormented by the upstart king of Amurru [2], who flouts Your Majesty’s authority and conspires with the vile Hittites against our allies in Naharin [3]. He merely requests soldiers for the protection that Egypt has long guaranteed him.” Responded Iahames, calmly.
“The king of Amurru… This is Abdi-Ashirta? The same Abdi-Ashirta who has called me brother, who has bowed before me seven times and seven times?” Inquired the king.
Iahames leaned over the table and looked his brother in the eye, “Abdi-Ashirta is a vile dog will speak one way and act in another… He allows the king of Hatti [4] to wander through the land of Retjenu, past Your Majesty’s garrisons at Sumur and Kadesh, to challenge the authority of Naharin along the river Purattu [5]… He incites the people of Ammiya [6] to kill their lord, causing chaos in the land. He may claim to bow before you seven times and seven times, but he then swiftly turns his back and says to his cronies: ‘Let us assemble in the temple of Ninurta, and then let us fall on Kebny. Look, there is no one that will save it from us. Then let us drive out the mayors from the country, that the entire country be joined to Amurru. Should even the king of Egypt come out, the entire country will be against him and what will he do to us?’ [7]… This is the nature of the king of Amurru. You must not be blinded by his flattery!” The prince paused after his tirade, watching his brother, the king, digest the slew of information.
“And this king of Kebny, Rib-Hadda, he is loyal to me?” said Akhenaten, after a brief moment of reflection. Iahames reached below to his feet and produced a sack of clay tablets, which were quickly strewn over the table.
“These are the letters from Rib-Hadda for the past few years – even with Akhet-Aten under construction, we were able to file them appropriately. Among these letters are duplicates, sent out from Kebny by different couriers to ensure they reach Your Majesty’s ears. Now, admittedly, I thought at first he was overreacting, but I ordered the commissioner of Sumur to remain at his post anyway, to monitor the situation [8], and he confirms Rib-Hadda’s claims. Additionally, the sheer volume of the king’s missives, which you see before you, in my opinion clearly demonstrates his loyalty to Your Majesty – would he not have otherwise thrown in his lot with this vile Abdi-Ashirta?” Iahames took a breath and awaited his brother’s reply.
“You speak truly…” said Akhenaten. “I suppose I should send you to Retjenu, to see that he receives the aid he requires.”
“With all due deference, I should not be the one to go to Retjenu, Your Majesty; it is you who should lead the army to the gates of Kebny, to crush this Abdi-Ashirta into the dust from whence he crawled.” Iahames retorted.
“How can I do such a thing?” Akhenaten protested, “Our father never had to march into Retjenu! I would not know where to begin!”
“Our father had that luxury because our grandfather, his father, and his grandfather before him had pacified the region in the name of the Two Lands! When the sovereignty of A’akheperure [9] was challenged by the seven chiefs of Takhsy, he did not sit idle! He took his armies into the land of Retjenu and returned with their bodies swinging upside-down from the mast of his boat!” Iahames paused briefly, and encountering no resistance, continued, “If I take the army to Retjenu, and leave you here in Akhet-Aten, what then will the king of Amurru say? He will say, ‘Look, the king of Egypt will not even face us! He sends his servant to do his bidding!’ And then we will lose Amurru – and all of Retjenu – to his schemes and to the machinations of the Hittites!”
A pregnant silence followed.
“You are not my servant. You are my brother.” Said Akhenaten, finally. “And you are also right…” He added with a sigh. Iahames bowed his head. The king rose from his seat and gazed out the window, across the Royal Road, where the Great Royal Palace filled his sight. “… But how can I lead an army?”
“That, you will not have to do…” Said Iahames, “All that matters is your presence – Allow Mai, Nakhuempaaten, and Paatenemheb [10] to lead the armies, and I will instruct Seti [11] to ensure your safety at all times, should battle be joined. You may not even have to fight; Abdi-Ashirta is clearly not expecting us to react, and your appearance may very well drive him back to his hole [12]… I can even come with you, if that is what you wish.”
Akhenaten nodded lightly “No, you must stay here…” He said, “Nefertiti can handle our duties to the Aten, there is no question about that, but I need you to keep the state in good order, as you have done while my heart has been with our creator in the sky…”
“Your Majesty, I never meant to suggest that you have been neglectful of the state! Quite the opposite, in fact… Your revelations have enriched the Two Lands a million times over – the Aten recreates Egypt daily as a pristine beacon unto all lands, all through your tutelage!” Iahames interjected, bowing low.
“I know, brother…” Said Akhenaten, smiling warmly, “But at times, I do wish I could spend every hour in adoration of the Aten… And it’s at those times that I’m most grateful that He saw it fit to place you on this earth.”
Another pause followed, in which Iahames bowed humbly before the king once again.
“You know, brother…” Akhenaten continued, “You have inspired me… This talk of campaigns has reminded me of our father’s grand tour of the Nubias, conducted just prior to his jubilee… Do you remember?”
Iahames nodded in affirmation. “He had a temple to the divine sun built at the fortress of Menenu-Khaemma’at [13], with a solar court… Not unlike the temples here…”
“That is correct!” Replied Akhenaten. “Our father was already ascending to his place as creator, as divine sun… And he was extending his radiance to the Nubias by building his temple there… Perhaps it is my duty to do the same in Retjenu; people of all lands should know the grace of the Aten, who made them.”
“Indeed they should.”
Akhenaten clapped his hands together. “I’ll take Tutankhaten [14] with me! He will see the Aten’s light spread first-hand, and from the generals he will learn to defend Egypt from men like this Abdi-Ashirta.”
“That is a most-excellent idea, Your Majesty…”
“And you…” said Akhenaten, clapping his brother on the shoulder, “You will remain here as Prince-Regent, to safeguard the Two Lands until I return with the Aten’s blessing.”
* * *
Waset, Upper Egypt, three weeks later…
Four cloaked, hooded figures wound their way through the city’s labyrinthine alleyways. They kept their heads down, ignoring the calls of hawkers and vendors plying their wares and cheap trinkets. Eventually, they came to a small, crowded market square, wherein the food vendors were beginning to put out their fires and pack up their stalls as the first beams of twilight coloured the western horizon.
“Is that the place?” Asked one of the cloaked men, gesturing to a run-down tavern crammed into a corner of the square, near an alley from which poured the scent of souring beer and urine.
“How many other taverns in this city have a desiccated crocodile’s tail pinned to lintel? [15]” Another replied, pointing to the grisly trophy hanging above the door.
A shrug and a scoff later, and the four men were cramming themselves into the tavern. Here, the smells of sour beer, wine, and urine mixed with a smattering of body odour and another medley of scents that none of the hooded men even dared to contemplate. They wound their way through the tables full of drunken, singing, arguing patrons to a larger corner table, where another four men, one of them not cloaked and sprawled over the table, were already seated.
“Who’s the fourth? There were only supposed to be the three of you!”
“Clearly he’s not with us… He came here just before you arrived, drunk like it was a festival day… He only got half-way through his name before passing out.”
“Shove him off… We don’t want to be overheard.”
One of the seated cloaked men, who had a walking stick leaning against the nearby wall, took it in his hand and contemptuously prodded the drunk man until he rolled off the table with a groan, dragging himself in the direction of the door not long after making contact with the packed dirt floor. One of the standing figures spat as he passed, and then the four latecomers took their places at the table.
“We don’t want to be overheard, so we come to a dingy tavern full of common scum whose lips have been loosened by enough alcohol to fill the Sha-Hapu?”
A hiss.
“Look around! Do you see anyone paying heed to us? They bury their faces in bowls of drink… Were we to meet in seclusion, any incidental passer-by would be sure to hear us. Here, there is no such risk.”
A forced cough, the speaker turned. Behind him was a serving lady, a commoner with a lazy eye and several missing teeth, balancing a number of jugs in her left arm.
“What do you want?” She inquired.
“I’ll take a beer.” Said one of the seven.
Six vitriolic glares were directed his way.
“Or… I’ll give you a qidet [16] of copper to leave us be…” he mumbled, correcting himself and tossing a copper weight in the shape of a hare onto the floor.
“Whatever you say…” said the serving lady, bending to pick up the qidet and disappearing into the crowd of patrons. Despite the noise of the establishment, a bubble of silence enveloped the seven as they exchanged glances and cast another cursory look around the room, to ensure no more surprises.
“So…” One finally spoke, “Why is it that we’ve gathered in this latrine?”
“Brothers, I don’t need to tell you that we are out of favour… Surely, you’ve noticed how we have been cast aside, ignored by that heretic…” Said another.
“You speak of the king…”
“Of course I speak of the king… That blasphemer sits on the Horus Throne, denying the very existence of the god to whom he owes his position. He enrages the gods by shutting up their houses; he declares that Amen is dead!”
“Precisely… Can you imagine a greater heresy? The Lord of Truth, Father of the Gods, Maker of Men, Creator of all Animals, Lord of Things that Are, Creator of the Staff of Life… Dead!”
“Yes! And then he builds palaces and wallows in luxury; he builds walls around open fields and has the gall to call them temples! And what of-…” The speaker cast a nervous glance around the tavern and lowered his voice. “-… And what of us? What of we who have served the gods since time immemorial? We are the ones who have kept Ma’at intact while the kings of this festering dynasty have swung their swords in Retjenu and the Nubias!”
“Yes! It’s we who have maintained the order of all things!”
“Yes! And now His Majesty would have us ignore over a thousand years of tradition to stand and bake in the sun? Nonsense! I will not bow before his sun, and I will not be tossed into the alley like common refuse!”
A jerk of a thumb in the latest speaker's direction.
“He wishes to be treated as exalted refuse…”
Hisses all around.
“Be silent!”
“Have you no shame?”
Silence descended once more.
“But what would you have us do?”
“The gods are already showing their displeasure… A plague [17] is moving through the villages of middle Egypt…”
“The gods are free to do as they doubtless will, of course… But in the mean time, we must be proactive ourselves.”
“And how do you suggest we do that?”
“I daresay you’ve heard, by now, that His Majesty is preparing to sail to Tjaru [18] where he will gather his armies for a campaign in Retjenu.”
“What of it?”
“With His Majesty gone, the security of Akhet-Aten will be lessened… Slightly lessened, but possibly enough to slip into the servants of the palaces one who still carries the living gods in his heart… He will be our instrument, with which we will strike.”
“But with His Majesty gone, who are we to strike?”
“His Majesty, vile blasphemer though he may be, should not be considered foremost among our concerns, at least not from a pragmatic standpoint. No, that honour goes to his loathsome brother, the scraper and bower who runs Akhet-Aten… He has been appointed Prince-Regent, have you heard? He may not even realize it himself, but he is the heart of the heretic regime… Cut out the heart, and the blasphemer’s body will whither and die…”
Silence descended once more, glances were exchanged anew.
“Then it’s agreed… The arrangements will be made as soon as time and good caution permit… The Prince-Regent has to die.”
*****************************************************************
The OTL events that took place in the Levant during the reigns of Amenhotep III, Akhenaten, and Tutankhamen are know from the Amarna Letters: a cache of official correspondence (found at the Per-Nesu in Akhet-Aten) written in Akkadian (the diplomatic Lingua Franca of the day) between the kings of Egypt and their Near Eastern vassals, allies, and contacts. However, the chronology of the Amarna Letters can, at times, be somewhat muddled, with different sources making contradictory claims regarding the time frame in which the event took place (I’m using butterflies as an excuse to adhere to this particular timeframe). It is known that Rib-Hadda of Gubla had a great deal of problems with expansionist Abdi-Ashirta of Amurru, to the point where after years of pleading the Egyptian court under OTL’s passive Akhenaten had Abdi-Ashirta assassinated.
The fix was temporary, however, and Aziru (the son of Abdi-Ashirta) would proceed to drive Rib-Hadda from Gubla and into exile in Biruta (Beirut), not long after which he would be killed by his own brother at Aziru’s behest. Aziru would be summoned to Egypt, where he apparently received nothing more beyond a slap on the wrist, and upon his return to Amurru he would renounce loyalty to Egypt completely and throw his weight behind the Hittite king Suppiluliuma, who through a number of campaigns had been terrorizing the Mitanni and undermining Egyptian dominance in Syria.
The whole sad affair concluded with the loss of Egyptian control over Amurru, Syria, and with the destruction of the Mitanni kingdom. That was the course of OTL events. However, with Akhenaten now marching north with his finest generals to confront Abdi-Ashirta and to spread the Aten’s light, it’s clear that in the world of the Realm of Millions of Years, the conflict will have a differently shaped outcome.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] The Egyptian name of Gubla/Byblos
[2] Northern Lebanon/the Syrian Coast
[3] The “alliance” between Naharin (Hanigalbat – the Mitanni kingdom) and Egypt has for the past century been really more along the lines of de-facto vassalage. The Egyptians would say “jump” and the Mitanni would ask “how high?”.
[4] The Hittite kingdom
[5] The Euphrates
[6] Near modern Tripoli, Lebanon.
[7] Iahames is quoting an alleged transcript of Abdi-Ashirta’s speech sent to him in a letter from Rib-Hadda, the king of Gubla.
[8] This is a divergence from OTL, wherein the Egyptian commissioner of the garrison at Sumur was recalled from his post.
[9] Throne name of Amenhotep II, a recent ancestor of Akhenaten and Iahames renowned for his athleticism and strength in battle.
[10] Assorted military officials.
[11] Standard-bearer of the king’s bodyguard.
[12] Iahames is not being entirely honest, here. While he suspects there’s a good chance Abdi-Ashirta will stand down, he would much prefer it if he were pursued and executed.
[13] Modern Soleb, Sudan.
[14] The young prince is 9 years old, by this point.
[15] Points (and possibly a cookie) to whomever gets the reference!
[16] A weight of about 7.6 grams – 10 qidet made a deben, a weight frequently used to denote the values of goods by comparing their worth to a weight of metal. Basically, a proto-currency used alongside the far more prevalent barter economy.
[17] This “plague”, which occurred in OTL as well, may have been the first recorded outbreak of influenza.
[18] Sile/Tell el-Habua (possibly)
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Something tells me that those Amen-Ra priest conspirators will fail - and when Akhenaten returns from his military campaign in the Levant and hears of this - it is most likely that a series of very thorough and nasty purges of all priests/supporters/worshipers of the old gods will occur. Moreover, if and when he succeeds in his first military campaign will Akhenaten and the kings after him conduct the Atenist version of holy wars/crusades against hostile unbelievers, and thus spread that faith by the sword? If so, what will the rulers/peoples of enemy kingdoms think of this new policy? Will they think the sun-worshiping Egyptian pharaohs as dangerous religious fanatics prone to conducting holy wars against peoples/kingdoms that are enemies of Egypt, and thus the best policy for these enemy peoples/kingdoms is to kowtow to the pharaohs in everything to avoid the possibility of holy wars being made upon them? What about the more stronger and future hostile kingdoms such as Assyria, Babylon, Persia, etc.? Also, will Atenism influence and in turn also be influenced by Judaism, and by extension Chistianity? Will Atenism have an effect on the kingdoms of Greece, especially when it relates of the worship of the Greek sun gods (i.e. Apollo, Helios, etc.)? Will Atenism later influence the Roman imperial cult of Sol Invictus (Invincible/Unconquerable Sun) in the Roman Empire? Please let me know your answers to each of my questions. Anyway, I hope to hear from you very soon. Thank you.
Something tells me that those Amen-Ra priest conspirators will fail - and when Akhenaten returns from his military campaign in the Levant and hears of this - it is most likely that a series of very thorough and nasty purges of all priests/supporters/worshipers of the old gods will occur. Moreover, if and when he succeeds in his first military campaign will Akhenaten and the kings after him conduct the Atenist version of holy wars/crusades against hostile unbelievers, and thus spread that faith by the sword? If so, what will the rulers/peoples of enemy kingdoms think of this new policy? Will they think the sun-worshiping Egyptian pharaohs as dangerous religious fanatics prone to conducting holy wars against peoples/kingdoms that are enemies of Egypt, and thus the best policy for these enemy peoples/kingdoms is to kowtow to the pharaohs in everything to avoid the possibility of holy wars being made upon them? What about the more stronger and future hostile kingdoms such as Assyria, Babylon, Persia, etc.? Also, will Atenism influence and in turn also be influenced by Judaism, and by extension Chistianity? Will Atenism have an effect on the kingdoms of Greece, especially when it relates of the worship of the Greek sun gods (i.e. Apollo, Helios, etc.)? Will Atenism later influence the Roman imperial cult of Sol Invictus (Invincible/Unconquerable Sun) in the Roman Empire? Please let me know your answers to each of my questions. Anyway, I hope to hear from you very soon. Thank you.
Hey Silver, I'd like to answer your questions, but at this point I feel that would give away too much of the story. Your earlier questions will be answered in the timeline pretty soon, though, so all I can say is keep reading to find out!
As for your later questions, Neoteros kind of hit the nail on the head... Atenism won't have any interaction with Judaism and Christianity, nor will Atenist Egypt have to deal with Persia (as we know it), Classical Greece, Rome, or Sol Invictus, because due to the butterflies those religions and cultures simply won't exist in this timeline. There will be other empires that rise and fall in their places, and there will be Greek and Italic states, but nothing that we in our world would immediately recognize as "Classical Greece" or "the Roman Empire".
- Status