Akhenaten

Akhenaten was the tenth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, whose reign from 940 to 923 B.C. marked the beginning of the Amarna period. He succeeded his father Amenhotep III, and was succeeded by Ay. Much is known about this pharaoh in both the revised and traditional histories.

Akhenaten was the son of Amenhotep III, who was the son of Thutmose IV, who was the son of Amenhotep II. His genealogy stretches directly back to the founder of the dynasty, Ahmose I. Akhenaten had many children, but only one son: Tutankhamen.

In 940 B.C., Amenhotep III appointed his son Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) coregent with him in his old age. In Amenhotep IV's fifth year (936 B.C.), he claimed to have had a religious vision and he created a new Egyptian monotheistic religion, centered around the god Aten. Amenhotep then changed his name to Akhenaten, and moved the 18th Dynasty capital to Akhetaten (Amarna). This began the Amarna period.

For eight more years, Akhenaten would rule as coregent with Amenhotep III, until his death in 928 B.C. Around the same time, Akhenaten's brother-in-law Labaya/Jeroboam gained the territory of Israel for Egypt. This caused a renewed interest in the Levant, and Akhenaten conquered Judah (at the time under Rehoboam's control) in 925 B.C., placing an Egyptian regent there.

The last few years of Akhenaten's reign were a disaster for him, with many of his family members dying or being killed. The people of Egypt rebelled against the newly instituted religion. He died in 923 B.C., and the disastrous circumstances of his reign would last until the reforms of Horemheb.

The evidence for the revised history can be found at Displaced Dynasties. Evidence pertaining to this pharaoh specifically can be found here.