Here
you may find information about the illustrious Pharaoh Akhenaten,
Queen Nefertiti, and the pharaohs father and grandfather.
Click on a name below to read about the glorious exploits of the
18th Dynasty and learn the latest news of the royal family.
Pharaoh
Akhenaten
Queen
Nefertiti
Amenhotep
III
Thutmose
III
News
of the Royal Family
Early
in his reign, Pharaoh Akhenaten shocked Egypt by declaring
"erroneous" the state religion of Amon-Re and the gods
from former times. He became the first ever to promote the worship
of the one true God. The pharaoh changed his name to Akhenaten,
which means One Who Serves Aten. Guided by the Aten, Akhenaten
founded a new religious and political capital in Middle Egypt dedicated
solely to the Aten, the creator of life. This city he called Akhetaten,
or horizon of the Aten.
Queen
Nefertiti, the great royal wife, is renown throughout the Two
Lands for her beauty and her devotion to the Aten. Her name means
the beautiful one has come.
The
queen assists the Majesty of Akhenaten in religious ceremonies.
She also appears alongside the pharaoh in sculptures and other works
of art created in the new style inspired by these visionary rulers.
In many of these images, she is shown praising the Aten and receiving
an ankh,
the symbol of life, from the rays of God. Queen Nefertiti has given
the pharaoh six beautiful daughters: Meritaten, Meketaten, Ankhsenpaaten,
Neferneferuaten, Neferneferure, and Setepenre.
Amenhotep
III, also known as Amenhotep the Dazzling Sundisk, the father
of Pharaoh Akhenaten, inherited a kingdom blessed with peace and
riches. Internationally esteemed for his diplomatic skills, Amenhotep
III embarked upon a construction program unprecedented in Egyptian
history. One of the greatest of his monuments is an elaborate funerary
temple across the Nile River from Thebes that features two
huge statues of this glorious ruler. Amenhoteps great
love was Tiye,
who, though a commoner, became his queen and the mother of Pharaoh
Akhenaten.
Thutmose
III, the great-great-grandfather of Pharaoh Akhenaten, is remembered
in glory as a mighty warrior. This iron-willed kings frequent
military campaigns made Egypt the strongest empire in the world.
His efforts brought the empire many valuable resources, including
slaves, copper, gold, ivory, and ebony.
News
of the Royal Family
Here,
in the 14 year of the pharaoh's rule, the death of Princess
Meketaten, the pharaohs
second daughter, has greatly grieved the kingdom. The queen has retreated
to the North Riverside Palace to mourn.
Queen
Tiye, the mother of Pharaoh Akhenaten, recently departed from Akhetaten
after a visit to the royal family. Prince Tutankhaten,
though only a toddler, was chosen to present a farewell gift of
flowers to the queen mother.
The
queen mother, though sad at the death of her granddaughter, reminisced
with great satisfaction about the "Tribute of Nations,"
held two years ago. This grand celebration in Akhetaten drew multitudes
of ambassadors from lands beyond Egypt, who offered praise and
valuable gifts to the Aten and Pharaoh Akhenaten. The delegations,
received by Pharaoh Akhenaten, Queen Nefertiti, and their daughters,
marked one of the last public appearances of Princess Meketaten.
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