Akhenaten and the Religion of Light (Paperback)

Akhenaten, also known as Amenhotep IV, was king of Egypt during the Eighteenth Dynasty and reigned from 1375 to 1358 B.C. E. Called the "religious revolutionary," he is the earliest known creator of a new religion. The cult he founded broke with Egypt's traditional polytheism and focused its worship on a single deity, the sun god Aten. Erik Hornung, one of the world's preeminent Egyptologists, here offers a concise and accessible account of Akhenaten and his religion of light.Hornung begins with a discussion of the nineteenth-century scholars who laid the foundation for our knowledge of Akhenaten's period and extends to the most recent archaeological finds. He emphasizes that Akhenaten's monotheistic theology represented the first attempt in history to explain the entire natural and human world on the basis of a single principle. "Akhenaten made light the absolute reference point," Hornung writes, "and it is astonishing how clearly and consistently he pursued this concept." Hornung also addresses such topics as the origins of the new religion; pro-found changes in beliefs regarding the afterlife; and the new Egyptian capital at Akhetaten which was devoted to the service of Aten, his prophet Akhenaten, and the latter's family.

General

Imprint:	Cornell University Press
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	2001
First published:	2001
Authors:	Erik Hornung
Translators:	David Lorton
Dimensions:	216 x 140 x 10mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - Trade / Trade
Pages:	160
ISBN-13:	978-0-8014-8725-5
Categories:	Books > Humanities > History > World history > BCE to 500 CE Books > Humanities > History > African history > General Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian religions > Pre-Christian European & Mediterranean religions > Ancient Egyptian religion Books > History > African history > General Books > History > World history > BCE to 500 CE Books > Religion & Spirituality > Non-Christian religions > Pre-Christian European & Mediterranean religions > Ancient Egyptian religion Promotions
LSN:	0-8014-8725-0
Barcode:	9780801487255

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