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Aten facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
La salle dAkhenaton (1356-1340 av J.C.) (Musée du Caire) (2076972086)
Pharaoh Akhenaten and his family worshiping the Aten
Aten
Aten

Aten was the disk of the Sun in ancient Egyptian mythology. It was also seen as a god. People in ancient Egypt pictured Aten as the sun itself. Its rays often ended in tiny hands. These hands sometimes held the ankh, which was a symbol for life. Aten was a part of the powerful sun-god Ra.

Atenism: Worshiping One God

Aten became the main focus of a special religion called Atenism. This religion was started by a pharaoh named Amenhotep IV. He later changed his name to Akhenaten. He did this to show his strong belief in Aten. Akhenaten wanted people to worship only Aten. This was a very new idea for ancient Egypt. Most Egyptians worshiped many different gods. Akhenaten was the first person to try and create a religion that focused on just one god.

Akhenaten's Great Hymn

Akhenaten wrote a famous poem called the Great Hymn to the Aten. In this poem, he praised Aten as the creator of everything. He said Aten was the one who gave life to all living things. This hymn shows how deeply Akhenaten believed in Aten's power.

The End of Aten's Worship

After Akhenaten died, the worship of Aten did not last long. Another pharaoh named Horemheb made sure that the old gods were worshiped again. He ended the religion of Atenism. Many temples and images of Aten were destroyed.

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