One of King Akhenaton's first goals was to establish a new god, and to build and dedicate brand new structures to the people's new god. Huge amounts of money were being diverted from other temples in order to build these ones, and there was always an underlying threat that those who did not wish to serve the "Sun Disc" in this way would come unfavorably to the attention of the king.
The followers of Akhenaton spoke of him and his god, the Sun Disc . . .
"'[May the] Disc [do] as thou hast commanded [. . .]; thy monuments shall last like heaven, thy monuments like the Disc which is in it. Thy monuments shall have being like the beings of heaven. Thou art unique . . . with his counsels."
King Akhenaton's unusual appearance was unique, and it seemed even more unusual that he insisted upon being portrayed with all of his abnormalities. In fact, he demanded of his artists that he be portrayed in a way that would emphasize the attributes that differentiated him and his family from a traditional royal.
Artists were inclined to portray the royalty with distinctive features such as large skulls, high cheekbones, full lips, arched brows, slender neck, and a rather odd expression. Not so King Akhenaton!
There are major structures mentioned in conjunction with the reign of King Akhenaton:
Gm (t)-p3-itn (lit. "the Sun-disc is found"), Hwt-bnbn (lit. "the Mansion of the benben-stone, " an object shaped like an obelisk said to be "in the Gm (t)-p3-itn"),
The sun-disc is identified in carvings on some columns as "the great living sun-disc who is in jubilee, lord of heaven and earth . . . . ."
Nefertiti is mentioned also . . . "she pure of hands, great king's wife whom he loves, Lady of the Two Lands, Nefertiti, may she live! beloved of the great living Sun-disc who is in jubilee, residing in the House of the Sun-disc in Southern Heliopolis."
Nefertiti is often accompanied by a little daughter who follows behind her dressed like her mother. She is often referred as "the king's bodily daughter whom he loves, Meretaten, born of the great king's wife Nefertiti, may she live."
King Akhenaton tried to end the worship of Amun which was prevalent in the pharaonic reign prior to his own, and he changed his name from "Amenophis, the Divine, the Ruler of Thebes" to Akhenaton, which means "He who is useful to the Sun-disc."
There were many priests in service to Akhenaton and the new god. They were known as the "Servants of the Disc in the Mansion of the Disc in Akhetaten." Tutankhaten, who changed his name to Tutankhamun, was married to his third daughter, Ankhesenpaaten. King Tut, who ruled after Akenaton, found it easy to convert the people away from the worship of the sun-disc.
Just what was the sun disc? Akhenaton describes the Disc as his father, the universal king.
