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The sun disc Aten was deified by Akhenaten and became the sole god of his reign.
Aten was the giver of all life. Aten only spoke through the Pharaoh. The principle
cult site of Aten was at Akhetaten (Tell el Amarna), although there was a temple
built at Karnak and in some other cities. Akhetaten was purpose-built on a new
site for the capital of Akhenaten.
It is unknown whether Akhenaten was trying to revive the cult of Re or he was
using the change of religion to counter the influence of the cults of Amun.
However, he seemed to personally devote himself to the religion, writing several
hymns
to the Aten that are still beautiful when read today.
As the temples of Amun and the other gods of Egypt were economic centers of
exchange and tax collection, the change to a single god with only one head priest,
Akhenaten, who sequestered himself at a new and distant city, was destined to
fail for economic reasons alone.
The naturalistic art of the Aten reinvigorated Egyptian Art and the portrayal
of the "truth" of daily life in the tomb scenes have left a legacy
of knowledge, even though the cult was rigorously suppressed after the death
of Akhenaten, and much was destroyed.

Middle Egypt Cult Centers of Egyptian
Gods
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