Akhenaton , meaning "living spirit of Aten (Son ) " known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV , was a Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty Egypt , who ruled for 17 years and died perhaps in 1336 BC or 1334 BC. He is especially noted for abandoning traditional Egyptian polytheism and introducing worship centered on the ATEN , which is sometimes described as Monotheistic or Henotheistic.

An early inscription likens the Aten to the sun as compared to stars, and later official language avoids calling the Aten a god, giving the solar deity a status above mere gods. Akhenaton tried to bring about a departure from traditional religion , yet in the end it would not be accepted. After his death, traditional religious practice was gradually restored, and when some dozen years later rulers without clear rights of succession from the Eighteenth Dynasty founded a new dynasty, they discredited Akhenaton and his immediate successors, referring to Akhenaton himself as "the enemy" in archival records.

He was all but lost from history until the discovery, in the 19th century, of Amarna , the site of Akhenaton , the city he built for the Aten. Interest of Akhenaton increased with the discovery in the Valley of the Kings , at Luxor , of the tomb of King Tutankhamen , who has been proved to be Akhenaton's son according to clear * DNA testing in 2010.