The new capital received the significant name of “Akhet-Aten” (“Horizon of
the Sun”) and was solemnly consecrated long before it was half finished.
The widow of Amenophis III., the queen-mother Teye, came occasionally to
visit the new capital, and was received with all honour; evidently she had
paid timely respect to her son’s opinions. How far the Aten dogma
represented real progress in religious thought can be gathered only from
the contents of a few hymns remaining on the walls of some of the tombs.
In these the expression of devout feeling seems to have become richer and
more spontaneous, and the monotheistic tendency is evident. This
characteristic, however, may often be observed by a sympathetic reader in
the hymns to Amon, and even to less important deities: the deity adopted
as a special object of worship by any individual is always favourably
represented by him. The Aten dogma, being based on natural phenomena and
not on mythology, was, of course, heretical.
Those of his officials who had accepted “the doctrine” were regarded by
Akhenaten as deserving men, and on this ground alone, Ai, called Haya in
the Amarna letters, received golden honours to the full. This Haya, who
was entitled “beloved royal scribe,” was probably a secretary of state,
and was once sent as a special ambassador to Babylonia. Dudu occupied
another important post; Amanappa, who has already been mentioned, seems
from a letter written by him to Rib-Addi of Gebal, to have been a
commander-in-chief. Hani, Salma, Paura, Pahamnata, Hatib Maya, Shuta,
Hamashni, and Zitana all appear as the bearers of royal commissions in
Syrian territory. An official named Shakhshi receives instruction as to
the conducting of a royal caravan. But to the Asiatic vassals the most
important office of all was the governorship of Lower Egypt, the country
called “Yarimuta,” an office filled at this time by Yanhamu. The letters
afford abundant evidence that any vassal who had incurred Yanhamu’s enmity
must walk warily. The minister of the king of Alashia, though his equal in
rank, sent gifts to this dangerous man, who had harassed merchants of
Alashia by demanding from them illegal dues. Rib-Addi of Gebal lost land
and throne, in spite of the countenance of Amanappa, because such was
Yanhamu’s pleasure; and of Milki-El of Gath he made a severe example, to
which we shall refer later.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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