Akhenaten and the Religion of Light Contributor(s): Hornung, Erik (Author), Lorton, David (Translator) |
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ISBN: 0801487250 ISBN-13: 9780801487255 Publisher: Cornell University Press OUR PRICE: $26.68 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: January 2001 Annotation: Akhenaten, also known as Amenhotep IV, was king of Egypt during the Eighteenth Dynasty and reigned from 1375 to 1358 B.C. Called the "religious revolutionary", he is the earliest known creator of a new religion. The cult he founded broke with Egypt's traditional polytheism and focused its worship on a single deity, the sun god Aten. Erik Hornung, one of the world's preeminent Egyptologists, here offers a concise account of Akhenaten and his religion of light which will be of interest to scholars and general readers alike. |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Religion | Antiquities & Archaeology - History | Middle East - Egypt (see Also Ancient - Egypt) - History | Ancient - Egypt |
Dewey: 299.31 |
LCCN: 99016166 |
Physical Information: 0.37" H x 5.5" W x 8.5" (0.47 lbs) 160 pages |
Themes: - Chronological Period - Ancient (To 499 A.D.) - Cultural Region - African - Cultural Region - Middle East |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Akhenaten, also known as Amenhotep IV, was king of Egypt during the Eighteenth Dynasty and reigned from 1375 to 1358 B.C. E. Called the religious revolutionary, he is the earliest known creator of a new religion. The cult he founded broke with Egypt's traditional polytheism and focused its worship on a single deity, the sun god Aten. Erik Hornung, one of the world's preeminent Egyptologists, here offers a concise and accessible account of Akhenaten and his religion of light.Hornung begins with a discussion of the nineteenth-century scholars who laid the foundation for our knowledge of Akhenaten's period and extends to the most recent archaeological finds. He emphasizes that Akhenaten's monotheistic theology represented the first attempt in history to explain the entire natural and human world on the basis of a single principle. Akhenaten made light the absolute reference point, Hornung writes, and it is astonishing how clearly and consistently he pursued this concept. Hornung also addresses such topics as the origins of the new religion; pro-found changes in beliefs regarding the afterlife; and the new Egyptian capital at Akhetaten which was devoted to the service of Aten, his prophet Akhenaten, and the latter's family. |
Contributor Bio(s): Lorton, David: - The late David Lorton, an Egyptologist, was the translator of many books, including Ancient Egypt in 101 Questions and Answers, The Secret History of Hermes Trismegistus, The Secret Lore of Egypt, and Akhenaten and the Religion of Light, all from Cornell.Lorton, David: - David Lorton, an Egyptologist, is the translator of many books, including Erik Hornung's books The Secret Lore of Egypt and Akhenaten and the Religion of Light, both from Cornell. Hornung, Erik: - Erik Hornung is Professor Emeritus of Egyptology at the University of Basel. Among his many books are Akhenaten and the Religion of Light and The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife, both translated by David Lorton and available from Cornell. |