Aten

The Aten (also known as Aton, Atonu, or Itn) was a solar deity represented by a sun disk with radiating beams ending in human hands. In ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, it was written as "jtn" and likely pronounced as "yaatin." The Aten gained unprecedented prominence during the Amarna Period (approximately 1353-1336 BCE) when Pharaoh Akhenaten established it as the center of a new state religion called Atenism.

This religious revolution occurred during Egypt's Eighteenth Dynasty, which scholars generally date between 1550 and 1292 BCE. Akhenaten's dramatic shift to monotheistic Aten worship marked a significant departure from traditional Egyptian polytheism. However, this religious transformation proved short-lived. After Akhenaten's death, his successor Tutankhamun restored the traditional pantheon of Egyptian gods, returning Amun to his former position as the principal solar deity. The temples were reopened, and the brief experiment with Aten-centered monotheism came to an end.