Changes

In year four of his reign, Amenhotep IV and his queen changed their names to reflect their devotion to the Aten. Amenhotep became Akhenaten, or “One Who Is Effective For the Aten” and his queen became Neferneferuaten Nefertiti, which means “Beautiful Are The Beauties of the Aten, The Beautiful One Has Come.” <ref>Williamson, Jacquelyn. “Amarna Period.” <i>UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology</i>. 24 June 2015. Web. 04 Nov. 2015, pg. 7</ref> One year later the king abandoned all pretense and officially did away with the old gods. Another stela from this time at Karnak Temple, located in modern-day Luxor, contains an announcement that all deities save the Aten had “ceased to exist.” <ref>Redford, Donald B. “Akhenaten: New Theories and Old Facts.” <i>Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research</i> 269: 4-15</ref>

[[File:Amun-Ra.jpg|thumbnail|275px|Amun-Ra from Karnak Temple complex]]

In the same year, Akhenaten began a widespread attempt to systematically remove any signs of the traditional Egyptian deities. It appears that Amen was the main focus of the king’s disapproval and a fleet of semi-literate workmen wer=e dispatched to chisel away symbols and words that bore any passing resemblance to his name. <ref>Williamson, <i>UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology</i>: 8</ref> Even private tombs were defaced, including the tomb of Khereuf, where many of the images of Amen were chiseled off the walls. <ref><i>The Tomb of Kheruef</i>, 17</ref>