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Throughout his reign, Akhenaten’s cult continued to depart from traditional religious philosophy. One such change was the Atenist focus on the visible and tangible as opposed to the traditional Egyptian worship of the abstract and the unknown. The old gods were conceived of in abstract ways with many roles and representations and a god could take on many forms, merge identities with other gods, and represent abstract notions such as victory in battle. In contrast, the Aten was the visible sun in the sky and his works were the physical objects and people on Earth. Akhenaten and his followers worshiped the visible sun alone and eschewed the idols and emblems that were such an integral part of the old religion <ref>Williamson, <i>UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology</i>: 9</ref>
====Art How did art in the Amarna Period==change?==
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It is difficult to discern the details of Akhenaten’s philosophy as there are very few official texts from his reign that pertain to religion. There is no “word of god”god, ” no holy scripture, and only a short few “Hymn to the Aten” prayers that appear on tomb walls <ref>Hornung, E. (1992). The Rediscovery of Akhenaten and His Place in Religion. <i>Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt</i>: 48. Web. 05 November 2015.</ref> Due to the lack of written sources on Atenism, Egyptologists rely heavily on decorations in tombs and on temple walls. The style in which these decorations are rendered has come to be called the Amarna style, and it is unique in Egyptian history due to its dramatic departure from traditional artistic conventions.
The most obvious and notable divergence from typical Egyptian art is the Amarna portrayal of the human body, particularly the king himself. Traditionally the pharaoh had been presented as a young man with a muscular physique and proportionate features. Akhenaten is portrayed in a far less orthodox manner. His arms and shoulders are thin, his face is taut, he has a prominent belly, thick hips, and fat thighs. This striking physique led early scholars to believe that Akhenaten was a woman. Artists from this period also included details that had previously been left out such as distinguishable toes, well-defined ears and lobes, and even wrinkles in the neck. <ref>Hornung, <i>Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt</i>: 43</ref>
