Akhenaten: New theories and old facts

Arguably the first five years, the "Karnak" period, of Akhenaten's reign constitute the most important time span in the formulation of the heretic king's program. In contrast to the 18 years spent at Amarna, for which textual evidence dwindles drastically, the first half-decade of reign yields an abundance of inscriptional and epigraphic remains with which to chart both the political and cultic evolution of the king's thought. The focus here is on the sequence of events in the Theban years, the roots of the king's thought and iconoclasm, his rejection of symbolism, and his introduction of what has been called "monotheism."