In the Light of the Dazzling Aten: An Ancient Egyptian TL

[Merovingian]

“He[Tutankhaten] established Ma’at throughout the Two Lands.”
—From the Egyptian Book of Kings by Ramose of Waset

Following his victory against Assyria, Tutankhaten would have a long and prosperous reign. He contributed immensely to the spread of Atenism throughout Egypt and its empire, building sun-temples and sending Atenist missionaries as far south as Nubia and as far north as Hanigalbat. His son Atenemhat would prove to be just as capable as his father, growing into a precocious boy and a skillful young man. Tutankhaten’s sister Meketaten and her husband Paramessu would have first a daughter named Meritaten[1], then a son named Netjerhotep[2]. The environment at the court at Akhetaten was a blissful one for the latter half of Tutankhaten’s reign.

Much of the later part of Tutankhaten’s reign was dedicated to containing the rising power of Arzawa. The Arzawans under their king Uhha-Ziti had expanded into the former Hittite Empire. The Arzawans enjoyed close relations with the land of Ahhiyawa[3], and were turning their attentions southwards. As of right now, Egypt and Arzawa had no reason for conflict, with Uhha-Ziti busy dealing with the Kaskian tribes that had torn down the Hittite Empire and Tutankhaten busy running his empire. However, only time could tell if this peace would last. The heir to the Arzawan throne, a certain Piyama-Radu[4], would prove far more ambitious than his father, with dreams of conquering an empire that would eclipse the Two Lands. For now, however, the Two Lands were at peace. It was clear that Ma’at had been upheld and that the world was in balance. Only the Aten could know if it would stay that way.





[1]”She Who is Beloved of the Aten.” IOTL, this was the name of one of Akhenaten’s daughters, who ITTL was born male and named Tutankhaten

[2]”The God is Cause to be Satisfied”

[3]The Mycenaeans

[4]IOTL, Piyama-Radu was an Arzawan warlord who fought the Hittites after they conquered Arzawa. TTL will be going with the theory that he was Uhha-Ziti’s son.

 

[Merovingian]

“It is the responsibility of all who live on Ma’at to uphold the law of the Aten.”
—From the Dialogues of the Two Kings

In the Atenist religion, all authority is believed to ultimately descend from the Aten. The Pharaoh is considered to be the Aten’s viceregent on Earth, charged with upholding Ma’at and safeguarding against Isfet. This is done by enforcing the divine law of the Aten as revealed to Akhenaten. Political and religious authority are thus combined in the Pharaoh. That said, Atenist Pharaohs are not considered to be divine themselves like previous kings were. Furthermore, Pharaohs cannot make new laws, merely interpret and enforce the legal code created by Akhenaten. The Pharaoh is considered in theory to be the ruler of all Atenists. Akhenaten is generally regarded by Atenists as the first true Pharaoh[1]. Despite being considered the head of the Atenist faith, the successor to Akhenaten, and the theoretical ruler of all Atenists, the Pharoah is also ultimately regarded as simply being first among equals.

Beneath the Pharaoh is the Atenist community, or ‘awet-aten[2]. Atenism has no priests, at least in theory, and as a result the interpretation and enforcement of Atenist law at a local level is left up to the ‘awet-aten. The Atenist community form law-courts called kenbut, which solve disputes according to Atenist law. Two sources are allowed to assist the kenbet in their decision making; the Dialogues of the Two Kings and the Inu-Imakhy, roughly translated as “Gifts of the Esteemed.” The Inu-Imakhy is a collection of rulings and commentaries on Atenist law by various kenbets and Pharaohs, serving as the highest authority on Atenist law[3]. All men of a community become members of the local kenbet once they become to old to work. Every member of a kenbet is given the title “imakhy”, meaning “honored”, “esteemed”, or “revered.”

Each kenbet is overseen by a judge, who is expected to be an expert in Atenist law who has dedicated his life to the Aten. In addition, a foremost judge or magistrate oversees all the kenbut in a sepat. Usually, the foremost judges got their start as the judge of a major kenbet in their sepat, and were promoted following the death of the previous foremost judge. Moving up from the foremost judges, we reach the judge of judges, the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh is assisted by his family, who form the Great Kenbet. In the event that a Pharaoh strays from the Aten’s teachings and becomes a force of Isfet rather than Ma’at, than it is considered acceptable and even encouraged for the Atenist community to depose him and install a just Pharaoh on the throne, thereby restoring Ma’at.

Throughout the history of Atenism, various kenbut have debated what is considered the domain of Ma’at and what is the domain of Isfet. While the Dialogues of the Two Kings outlines that Ma’at is a force of cosmic order originating from the Aten and locked in an eternal battle with cosmic disorder, or Isfet, the Inu-Imakhy seeks to define what Ma’at looks like when upheld. Ma’at is defined as a state of balance and peaceful tranquility. This belief has led to the rise of a poetic tradition focused on short, subtle descriptions the natural world and the glories of the Aten. A frequent metaphor used to describe the state of Ma’at is that of an idyllic oasis in which everything lives in perfect harmony. For the Atenist believer, to live on Ma’at was to live harmoniously and to try to achieve a state of balance.





[1]The Egyptian word “Pharaoh” originally meant “palace”, but it was used to refer to the office of the king the same way that we might say “the White House”, “the Kremlin”, or “Downing Street” today and by the time of the New Kingdom “Pharoah” had more-or-less become synonymous with the older word for king, “nsw.” ITTL, the word “Pharoah” has religious connotations as the successor to Akhenaten and head of the Atenist faith, and so Akhenaten is considered the first true Pharaoh as opposed to a “mere” king.

[2]”Cattle of the Aten”

[3]Somewhat comparable to the Talmud in Judaism

 

[Zireael]

but it was used to refer to the office of the king the same way that we might say “the White House”, “the Kremlin”, or “Downing Street” today

Thanks for making me finally understand how "house of X" came to mean "the ruler"...

 

[Merovingian]

“The Great King, so filled with divine might and power, did lay waste the rebellious cities of Wilusa and Mukana.”
—From the Deeds of Piyama-Radu

The Great King Uhha-Ziti, who had brought the world’s attention upon Arzawa, could now live to see the fruits of his efforts. Arzawa had entered an age of prosperity greater than anything their ancestors could even have dreamt of. Their old enemies, the once-great Hattusa, had met the same fate as so many empires before and so many afterwards. Yet things were hardly perfect for Uhha-Ziti. He had grown weary with age, and the strains of being king only worsened this. Luckily for him, he had an ambitious and capable heir, a certain Piyama-Radu, who he knew would bring Arzawa to even greater heights. And Piyama-Radu would soon seize his chance to prove himself to the world.

The Kingdom of Wilusa[1] and its King Kukkuni had been made vassals of Arzawa. Kukkuni’s reign would soon be cut short, however, when a man of Ahhiyawa by the name of Alaksandu[2] took the throne for himself. Piyama-Radu sought to take matters into his own hands, and set off towards Wilusa. Piyama-Radu would lay siege to the city of Wilusa, eventually overpowering the smaller Wilusa forces defending the city. A relative of Kukkuni would be placed on the Wilusan throne, and Piyama-Radu would return to Apasa[Ephesus] asa hero. A few months later, Uhha-Ziti would succumb to old age, and Piyama-Radu would ascend to the Arzawa throne.

The major powers of the time payed their respects to the new King of Arzawa, most notably the Great King Tutankhaten of Egypt. This was enough to sate Piyama-Radu’s ambition for now, but it wouldn’t last. Arzawa had long maintained an alliance with the cities of Ahhiyawa, most notably the great city of Mukana[Mycenae]. For the Ahhiyawans this relationship was an alliance and nothing more, but in Piyama-Radu’s mind the cities of Ahhiyawa were his vassals, and he took it as a great insult when his illusions were shattered. Piyama-Radu gathered with him a great fleet to lay siege to Mukana just as he had Wilusa, and much as before he would emerge victorious. Piyama-Radu incited the other cities of Ahhiyawa into rebellion against Mukana[3], and the Mukanans found themselves besieged on all sides. Piyama-Radu would place a puppet on the Mukanan throne and set about radically redefining the geopolitical landscape of the Aegean.

In exchange for siding with him, the Ahhiyawan kings would each be entitled to a share of the wealth plundered from Mukana. Piyama-Radu set forth the new system of vassalage in the Aegean; each Ahhiyawan city-state would pay tribute to Arzawa and supply men and arms to Arzawa in its wars. In return, Arzawa would not meddle in internal Ahhiyawan affairs and Arzawa would come to the aid of any city-state that found itself attacked. Piyama-Radu’s victories in Wilusa and Ahhiyawa had a significant effect on the man who now found himself lord of the Aegean. Already ambitious, he had now convinced himself that he was impervious to defeat, that any enemy he faced would be utterly incapable of standing up to him. It was then that Piyama-Radu began contemplating further expansion, for only the gods knew how great Arzawa could become.







[1]Better known today as Troy

[2]TTL will be going off the theory that Alaksandu was a usurper of Mycenaean origin who’s name is an early version of the later Greek Alexandros/Alexander.

[3]Mycenaean Greece seems to have been organized into a confederation of city-states led by a Great King in Mycenae. ITTL, Mycenae’s erstwhile allies/vassals have sided with Piyama-Radu and sworn allegiance to Arzawa.

 

[Aluma]

Oh Troy
Hopefully it wasnt as burnt this time around

 

[Merovingian]

Oh Troy
Hopefully it wasnt as burnt this time around

Wilusa remains, albeit as an Arzawa vassal-state. Needless to say, anything resembling the Trojan War IOTL(assuming that there was one) will be butterflies away.

 

[Merovingian]

“The wicked priests of Washukanni did conspire against the Aten’s majesty.”
—From the Egyptia Book of Kings by Ramos of Waset

Washukanni, Mitanni Kingdom

When the Great King of Egypt had taken the Mitanni lands from the Assyrians, he ordered that a roofless temple be built to a god called “Aten”, a god no Hurrian had heated of before. The Egyptians who staffed this temple preached of a radical new vision of the world; in the worldview preached by the Egyptians, this “Aten” was the only god. He demanded no sacrifices, and had no formal priesthood to conduct them. Instead, he demanded only that his worshippers aid him in an all-encompassing cosmic struggle against the forces of chaos. The Egyptians preached that this “Aten” created the world by establishing order, and that now he was engaged in a struggle to maintain this order against chaos. They said that anyone who accepted their teachings and did what they could to assist their “Aten” maintain cosmic order would be resurrected after death to live alongside “Aten” in a perfected version of the word which they called “Aaru.”

To most people in Washukanni, the new ideas preached by the Egyptians seemed different and strange, but they nevertheless found themselves an audience. In particular, many people found solace in the Egyptians’ doctrine of Aaru, of rebirth after death to live alongside the Aten in a state of paradise. There was a particular demographic that felt attracted to Atenism; they were usually younger, and tended to be from the lower classes. People who had no stake in the system would often hear about the roofless temple in the center of the city, and gradually learn more and more about the teachings of Akhenaten before finally embracing Atenism. Yet as the new religion spread throughout Washukanni, it would not be long before greater opposition emerged.

The Mitanni had many gods. When the ancestors of the Mitanni conquered the land of Hanigalbat, they brought with them the gods that they had worshipped for centuries; the great gods Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Nasatya, and the like[1]. They would absorb the gods of the Hurricane peoples whom they conquered; Teshub, the god of storms, Shaushka, the goddess of love, war, and healing, Kumarbi, the father of the gods, and many more. These gods had a class of priests dedicated to their worship, and the rise of a new religion threatened the priests’ power. The priests began to agitate against Washukanni’s growing Atenist community. King Shattiwaza suddenly found himself under considerable pressure; if he sided with the Atenists, than he alienated the priests, and if he sided with the priests, than he alienated the Egyptians who put him on the throne.

Shattiwaza came up with the brilliant plan of just ignoring the problem and hoping that it would go away. But unfortunately for him, it didn’t go away. The priests took his inaction as effectively siding with the Egyptians and their strange new religion, for he allowed them to exist in peace and preach their lies. Tensions would finally erupt when the priests launched an attack against the Atenist temple, aided by several angry Hurricanes who disliked the Egyptians and their strange ways. The Egyptians were massacred, soon followed by the Atenist laity. Once the Atenist temple had been sufficientlay looted, the mob turned its attention towards the traitor-king Shattiwaza. Seeing the writing on the wall, Shattiwaza fled Washukanni. He sent a letter to the Great King Tutankhaten who he addressed not as “my brother” but “my Pharaoh”, begging for assistance in crushing this revolt. Tutankhaten agreed to send an Egyptian garrison to Mitanni, angered by the massacre of Washukanni’s Atenists. The harmonious peace of Ma’at would be fully established in Naharin once and for all.





[1]The Mitanni upper class were likely of Indo-European origin and spoke a language related to Sanskrit

 

[Merovingian]

“The Great King Tutankhaten, son of the most wise Akhenaten, did deliver a fatal blow unto the wicked doers of Isfet. Lo, the land of Naharin is made anew in the image of the Aten! Lo, the doers of Isfet are repelled from the shores of the Two Lands!”
—From the Egyptian Book of Kings by Ramose of Waset

Tutankhaten gathered a small company of Egyptians to pacify the rebellion in Naharin. He and his forces rode towards Washukanni, where he confronted the rebelling Mitanni. His initial siege of Washukanni would prove to be unfruitful, and so he and his troops regrouped in southern Naharin, near the Egyptian border. He then began to adopt a different approach; Tutankhaten and his Egyptian forces would conduct various raids against the Mitanni rebels, stretching them out on multiple fronts. It was then that Tutankhaten tried once again to take the city of Washukanni. This time, he would be more successful. The rebel forces were soundly defeated, and King Shattiwaza was restored to the throne. The once-proud land of Hanigalbat had now been reduced to an Egyptian vassal-state. The Kings of Mitanni[1] still called themselves “Great King”, and still called the Lord of the Two Lands “my brother”, but in practice everyone knew who outranked whom. Tutankhaten had achieved a great victory, but he could not celebrate it, for he would soon hear far worse news; that Egypt itself had been attacked.
* * *
Piyama-Radu knew in his heart that he was destined for greatness. It was obvious that the gods were on his side, that no enemy could even hope to defeat him. With every victory he grew more ambitious, and more consumed with hubris. He would forge a name for himself in the annals of history. He would be the greatest king that Arzawa had ever had, he would join his rightful place among the gods. He would make the whole would bow before him. Piyama-Radu knew that there was only one country that could even attempt to challenge him; the Two Lands of Egypt. The King of Arzawa set out with a great fleet and attacked the Nile Delta. The Arzawan fleet consisted of thousands of Arzawans and Achaeans who set sail along the Nile, raiding and plundering wherever they went. Upon landing in Egypt, Piyama-Radu held a brief ceremony declaring himself the rightful Lord of the Two Lands, before setting out for Akhetaten.

When Tutankhaten heard about the Arzawa invasion, he immediately set forth back to Egypt. At each town he visited, he gathered more troops willing to fight for the Two Lands against the invaders. Tutankhaten attacked Piyama-Radu’s fleet by night, seeking to catch the Arzawa by surprise. The Pharaoh and his troops shot volleys of arrows at the invading fleet, awaking the Arzawans, who fired back. It was then that Tutankhaten caught them by surprise once more. One by one, the Egyptians began to shoot flaming arrows at the Arzawans, sinking their ships as they burned. As the Arzawan fleet sank, the sun began to rise upon the horizon. To the Pharaoh and his troops, everything was now clear; the Aten had granted them victory. Tutankhaten let out the triumphant battle cry “Ma’at is established and Isfet is expelled! The Aten is always victorious!” His troops soon began echoing “the Aten is always victorious!” until only the triumphant cries of “Aten!” could be heard.
* * *
Piyama-Radu saw he grand vision collapse before him. He saw his great fleet sinking before him. He watched as the ship that carried him burned and sank into the Nile. He heard the triumphant cries of the Egyptians, and saw his hubris prove fatal. There was panic aboard his ship. He knew then that, with his last dying breathe, he would die as the king that Arzawa deserved. “Men of Arzawa!” he proclaimed “today, we draw our last breathes. Tonight, we depart this world for the dark halls of Lelwani[2]. I encourage you, do not be saddened by our defeat. Tonight you die a hero’s death! Your names will echo throughout Arzawa for generations! Your families will proudly brag of your heroic deeds, whenever a traveler passes through your towns they will say ‘it was him who died in Egypt!’ And as for me, let it be known that I died as a king! That I sank with my ship, and fell with by soldiers! Let the gods accept my sacrifice, and let them bring prosperity upon Arzawa for generations to come!” And then, the great Piyama-Radu succumbed to the flame.






[1]”Naharin”, “Hanigalbat”, and “Mitanni” are respectively the Egyptian, Akkadian, and Hurrian names for the Kingdom of Mitanni

[2]Ancient Anatolian underworld goddess

 

[Merovingian]

“From the lowliest slave to the greatest king, all are equal in the west[1]”
—From the Dialogues of the Two Kings

Following his victory against Piyama-Radu, Tutankhaten returned to Akhetaten, where he would remain for the rest of his life. He was getting to be an old man, and could no longer defend the edges of Egypt’s empire like he once had. Nevertheless, his victories against Assyrian and Arzawa had solidified his place in Egyptian history. Within the course of two generations, Atenism had grown from the radical ideas of an overly idealistic monarch to a growing plurality of Egypt’s population. Under two Atenist pharaohs, Egypt had experienced unrivaled prosperity, and the Two Lands’ enemies had seen their assaults against the Ma’at of the university thwarted. To many Egyptians, it seemed as if the Aten had rewarded them for their devotion, and the religion rapidly spread throughout the Two Lands. More and more Egyptians began to attend the services at the increasingly common roofless temples, memorizing the Great Hymn and learning the intricacies of Atenist dogma. The Aten had sent his prophet and son Akhenaten unto Egypt, and he along with his son Tutankhaten had driven Isfet from the land. The Egyptian people could now enjoy the fruits of their efforts.

Tutankhaten saw the prosperity that had been brought to Egypt, and could not but feel proud of his efforts to bring it to this point. He knew that this prosperity was a gift from the Aten, and devoutly worshipped the sole god. The aging pharaoh saw the world he grew up in fade away as Egypt entered a new era, an era that he alongside his father had helped to bring about. His father’s great vision was finally coming to fruition as the Egyptian people embraced the Aten as the sole god who created the world and sustains it against the assaults of Isfet. He would now spend his old age with his family in the holy city of Akhetaten, capital of the Two Lands of Egypt which had been blessed by the Aten. His son Atenemhat was growing into a capable young man, and Tutankhaten knew that he would grow into a great pharaoh. Tutankhaten thought about all that the Aten had blessed him with, smiling as he went to bed. The next morning, the royal physician tearfully announced that “the Great King Tutankhaten...has gone unto the west.” At long last, the great Tutankhaten had rejoined his father in the blissful realm of Aaru, living in peace alongside the Aten for all eternity.







[1]To “go to the west” was an Egyptian euphemism for death

 

[Merovingian]

Having done some more research, I’ve kept wanting to change things until I finally decided to just start over. This TL is officially rebooting and you can read the new timeline here. Since the TL is coming to a close, I might as well tell you how it ends; Arzawa’s empire falls apart only for them to reestablish themselves later. The Elamites de facto take over Babylonia and establish themselves as Egypt’s next great rival. Atenemhat was going to die on a damnfool crusade, only for his cousin Netherhotep to stabilize the empire. This was going to be the general status quo until the Bronze Age collapse, after which Egypt comes into contact with post-Dark Age Greece which begins to adopt aspects of Atenism while a resurgent Assyria threatens them to the east.