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

[Merovingian]

“Lo, the Two Lands[1] rejoice as Ra who is the Aten rises upon the horizon! Behold, Ma’at is established and Isfet[2] is vanquished from the land. All rejoice as the world is created. O living disc, o origin of light, o sole god apart from whom there is no other, your rays touch your creation. How great is your love for your cattle, those who live on Ma’at, and bounteous is your compassion for all that you have created. The Two Lands are in rejuvenation as you create the world, in celebration with your zenith, and when you descend into the Duat[3], your cattle pray for your victory against Isfet. Lament, for there are those who know not the sole god who is the Aten, the foul men of foreign lands who live in Isfet and worship demons. Have mercy upon them , o sole god Ra who is the Aten, for they know not of your infinite radiance. Rejoice, for in the Two Lands of Egypt, and in the Lands of Canaan and Nubia Ma’at has been established, the world has been created and the people have accepted you into their kas and their bas[4]. Pray, o Two Lands, that in Singira[5] and in Hatti[6], and even in farthest Punt may Ma’at be established and Isfet be vanquished. Rejoice, for the Two Lands are living on Ma’at. Praise those who interpret your laws and keep these Two Lands living on Ma’at, the judges in their kenbets[7] and the king in Akhetaten[8]. Rejoice for the Two Lands, living on Ma’at until the end of days.”
* * *
For the longest time, I’ve been fascinated by the reign of the “heretic pharaoh” Akhenaten and his attempted theological revolution. After floating around in my head for a while, I’ve decided to make a TL where Akhenaten’s new religion not only survives but flourishes. First, we need to establish some context. By the time Akhenaten ascended to the throne, Egypt was already ancient. To give a scale of just how long Egyptian civilization lasted, at the time when the pyramids were built there were still parts of the world where you could find mammoths, while Cleopatra’s defeat by the Romans was just a few decades before the birth of Christ. Within this vast stretch of time, Egyptian religion endured surprisingly little change, although to say that it was entirely static would be blatantly false. Different gods rose and fell in popularity throughout Egyptian history. Indeed, Akhenaten’s religious reforms can be viewed partially as an attempt to codify the Egyptian religion around a few core theological concepts with the monotheistic sun god at its center. At the time Akhenaten ascended to the throne, the most popular god was Amun, specifically syncretized with the sub god Ra as Amun-Ra. The priests of Amun-Ra were very powerful, almost as powerful as the pharaoh himself.

Amun’s rise to prominence coincided with the rise of the Eighteenth Dynasty. The Eighteenth Dynasty was founded by Ahmose I, who expelled the Hyksos(a Semitic people who had conquered the Nile Delta), and would be expanded by the female pharaoh Hatshepsut and her successor, Thutmose III. The Eighteenth Dynasty would continue to grow its influence before finally reaching its height of power under Amenhotep III. Amenhotep III brought Egypt to its greatest extent thus far. More than this, however, Amenhotep would seek to challenge the power of the Amun priesthood by elevating a previously minor god; the Aten. Originally an aspect of the sun god Ra, specifically representing the disc of the sun, Aten would become much more prominent during the reign of Amenhotep III, with the pharaoh even proclaiming himself to be the physical form of the Aten[9]. The stage had been set for Amenhotep’s son Akhenaten to begin his theological revolution, which would come to change Egypt and the world forever.




[1]”The Two Lands” is a poetic way of referring to Egypt(that is, the two lands of Upper and Lower Egypt)

[2]”Ma’at” and “Isfet” are Egyptian religious concept refering to cosmic order and disorder, respectively

[3]The Duat is the Egyptian underworld

[4]The “ka” and “ba” are parts of the Egyptian division of the soul

[5]Mesopotamia

[6]The Hittites

[7]A kenbet was a type of Egyptian law court. ITTL, it becomes an essential aspect of how the Atenist clergy functions

[8]Akhenaten’s capital city, modern day Tell al-Amarna

[9]Some have suggested that Amenhotep’s association of himself with the Aten, as well as Akhenaten’s tendency to refer to the Aten as “my father” and himself as “your son come forth from your body” might mean that Akhenaten may have viewed the Aten as being the deified Amenhotep. However, Egyptian kings had referred to themselves as the sons of whichever god was currently in favor for centuries and Akhenaten would have the word “Amun”(as in Amenhotep) systematically removed from his father’s name, which in Egyptian religion meant banishment from the afterlife, something that Akhenaten presumedly wouldn’t want to happen to the god he worshipped. This TL will be operating off the assumption that this was merely a poetic device in line with the traditional Egyptian conception of the pharaoh

 

[Merovingian]

“Every lion emerges from its den, every snake bites”
—From the Great Hymn to the Aten


History has seen many pivotal moments where, had even just one thing gone different, everything would be changed forever. This timeline diverges from ours not in Egypt, but in a region that would eventually come to be known as eastern Anatolia. The Kingdom of Hayasa-Azzi[1] is being invaded by the neighboring Hittite Empire, led by their Prince Suppiluliuma. The Hittites have enjoyed initial successes, but their victory will soon be taken from them. Unbeknownst to the Hittites, a small venomous snake slithers into their encampment. Suppiluliuma notices the snake, only for it to bite him. He dies a few days later. With the death of Suppiluliuma, the Hittites began to falter and were eventually forced out of Hayasa-Azzi.
* * *
IOTL, after defeating the Hayasans, Suppiluliuma would go on to defeat the Kaskians, a pre-Indo-European people who were occupying the Hittite capital of Hattusa. He would then usurp the throne from his brother, Tudhaliya III, conquer the Mittani Kingdom(a prominent Egyptian ally), and inciting several of Egypt’s Levantine vassals into rebellion. ITTL, none of this happens. Instead, the Hittites continue under the incompetent rule of Tudhaliya III based out of the northern city of Sapinuwa[2], with their old capital at Hattusa under Kaskian occupation. The Hittites will eventually recover, they had suffered defeats by the Hayasans and Kaskians before, but it gives Akhenaten and his successors just enough breathing room to fully establish Atenism as the state religion by the next time the Hittites get a competent monarch who tries to expand their sphere of influence.





[1]The Hayasans are generally believed to be the ancestors of modern-day Armenians, although we are still not entirely sure. It ultimately has little effect on the TL, however.

[2]Now known by the Turkish name Ortaköy

 

[Merovingian]

“Unique god, there is none beside him”
—From the Great Hymn to the Aten


Amenhotep III had brought Egypt to its greatest extent thus far. No Egyptian king before him could rival his achievements, and no other Near Eastern leaders dared challenge him. However, nothing can last forever, and some time between 1353 and 1351 BC, the great Amenhotep died, believed by his subjects to take his place among the gods as all kings before him had. He was succeeded by his son, Amenhotep IV. Initially, Amenhotep IV’s reign was nothing extraordinary. He continued to support Egypt’s centuries-old state religion, worshipping gods such as Thoth, Horus, Osiris, and above all Amun. Temples and tombs continued to be built in the traditional Egyptian the traditional Egyptian artistic style, and the temples and priests of the old gods continued to receive state support. However, the young king began to show an obvious preference for one god in particular, the Aten. At first, this preference was nothing out of the ordinary, but would become much more prominent throughout the pharaoh’s reign.

First, Amenhotep’s wife Nefertiti would bear him a son, who he named Tutankhaten[1], meaning “living image of the Aten.” While this rather unusual name might have raised some eyebrows, it was nothing compared to what Amenhotep would do next. It had been traditional for pharaohs to expand the temple complex of Amun at Karnak. It was thus surprising when Amenhotep built a temple at Karnak dedicated not to his namesake, but to the Aten. The Gempaaten, and it’s associated temples the Hut Benben and Teni Menu, had no roof and portrayed the king and his family in a strange new architectural style. The pharaoh was portrayed with a sagging stomach, thin legs, thick thighs, broad hips, and an elongated skull. He and his family were not portrayed in the idealized poses traditional of Egyptian art, but in a naturalistic style showing mostly domestic subjects. Amenhotep and his family were shown in a domestic setting worshipping the Aten, represented as a sun disc with it’s rays emanating forth, each with a small hand holding an ankh at the end. To the priesthood of the old gods, this was tantamount to heresy[2].

In Amenhotep’s second or third year as king, he held a Sed festival, or a ritual rejuvenation of the pharaoh. This was noticeably unusual, as Sed festivals usually only happened on around the thirtieth year of a king’s reign, and every three or so years afterward. During the Sed festival, Amenhotep made offerings only to one god; the Aten. Shortly after the end of the Sed festival, Amenhotep would change his birth name[3] to Akhenaten, meaning “effective for the Aten.” Not long after changing his name, Akhenaten decreed that Egypt’s capital city would be moved from Thebes to an entirely new city which was to be built. A previously unoccupied stretch of desert was chosen to be the site of a new capital, which Akhenaten called “Akhetaten“, or the horizon of the Aten. The new capital was dedicated entirely to the Aten, and was home to numerous temples dedicated to the sun god, the largest of which being the House of the Aten in the cities center. These temples had no roof, allowing the worshippers to bask in the Aten’s rays, and had no idols that were worshipped.

Most Egyptian gods had certain hymns dedicated to them, and the Aten was no different. Akhenaten would compose his new religion’s first holy text, the Great Hymn to the Aten. The Great Hymn praised the Aten thusly;

You arise beautiful from the horizon on heaven,
living disk, origin of light.
You are arisen from the horizon,
you fill every land with your beauty.
You are fine, great, radiant, lofty over and above every land.
Your rays bind the lands to the limit of all you have made,
you are the sun, you have reached their limits.
You bind them for your beloved son.
You are distant, but your rays are on Earth,
you are in their sight, but your movements are hidden.

You rest on the western horizon, and the land is in darkness in the manner of death,
sleepers in chambers, heads covered,
no eye can see its other.
Anything of theirs can be taken from under their heads, they would not know.
Every lion goes out from its den,
every snake bites.
Darkness envelopes, the land is in silence, their creator is resting in his horizon.
At daybreak, arisen from the horizon, shining as the disk in day,
you remove the darkness, you grant your rays,
and the Two Lands are in festival,
awakened and standing on their feet.
You have raised them up, their bodies cleansed, clothing on,
their arms are in adoration at your sunrise.

The entire land carries out its tasks,
every herd rests in its pastures,
trees and plants are sprouting,
birds flying up from their nests,
their wings in adoration of your spirit.
Every flock frolics afoot,
all that fly up and alight,
they live what you have shone for them.
Boats sail north and south too,
every road is opened at your sunrise,
and the fish on the river leap at the sight of you.
Your rays penetrate the Great Green.

You who cause the sperm to grow in women,
who turns seed into people,
who causes the son to live in the womb of his mother,
who silences him in stopping him crying.
Nurse in the womb, who gives breath to cause all he has made to live,
when he goes down from the womb to breathe on the day of his birth,
you open his mouth in form,
you give him his needs.
When the chick in the egg speaks in the shell,
you give it breath to cause it to live,
you have made him, he is complete, to break out from the egg,
and he emerges from the egg to speak to his completion,
and walks on his legs, going out from it.

How numerous are your works, though hidden from sight.
Unique god, there is none beside him.
You mold the Earth to your wish, you and you alone.
All people, herds and flocks,
all on Earth that walk on legs,
all on high that fly with their wings.
And in the foreign lands of Khar and Kush, in the land of Egypt,
you place every man in his place,
you make what they need,
so that everyone has his food,
his lifespan counted.

Tongues are separated in speech, and forms too—
their skins are made different,
for you make foreign lands different.

You make a flood in the Duat, and bring it at your desire
to cause the populace to live, as you made them for you,
lord of all they labor over,
the lord of every land.
Shine for them, o disk of day, great of dignity.
All distant lands, you make them live,
you place a flood in the sky, to descend for them,
to make waves over mountains live the Great Green,
to water their fields with their settlements.
How effective they are, your plans, o lord of eternity!
A flood in the sky for foreigners, for all the flocks of every land who go on foot,
land a flood to come from the Duat for Egypt,
your rays nursing every meadow,
you shine and they live and grow for you.
You make the seasons to nurture all you make,
winter to cool them,
heat so they may taste you.

You have made the far sky to shine in it,
to see what you make, while you are far, and shining in your form as living disk.
Risen, shining, distant, near,
you make millions of forms from yourself, lone one,
cities, towns, fields, the road of rivers,
every eye sees you on their entry,
you are the disk of day, master of your move,
of the existence of every form,
you create alone what you have made.

You are in my heart, there is none other who knows you
besides your son Neferkheperura-Waenre[4].
You instruct him in your plans, in your strength.
The land comes into being by your action, as you make them,
and when you have shone, they live,
when you rest, they die.
You are lifetime, in your body,
people live by you.
Eyes are on you beauty until you set.
All work is stopped when you set on the west,
shine, and strengthen all for the king.
Motion is in every leg, since you founded the Earth,
you rise them for you son who come from your body,
the king who lives on Ma’at, Lord of the Two Lands,
Neferkheperura-Waenre,
Son of Ra who lives on Ma’at, lord of risings,
Akhenaten, great in his lifespan,
and the great king’s wife whom he loves, Lady of the Two Lands
Neferneferuaten Nefertiti, eternally alive.
​

With the founding of Akhetaten and the composition of the Great Hymn, the new religion of Atenism had been founded. This new religion would go on to change the history of Egypt and the world forever.

​

[1]This isn’t OTL Tutankhamen, who was the son of Akhenaten and an unknown other wife rather than Akhenaten and Nefertiti. IOTL *Tutankhaten was born a girl and named Meritaten.

[2]The Egyptians believed that how a person was depicted in their current life effected how they would actually look in the afterlife. This is why Egyptian art tended towards idealized portrayals, as well as why so many Egyptian statues have parts of their body defaced.

[3]Egyptian pharaohs had several names, the most important of which being the throne name and the birth name. Previous kings had changed their throne names before, but to change the birth name as Akhenaten did was unprecedented.

[4]Akhenaten

 

[Merovingian]

“In times of need, even the greatest may stray from the Aten’s light”
— From the Dialogues of the Two Kings

As Akhenaten’s reign continued, his religious reforms grew more and more radical. In the ninth year of his reign, he declared that the Aten was not only the supreme god, but the only god. Throughout Egypt, all references to the name “Amun” was defaced, even in his father’s name. The plural word “gods” was also removed. This was accompanied by a ban on images, with an exception for the sun-disk. The Aten was elevated from merely being the sun god to the universal god of all creation. Akhenaten’s son Tutankhaten grew up to be a capable heir and a devout Atenist. He had numerous conversations with his father about theology, philosophy, and the nature of the Aten and its creation. These conversations would later become the basis of the Dialogues of the Two Kings, one of the principle holy texts of Atenism. Tutankhaten would be followed by five daughters; Meketaten, Ankhesenpaaten, Neferneferuaten Tasherit[1], Neferneferure, and Setepenre. Tutankhaten would be married to the daughter of Babylonian[2] King Burna-Buriash II[3], who converted to Atenism and took the Egyptian name Ankhaten, meaning “life of the Aten.” Meketaten, meanwhile, would marry Paramessu[4], the son of a commander in the Egyptian army by the name of Seti.

In year twelve of Akhenaten’s reign, he received tribute from Egypt’s allies and vassals at Akhetaten to celebrate the zenith of his reign. Following year twelve, Egypt was struck by a plague. Many began to believe that the plague was punishment from the gods for Akhenaten’s theological revolution. Dissent began to grow, egged on by unemployed former priests. In the thirteenth year of Akhenaten’s reign, a rebellion would break out at Waset[Thebes] demanding the return of the old gods[5].
* * *
Waset, Upper Egypt, Year Thirteen in the Reign of Akhenaten Given Life, Strength, and Health

Ptahotep met his acquaintance, Nakhtmin, in a dingy tavern in the part of Waset that most never dared travel. He and his fellow priest had been put out of work by the king’s reforms. Normally, two priests of Amun would not dare being seen in a place like this, but it was this location that had been chosen for a secret meeting away from the auspices of the king’s soldiers. Ptahotep was greeted not only by Nakhtmin, but by several other former priests and civilians who wished the temples to be reopened. The crowd looked with hope and desperation at the two priests. Nakhtmin invited Ptahotep to speak.

”You are all gathered here for one reason” he began “as I speak, a terrible plague sweeps through the Two Lands! I have no doubt that many among you have lost someone important to this pestilence, and I have no doubt that all of you know why; the gods are punishing us! That criminal who dares call himself ‘king’ has closed their temples and banned their worship! He has even declared that there are no gods but the Aten. This is blasphemy!” Ptahotep sat down, and Nakhtmin picked up where he left off. “There is but one course of action!” Nakhtmin proclaimed “We must march upon Akhetaten and demand that the king reopen the temples of the gods! And if he does not, then we shall condemn him to the loving embrace of Ammit[6]!”

The mob left Waset and began to march towards Akhetaten carrying whatever weapons they could find(mostly makeshift slings and repurposed farming tools), the crowd growing with every village they passed through. They finally reached Akhetaten, and demanded to speak with the king. The city guards of course denied them, and the mob responded by attempting to force their way to the kings palace. The guards fought back, and several members of the mob whose names have been lost to history were killed. The mob responded with an all-out riot, a riot that escalated into a full-blown massacre of anyone who got in their way of reaching the kings palace. Akhenaten would ultimately respond to the mob’s request, coming alongside several charioteers who swiftly defeated the untrained rioters. The two priests responsible for the events that had taken place were executed for treason, and most of the rioters were likewise arrested and/or executed for treason, murder, and/or destruction of property.

Akhenaten did not like what he saw. This was not the creation of the Aten. This was Isfet, a force of cosmic disorder. He knew that the Aten did not approve of this madness either. The priests of Amun would be subject to retribution from the state in response to the massacre at Akhetaten, but the king knew that this was not enough. It was his role as the Son of Ra to guide the people of the Two Lands along the path of Ma’at. He had much to think about. Soon, one of the most defining events in the history of Atenism would occur.





[1]”Tasherit” was Egyptian for “the younger” and is essentially the Egyptian equivalent of “junior”(with Neferneferuaten Senior being Nefertiti)

[2]Babylon by this point was ruled by the Kassites, an ethnic group of unknown origins

[3]There is some evidence that Akhenaten may have married one of Burna-Buriash’s daughters IOTL for diplomatic reasons. ITTL, it is Tutankhaten who enters said diplomatic marriage.

[4]IOTL, Paramessu would go on to become Ramesses I, founder of the Nineteenth Dynasty

[5]At least as far as we know, this rebellion never occurred IOTL

[6]Ammit was a demon in Egyptian mythology that devoured the hearts of those who had sinned in life

 

[Merovingian]

“Lo, Ma’at is established and Isfet is expelled! I the king, the Lord of the Two Lands Akhenaten have prayed to my father the Aten, and He has revealed to me these laws of Ma’at.”
—Introduction to Akhenaten’s legal code

Following the riots at Akhetaten, and the ensuing massacre, Akhenaten had a lot to think about. The two priests were very public ally executed, much to the joy of the people of Akhetaten who got caught on the receiving end of the rioters’ fury, and the Amun cult would suffer state retribution. Far from the rioters’ goal of reopening the old temples, the Temple Complex at Karnak was leveled to the ground and its talatat[1] were taken to Akhetaten to build tombs for the victims of the massacre. The tomb complex in eastern Akhetaten that would be build would later come to be known as the Necropolis of the Innocent Martyrs and become one of the holiest places in Atenism, a common place of visitation for pilgrims. Numerous other temples were likewise torn down, with their talatat being used to build roofless temples to the Aten in their place. Armies of “idol-smashers”, as they came to be known, traveled from city to city destroying any and all idols they could find, particularly to Amun. The priests of the old gods had their money confiscated and put into the royal treasury, used to fund the construction of new temples to the Aten.

Still, Akhenaten realized that these measures were only temporary. Just as this campaign was retribution against the massacre, the priests would seek retribution themselves for the destruction of their idols and temples. He prayed daily to the Aten for a solution, until he had a sudden revelation. Towards the end of his thirteenth year on the throne, Akhenaten gave a speech before the people of Akhetaten that the Aten had given unto him “the instruments for which Ma’at shall be established and Isfet expelled from the Two Lands”; a new legal code. The Law Code of Akhenaten covered mundane things like cases of theft and marital disputes like previous legal codes had, but it also covered Atenist morality; Atenists were required to pray towards the Sun three times a day, in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. They were forbidden from work on the last day of the week, instead being required to attend a sun-temple. They were required to pray to the Aten before every meal, and at dinner were specifically required to sing the Great Hymn to the Aten in whole or in part. Non-Atenists were exempt from these rules, but were required to pay a special tax in exchange for religious freedom and the worship of Amun was specifically forbidden. Atenists were also exempt from slavery, but not serfdom or corvée labor.

The traditional Egyptian lunar calendar was repurposed for Atenist use. The old intercalary month[2] was set aside as a time of fasting which would be broken with the beginning of the season of Akhet[3], which was to be celebrated with a great feast at which the Great Hymn to the Aten was sung in its entirety. Atenists were required to give five to ten percent of their income to charity at the end of each month, with the temples of the Aten usually acting as the intermediary. While the Law Code of Akhenaten had all the copious use of the death penalty and bizarre punishments one would expect from a legal code created by a Bronze Age monarch, it was notable in that it gave the convicted a weeklong waiting period in which they could repent. Penitents had to have their claims judged to be true by at least three religious experts and repeat offenders were given no such mercy, but it was nevertheless revolutionary for its time.

The new legal code completely reorganized the Egyptian legal system. At the local level, each village had its own kenbet overseen by a judge who was required to be trained in Atenist law. A kenbet was a type of law court consisting of village elders which had existed before Akhenaten. Under the new law code, the kenbet would call upon witnesses and seek to determine innocence or guilt, and, if guilt, the appropriate punishment according to Atenist law. Just as every kenbet was presided over by a judge, all the judges in a sepat[4] would be overseen by a magistrate, and the magistrates were in turn overseen by the king. This system was purely meritocratic, with the kenbets electing the wisest and most educated among them as judges, and the magistrates choosing another judge to be their successor at the moment of their appointment. Both offices served for life. Not only had Akhenaten completely reformed Egypt’s legal system, but he had created an independent base of power to the various sepat-lords. To train future judges and magistrates, Akhenaten opened the House of Wisdom in Akhetaten, where Atenist law would be studied. Many of the imakhy nobility began sending their sons to train there. The Law Code of Akhenaten would become the basis of both Atenist religious law and civil law for centuries to come.





[1]Limestone blocks of a standard size used in Egyptian building projects at this time

[2]The Egyptians had an intercalary month, or Heriu Renpet(lit. “five days”) which didn’t technically belong to any month

[3]The Ancient Egyptian calendar was divided into three seasons; Akhet, when the Nile flooded, Peret, when the land around the Nile became fertile from the aforementioned flooding, and Shemu, when harvest began

[4]Sepats, also known as nomes in Greek, were the main administrative divisions of Ancient Egypt. Each sepat was ruled by a sepat-lord or nomarch.

 

[Merovingian]

“The Aten has always been known to man, but his teachings were corrupted by Isfet. He has sent me to restore his worship.”
—From the Dialogues of the Two Kings

Prince Tutankhaten had been the first child to be raised into the Atenist faith, and he had grown to be quite devout. As a child, his father would tell him stories about the Aten’s greatness. As he grew older, he and his father would stay up late conversing about the nature of the Aten, of Ma’at and Isfet, and of mankind’s role in the universe. He always made sure to write these conversations down afterwards. After all, the role of the king was to uphold Ma’at, which included instructing the people how to live on Ma’at. Since he would one day become king, he knew that he would have to teach the Egyptian people the same lessons his father had taught him, and what better way to do that than through writing?

These conversations between Akhenaten and Tutankhaten would later become the basis of the Dialogues of the Two Kings, one of the principal holy texts of Atenism. Although the Dialogues would not enter widespread circulation until after Tutankhaten’s ascension to the throne, most of the writing(and the conversations they were based on) took place during Akhenaten’s reign. In the Dialogues of the Two Kings, Akhenaten explains(to Tutankhaten) that in the beginning, there existed nothing but the primordial waters of Nun. The world was nothing but shapeless chaos, or Isfet. However, the sole god Ra emerged from Nun and shaped it into the world, establishing cosmic order or Ma’at. However, the forces of Isfet retreated to the Duat and continued to try to destroy Ra’s creation. Therefore, Ra took the form of the Aten[1], and continues to watch over the world and preserve it to this very day. The world is thus locked in a constant struggle between the cosmic forces of order and chaos, Ma’at and Isfet, in which humanity takes center stage.

Humans in this cosmology have the ability to choose between Ma’at and Isfet. Ma’at is viewed as inherently creative while Isfet is inherently destructive. Creation is ongoing in the Atenist worldview; to live on Ma’at aids the Aten in creating the world while bringing about Isfet hinders the continuation of creation. While neither of the two cosmic forces have the capability to fully overpower each other, if Isfet were to attain temporary victory than all of creation would be undone and the world would revert to shapeless chaos. Therefore, mankind’s role in the Atenist cosmology is to help the Aten stave off the end of the world.

Ancient Egyptian religion was known for an emphasis on the afterlife, and Atenism is no exception. Upon death, the deceased is reborn in the Duat, where they are judged. If they are judged to have lived on Ma’at, than they are let into the paradisiacal realm of Aaru. If not, they are forced to languish in the Duat. Aaru is a perfect reflection of the physical world; the residents of Aaru continue to live the same lives that they did in life, only now unburdened by Isfet. The living can honor their ancestors by leaving offerings at their tombs. Later on, it would be common for Atenist families to have family tombs that act as shrines to their ancestors living in Aaru. The Duat, on the other hand, is a realm of Isfet inhabited by malevolent demons. That said, there was still hope for the residents of the Duat; every night, the Aten would journey through the Duat on his solar barque inviting those who had truly repented to join him and enter Aaru. It was accepted that everyone would eventually be allowed into Aaru, just that some would take longer than others.
* * *
With the expanded theology of the Dialogues of the Two Kings, Atenism has been given enough theological weight to expand beyond Akhenaten’s court and become a truly universal religion. This expanded theology will be further expanded on by Atenist scholars in the future. While right now Isfet is seen as more of a purely philosophical concept, in the long run the figure of Apep fits perfectly into this cosmology. For those unaware, Apep was a demonic serpent and primordial manifestation of Isfet in Egyptian mythology. Every night, Apep would try to devour Ra’s sun barque, thereby ending existence. With the (temporary) victory of Isfet meaning the destruction of the universe in TTL’s Atenist cosmology, I find it likely that some later Atenist theologian will incorporate Apep into their writings as a primordial force of Isfet locked in a permanent cosmic struggle with the Aten.

Apep won’t be the only pre-Atenist figure incorporated into Atenist theology. While your average Egyptian peasant might eventually come around to abandoning the worship of Amun, it’ll take a lot more to get them to give up Bes or Min. Atenist missionaries will have to find some way to incorporate Egypt’s various village gods into their religion while still remaining monotheistic. The Atenists believe that the old Egyptian polytheism emerged from Atenism rather than the other way around; Atenism had been the original religion of humanity and Akhenaten was just sent by the Aten to restore the correct doctrine. Therefore, it wouldn’t be that hard for some theologian to declare that the various Egyptian village gods weren’t actually gods, just lesser supernatural beings subordinated to the Aten that had been mistakenly worshipped as gods.

Speaking of Egypt’s traditional polytheism, much of the TL so far has been about the conflict between Atenism and the cult of Amun. Aten and Amun cannot coexist, they simply share too much in common. They are both all-encompassing solar deities closely tied to the pharaonic cult of personality. To the Atenists, the cult of Amun is a perversion of Atenism. Amun will be demonized similar to how Ba’al was following the rise of Judaism. The priesthood of Amun will likewise be demonized, the most common accusations against them being corruption and hypocrisy. As the memory of Amun-worship grows more distant, Atenist writers will come up with more creative accusations[2], with polemics using the cult of Amun as a stand-in for whatever aspect of society they disapprove of, especially if they see it as corrupt, power-hungry, and/or hypocritical. However, in the long run, the cult of Amun won’t be Atenism’s greatest rival. Amun’s popularity was heavily tied to both the patronage of the monarchy and the prestige of Thebes(Amun’s patron city) as the capital, both of which no longer apply ITTL. Instead, Atenism’s greatest rival will be the cult of Osiris.

The cult of Osiris had long been popular with the common people, in contrast with the solar theology which Atenism emerged from which was strongly connected to pharaonic ideology. Osiris was originally an agricultural god, but would become associated with death and the underworld fairly early in Egyptian history. With Amun’s decline in popularity, Osiris will gradually replace him as head of the pantheon among the remaining pagans(who by this point are the majority of the population). Osiris’ cult was centered on his role as god of the underworld. He was the judge of the dead, and thus the central aspect of his cult was to live a life that he would deem worthy so as to have a better afterlife. Any Osirian religion that emerges would have much of the same appeal as Atenism, with the added bonus that it has centuries of established precedent and allows believers to worship their village gods. Atenism will still emerge the dominant religion; any religion which has the backing of the state has better chances than one that doesn’t and Akhenaten and his successors will create economic incentives for Egyptians to convert, but the cult of Osiris will be a serious rival.

The Egyptians didn’t have a concept of different religions; as far as they were concerned, there were only the gods. What particular gods you worshipped didn’t particularly matter, they were simply an accepted part of life. However, with the rise of Atenism, Egypt now has two very distinct religions with radically different theologies. There will be conflict, but there will also be dialogue. This is where an Osirian religion might emerge. The rise of a new religion is often accompanied by a flowering of philosophy[3], and Atenism will be no different. As Atenism’s greatest rival, the cult of Osiris will have to respond to Atenist ideas. Thus, Egypt will be the birthplace of two religions; Atenism and Osirianism. One a monotheistic religion practiced by the majority of the population focused on the Sun which rises in the east and centered on the cosmic battle between order and chaos, the other a polytheistic religion practiced by a decently sized but nevertheless small minority focused on the underworld and the west which is centered on the mysteries of death.

Going back to Atenism, it’s success will have far-reaching implications for Egyptian civilization. No empire can last forever, and Egypt’s geography makes it particularly vulnerable to conquest. The Bronze Age Collapse will still happen ITTL, and Egypt will still be overshadowed by other civilizations(although OTL civilizations like the Greeks, Persians, Phoenicians, etc. will be butterflied). The difference is that Egyptian culture ITTL comes with a monotheistic religion attached. Polytheistic belief systems tend to syncretize, while monotheistic religions tend to resist syncretism[4]. This means that just as Judaism and Zoroastrianism IOTL allowed the Maccabees and Sassanids to overthrow the Hellenistic yoke and restore their native religions, so to will Atenism allow TTL’s Egypt to avoid assimilation by any foreign power and eventually rise from its ashes and once again establish itself as a major power.

Something else to consider is proselytization. Atenism conceives of the Aten as a universal god rather than the specific god of Egypt, lending itself to proselytization. On the other hand, the Egyptians were a notoriously xenophobic people and tended to view all non-Egyptians as barbarians[5]. TTL’s Atenists might eventually come to see Ma’at as synonymous with Egyptian culture. The Egyptians also traditionally associated Isfet with the desert that existed beyond the Nile, lending to the interpretation that Ma’at originated in Egypt and had to be spread outwards(which also justifies imperial expansion). Atenism will eventually spread beyond Egypt, especially with cultures that either conquered or were conquered by Egypt, but how far beyond has yet to be determined. Hypothetically, the Egyptians could convert the *Phoenicians, who convert the *Greeks, who convert the *Estruscans, who convert the *Celts, spreading Atenism throughout Europe and the Middle East, but this is unlikely to happen. Areas that will definitely convert to Atenism are Canaan, Nubia, and most likely the Mittani. In the long run, Atenism will spread throughout the parts of the Middle East that fall under Egyptian rather than *Persian influence, with maybe Osirianism being adopted by some kingdom that wished to remain neutral for trade reasons. What is certain is that some variation upon Ancient Egyptian civilization will last for much longer than IOTL.







[1]Ra refers to the name of the god(and according to later Atenists, the totality of existence) while the Aten is its physical form. In general, the name “Ra” is only used in past tense, since Ra is generally seen as having “become” the Aten, so to speak.

[2]By which I mean make stuff up

[3]Also, Akhenaten’s ban on enslaving fellow Atenists creates incentivizes parts of the population to keep a few pagans left

[4]Not that monotheistic religions don’t ever syncretize, just ask Saint Brigid

[5]This is, of course, an oversimplification. For example, Egypt had many foreign dynasties and the Kushites/Nubians in particular would become particularly assimilated into Egyptian culture

 

[Merovingian]

“The land is in darkness in the manner of death”
—From the Great Hymn to the Aten

Year Twenty in the reign of Akhenaten Neferkheperura-Waenre given Life, Strength, and Health

Akhenaten had fundamentally changed Egypt’s religion in ways no pharaoh had previously done. He had laid the foundations of a religious tradition that would go on to change the history of the world in ways neither he nor any of his contemporaries could possibly have imagined. He was, however, still mortal, and he now lay on his deathbed surrounded by his wife and children. “Do not be sad” he told them “for soon I shall take my place alongside the Aten in the land of Aaru. My son, Tutankhaten, soon you shall ascend to the throne of the Two Lands. You shall rule wisely and justly, I know, but I ask you to be not just a ruler but a teacher of your people. Bring the Two Lands and beyond into the Aten’s light. Yet know this, you cannot rule alone. To my wife, Nefertiti, and my daughters Meketaten, Ankhesenpaaten, Neferneferuaten, Neferneferure, and Setepenre, you shall advise Tutankhaten and guide him on the path of Ma’at. Live on Ma’at, all of you, and live in the light of the Aten.” And just like that, the King of Egypt drew his last breath. Tutankhaten gave what would be his first order as Lord of the Two Lands; “Let it be known…that the Great King has gone to the west[1].”
* * *
Akhenaten would be mummified and placed in a tomb constructed in a wadi in Akhetaten. Akhenaten’s tomb was decorated with religious artwork portraying the glories of the Aten, as well as with hieroglyphic inscriptions exalting the Aten and Akhenaten. The pharaoh himself would be buried in a granite sarcophagus in the center of the tomb. He was notably not buried with any possessions, in contrast to the vast sums of wealth in other pharaoh’s tombs. This comparatively humble tomb would become the single holiest place in the Atenist religion. After ten days of morning, Tutankhaten would be crowned as Great King of Egypt. There was much jubilation in Akhetaten as Tutankhaten placed upon his head first the red deshret crown of Lower Egypt, then the white hedjet crown of Upper Egypt, and finally the combined sekhemty crown of the Two Lands unified.

Tutankhaten’s ascension to the Horus Throne brought about a few changes. For starters, it was no longer called the Horus Throne, instead being variously called the Throne of the Two Lands, the Throne of the Two Ladies[2], and most frequently the Throne of Sedge and the Bee. Tutankhaten would al so not take the title “Son of Ra” as previous kings had, for that title belonged to Akhenaten alone. He would, however, claim the new titles “Judge of Judges” and “Viceregent of the Aten Upon Earth”. Tutankhaten would cause some controversy when he elevated his Kassite-born “barbarian” wife Ankhaten, the daughter of King Burna-Buriash II of Babylon, to the position of Great Royal Wife[3]. Though their marriage had originally been a purely diplomatic affair at a time when neither was old enough to fully understand the implications, they had grown to love each other. Ankhaten had also become quite Egyptian in her mannerisms, with her prayers to Marduk and Ishtar growing quiet and replaced with hymns and prayers to the Aten(hence the name “Ankhaten”). However, to the Egyptian people, she was merely a barbarian and a foreigner.

Despite the air of controversy around Akhetaten, Tutankhaten’s marriage to Ankhaten secured Egypt’s alliance with Babylonia’s Kassite dynasty. Between Egypt’s Mittani and Babylonian allies lay the rising power of Assyria under King Ashur-uballit I. For now, Egypt and Assyria remained at peace. However, the ambitious Ashur-uballit could not be kept at bay for long. It would come sooner rather than later when tensions between the Two Lands and the Land of Ashur would erupt, and the Near East would be changed for ever.







[1]Ancient Egyptian euphemism for death

[2]The Two Ladies were mythological personifications of Upper and Lower Egypt. They were traditionally seen as goddesses, but with the rise of Atenism they’re seen as metaphorical representations

[3]While previous Egyptian kings had married foreign princesses, elevating a woman of foreign birth to the position of Great Royal Wife(that is, the “main wife” within the king’s harem) likely would have caused some controversy with the notoriously xenophobic Egyptians

 

[Merovingian]

“Lo, this has been known since the world was young.”
—From the Dialogues of the Two Kings

The Dialogues of the Two Kings can be roughly divided into earlier and later dialogues. The early dialogues are generally believed to represent actual conversations between Tutankhaten and his father, while in the later dialogues Tutankhaten begins to use Akhenaten as a mouthpiece as he develops his own views[1]. Specifically, the early dialogues tend to be heavily philosophical, dealing with topics such as Ma’at, Isfet, and man’s place within the cosmos, while the later dialogues are more strongly mythological, telling stories that explain the underlying philosophy, often taken from traditional Egyptian myth. It is the later dialogues that explain the origins of the universe, the creation of man, and various other stories.

In the Dialogues, it is explained how in the beginning, there was only shapeless chaos manifested as a vast ocean called Nun. From this vast ocean of Nun, the Aten created himself from himself, which is described in great detail. First, there was the first thought of Ma’at within the Isfet of Nun. This thought generated more thoughts, which eventually coalesced into the first word ever spoken; Ra. With this first spoken word, an idea could now be described and thus be given form. Thus, the god Ra created himself. With Ra’s self-creation, Ma’at was established, and the forces of Isfet retreated into the Duat, coalescing and manifesting as the demonic serpent Apep, who began to attack creation with the aim of destroying it and reestablishing shapeless, formless chaos. Ra thus incarnated himself as the Aten, keeping watch over creation from on high and protecting it against the forces of Isfet.

The Dialogues later go on to explain how the Aten created numerous living things to assist in the struggle against Isfet. He created the plants and animals, each of which lived on Ma’at in their own way, before finally creating the first two humans; Shu and Tefnut[2]. The Aten elevated Shu and Tefnut as the highest of all living things, and as a result they began to grow arrogant and prideful. They began to believe that they had become even greater than the Aten, and rebelled against him, only to be swiftly defeated. As punishment for their sins, they were cast out of the paradisiacal realm of Aaru. If they and their descendants lived on Ma’at, than upon death they would be allowed to return to Aaru. If not, than they would be cast into the dark pits of the Duat. Thus, the role of mankind in the Atenist cosmology was now firmly established.

Shu and Tefnut would have numerous children who would settle different parts of the world. Their son Geb and his wife Nut would settle in Egypt alongside several others, where they had four children; Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys. Osiris and Isis would marry, as would Set and Nephthys. Eventually, it was decided that the people would need a king to guide them, and Osiris and Set both put forth their names as potential candidates. Seeking to prove his worth, Osiris taught the people how to farm, while Set simply demanded that they make him king. Grateful for Osiris’ invention of agriculture, the people made him their king, and Set became deeply envious. He would go on to murder Osiris and usurp the throne, sending his brother’s now-pregnant wife Isis into the desert, where she gave birth to a son, Horus. Osiris would be reborn in Aaru, where the Aten appoint him as judge of the dead. Horus, meanwhile, would go on to try to reclaim his father’s throne and restore Ma’at, for Set’s usurpation had allowed Isfet to take hold. Horus returns to Egypt at twenty years old, gathering an army to expel Set and reclaim the throne. Set, meanwhile, is cast out into the desert. Thus, the king’s role as the upholder of Ma’at was established.

Perhaps the most important mythical story outlined in the Dialogues was that of the nightly journey of the Aten. During the day, the Aten traveled through the sky on his solar barque, watching over his creation from on high and safeguarding it against Isfet. However, at night, the Aten descended into the Duat. Once in the Duat, the Aten would engage in his nightly struggle against Apep. So long as Ma’at remained stronger than Isfet, than the Aten would emerge victorious, but if Isfet ever prevailed than Apep would be able to defeat the Aten. This defeat would ultimately be nothing more than a temporary setback, but it would mean the destruction of all creation. Keeping Apep at bay was not the Aten’s only role to play in the Duat, however. Every night, he would allow those amongst the damned who had truly repented would be allowed to join him on his solar barque, where he would take them to Aaru.

The Dialogues also establishes several other classes of supernatural beings besides the Aten. One such class of supernatural beings were the demons[3], or powerful supernatural beings that were nevertheless not gods, for there was only one god. Most of Egypt’s traditional pantheon were explained as being demons who were mistakenly worshipped as gods, thus claiming that Egypt’s traditional polytheism had emerged from Atenism rather than the other way around. Prominent demons included Bes, who protected women during childbirth , Min, who oversaw plant fertility, the Two Ladies of Upper and Lower Egypt, and the malevolent serpent Apep who wished to destroy all of creation. Like humans, it was believed that they could choose between Ma’at and Isfet, but unlike humans were immortal. Another class of supernatural beings was established with the concept of sainthood[4]. Saints in Atenism are particularly devout humans who were elevated in the afterlife by the Aten for their deeds. Prominent saints included Osiris, Horus, and Akhenaten’s entire family. Finally, Akhenaten himself was given the entirely unique position as the prophet and intermediary of the Aten.

The Dialogues of the Two Kings would be written by Tutankhaten over the course of his life. Individual dialogues would be used in religious education to teach about the core doctrines of Atenism. They would be codified into a single, comprehensive text during the reign of King Netjerhotep, several generations after Tutankhaten. The Dialogues would go on to become the principal holy text of the Atenist religion. The Late Egyptian language which it was written in would go on to be seen as a holy language by Atenists around the world. The philosophical lessons and stories outlined in the Dialogues would go on to long outlast ether Akhenaten or Tutankhaten, as well as all of their descendants.







[1]Sort of like the relationship between Socrates and Plato IOTL

[2]Shu and Tefnut IOTL where the Egyptian gods of air and moisture, respectively. Early in his reign, Akhenaten would identify himself as Shu(and Nefertiti as Tefnut), but this would be sidelined later on.

[3]Demons in ancient Egyptian religion were not explicitly malevolent, simply being supernatural beings that weren’t quite worthy of being called “gods.” Atenism retains this viewpoint, but the worship of demons is explicitly forbidden. Rituals to ward them off or placate them are not, however, provided you are asking the Aten to do so.

[4]I’m using “saint” as a roughly equivalent English word, but the concept is similar enough that I think I can use it

 

[Merovingian]

“Lo, it is written!”
—From the Dialogues of the Two Kings

Ancient Egypt was an incredibly long-lasting civilization, and its language changed significantly within this span of time. The earliest recorded form of the Egyptian language was called Old Egyptian, which would later develop into Middle Egyptian with the advent of Egypt’s Middle Kingdom. Following the collapse of the Middle Kingdom and later the rise of the New Kingdom[1], Middle Egyptian continued to be used as a literary and religious language while replaced by another dialect, New Egyptian, as the vernacular. Akhenaten IOTL encouraged the use of the New Egyptian vernacular rather than Middle Egyptian, and ITTL that trend will continue. The Great Hymn to the Aten, Akhenaten’s legal code, and the Dialogues of the Two Kings have all been written in New Egyptian, and eventually New Egyptian(or Classical Egyptian, as it will be called ITTL) will come to be seen as a holy language to Atenists similar to Hebrew in Judaism, Qur’anic Arabic in Islam, and Latin in the Catholic Church IOTL.

Egypt at the time of Akhenaten had two scripts; the older hieroglyphic script of which I’m sure most of you are more familiar, and the newer hieratic script, which was itself a cursive form of the hieroglyphic script that predated it. With the advent of Atenism, the older hieroglyphic script will be used to write religious texts, while falling out of favor for everything else. In the long run, the hieroglyphic and hieratic scripts will come to be seen as sacred and profane, respectively[2]. Hieroglyphic writing will eventually come to be seen as more of an art form than anything practical, similar to Arabic or Chinese calligraphy IOTL[3]. People will get more creative with their hieroglyphic designs, and elaborate hieroglyphic patterns will decorate Atenist sun-temples. The hieratic script, meanwhile, will be simplified and standardized over time.

The rise of Atenism will also effect Egypt’s scribal tradition. There was a considerable overlap between priests and scribes in Ancient Egypt, something which will not be true of Atenism. There will still be a now-secularized scribal class trained in hieratic script frequently employed by the imakhy nobility and by the state to write down various inscriptions. Meanwhile, all members of an Atenist kenbet will be expected to be literate in the sacred hieroglyphic script. In the long run, you mights see the development of wandering scribes-for-hire seeking employment by some nobleman. The scribes might become akin to the church in Medieval Europe and the Confucian bureaucracy in China; it would be a respected institution and a method of social mobility in an otherwise stratified world. One major difference is that scribes ITTL will work as individuals at the behest of an employer, rather than having some overarching organization. At various times in history they will be respected as paragons of virtue, and loathed for being obscenely wealthy and woefully corrupt. What is certain is that even Egypt’s language will be effected by Akhenaten’s reforms, as will every other aspect of Egyptian life.




[1]The idea of an Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom is a modern concept that did not exist in Ancient Egyptian historiography, however, I use it here to give a sense of when things are happening

[2]Although ironically the word “hieratic” comes from the Greek word “hieratika“ meaning “priestly”

[3]Hieroglyphics will also be used to write Atenist scripture

 

[Merovingian]

“Sing, o Two Lands, of the great Tutankhaten! The son of wise Akhenaten who expelled Isfet from Singira[1]!”
—From the Egyptian Book of Kings by Ramose of Waset

Not long after Tutankhaten ascended to the throne, his father-in-law King Burna-Buriash II of Babylonia died, and he was succeeded by his half-Assyrian son Kara-hardash. Kara-hardash’s reign would ultimately be short, as he was deposed and killed not even a year into his reign. Ashur-uballit responded to the death of his grandson by invading Babylonia and installing another puppet, this time a full-blooded Kassite by the name of Kurigalzu II. Unfortunately for Ashur-uballit, his supposed puppet-king turned out to be less oral than he expected, turning against Assyria. Kurigalzu invaded Assyria, being repelled at the Battle of Sugagu, only a day’s journey south of Assur. Ashur-uballit went on the counterattack, invading Babylonia again.

Tutankhaten, by way of his marriage to the Kassite-born Ankhaten, was drawn into this conflict. He set out through Retjenu[2] and the lands of the Mittani to attack Assyria from the west. Ashur-uballit, distracted by the war with the Kassites, sent his son Enlil-Nirari to fend off the impending Egyptian invasion. Ebill-Nirari deposed the aging Mittani King Tushratta, installing a usurper by the name of Shuttarna, and incited Egypt’s erstwhile vassal, King Aziru of Amurru, into rebellion against the pharaoh. Meanwhile, Tushratta’s son Shattiwaza fled to Egypt and Tutankhaten began his march through Retjenu.
* * *
Kingdom of Byblos, Year Seven in the Reign of Tutankhaten Khaemakhet[3] Given Life, Strength, and Health

Rib-Hadda, the aging King of Byblos, was beyond grateful with the arrival of the Egyptians. Aziru and his troops had fled northward with the arrival of the Egyptians, sparing his city from their constant raids. Rib-Hadda bowed before the Great King of Egypt, seven times on the belly and seven times on the back, before the Egyptian king told him “it is from the Aten that we have attained such great victory” and instructed Rib-Hadda to erect a roofless temple to this “Aten”, for which priests from Egypt would be imported to attend. A strange request, he thought, but it was the least he could do to repay the saviors of his city.

The Egyptians set out from Byblos towards Amurru. Tutankhaten’s forces besieged the city, and Aziru’s defended it. The battle raged on, with no end in sight until Aziru would be brought down by unlikely circumstances. Amid the battle, one of the horses pulling Aziru’s chariot would fall to an Egyptian arrow. This caused confusion among the other horses, and Aziru’s chariot would be surrounded by the Egyptians. Aziru was deposed as King of Amurru, with an Egyptian puppet placed on the throne, and Tutankhaten set out for the land of Hanigalbat[4], where he would meet Enlil-Nirari.
* * *
The conflict between Assyria and the Kassites happened IOTL, the difference being that Egypt gets involved ITTL. This will release a horde of butterflies that will leave TTL almost unrecognizable by the time of the Bronze Age Collapse, certainly by the present day. It seems that the Aten’s light will soon spread into the Lands of Hanigalbat and Ashur.






[1]Egyptian name for Mesopotamia

[2]Egyptian name for Canaan

[3]Roughly “He Who Appears Upon the Horizon”

[4]The Mitanni Kingdom

 

[Merovingian]

“He did do battle against the doers of Isfet, and he did teach the path of Ma’at in Singira as Akhenaten did in Egypt.”
—From the Egyptian Book of Kings by Ramose of Waset

Tutankhaten met with Shattiwaza and began to campaign into Hanigalbat, meeting Enlil-nirari at Alalakh. Tutankhaten’s comparatively smaller Egyptian force was able to encircle Enlil-Nirari’s larger Assyrian-Mitanni army. Enlil-Nirari would be forced to retreat, meeting with Shuttarna’s Mitanni force. Tutankhaten would face against Shuttarna and Enlil-Nirari at the Mitanni capital of Washukanni. Upon entering Washukanni, Tutankhaten gave the battle cry “Ma’at is established, Isfet is expelled!” The cry echoed through the ranks, until only the single word “Ma’at!” echoed through Washukanni. The Egyptian soldiers and charioteers cried “Ma’at!” as they stormed the great citadel of Washukanni. The resolve of the Egyptians would ultimately overpower Enlil-Nirari and Shuttarna. Tutankhaten ordered that a stela be erected proclaiming in Egyptian, Hurricane, and Akkadian “I, Tutankhaten, King of Egypt, Great King, Pharaoh, Lord of the Two Lands, High Priest of the Aten, Judge of Judges, have restored the rightful King of Hanigalbat to the throne. The usurper Shuttarna defiled the order of Ma’at, and he brought Isfet into Hanigalbat[1]. By restoring the rightful king, I have restored Ma’at to the land of Hanigalbat.”

With Shattiwaza placed on the Mitanni throne and Hanigalbat firmly in Egyptian hands, Tutankhaten set out for Assyria. Tutankhaten met a small Assyrian force at Qattara, against which he would emerge victorious. However, events in Egypt would force him to turn back. Akhenaten would receive at letter from his sister Meketaten proclaiming that “the king’s mother Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti has gone to the west.” Tutankhaten returned to Egypt, leaving an Egyptian garrison in Washukanni to defend Hanigalbat. Ashur-uballit agreed to leave Hanigalbat alone providing that Enlil-Nirari, whose life Tutankhaten had spared both due to his Atenist beliefs and as a bargaining tool, be returned to Assyria. The war between Assyria and the Kassites would end with Kurigalzu remaining on the throne while parts of Babylonia were annexed into Assyria. Tutankhaten’s victories in Retjenu and Hanigalbat would result in the army becoming a bastion of Atenism, and quite fanatical at that. The Lord of the Two Lands Tutankhaten Khaemakhet had proven himself before his country and the world, but his story had only just begun.







[1]The Hurrian and Akkadian inscriptions would use the local words for “order“ and “chaos” in place of the Egyptian “Ma’at” and “Isfet”

 

[Merovingian]

“Living disk, origin of light.”
—From the Great Hymn to the Aten

The King’s Mother Neferneferuaten Nefertiti was given a lavish funeral before being buried alongside her husband in Akhetaten’s royal wadi. With her passing, the first generation of Atenists had formally passed on the torch. Tutankhaten’s victories in Retjenu and Hanigalbat had resulted in the Egyptian military becoming a bastion of Atenism, and would eventually result in the spread of religion beyond Egypt. In Byblos, Amurru, and Washukanni, Tutankhaten had ordered the construction of Atenist sun-temples which would be staffed by Egyptian priests. After a generation or two, the Egyptian priests would be replaced with native ones as a local Atenist community developed. After all, the Great Hymn to the Aten mentioned Syria and Kush as well as Egypt and clearly revered to the Aten as a god of all lands.

However, Atenism would need to fully take root in Egypt before the radiant sun-disk could spread its rays throughout Egypt’s empire. To accomplish this goal, Tutankhaten set out to teach others about the Aten, just as his father had done for him. Prominent noblemen would send their sons to the royal palace at Akhetaten, where Tutankhaten would teach them religious lessons. An idea of teacher-student relationships began to develop within Atenism in which the Aten taught Akhenaten, who taught Tutankhaten, who taught the third generation of Atenists, who would teach the fourth, etc. Roughly a year after his return from Hanigalbat, Ankhaten would bear Tutankhaten a son by the name of Atenemhat[1]. Tutankhaten’s reign, like those of his father and grandfather, was one of peace and prosperity for the Two Lands.

Starting with Akhenaten and continuing under Tutankhaten, an Atenist clergy began to develop. This clergy originated with Akhenaten, who according to Atenist beliefs was the adopted son and direct emissary of the Aten. In Akhenaten’s absence, his successors were to serve as High Priests of the Aten. The King in his role as High Priest would be advised by a Great Kenbet consisting of his family members. Beneath the King, each sepat was administered by a magistrate, with every town within a sepat having its own judge who oversaw his own kenbet. The kenbut would be staffed with community elders who were well-read in Atenist law, and served essentially as law courts. Beneath the kenbut were the Atenist laity. A unique idea of Tutankhaten’s was that of universal priesthood; all male Atenists upon coming of age would be officially recognized as entering the priesthood and thus under Atenist law could perform rituals in the sun-temples.

Atenist temple services were held thrice per day; at sunrise, at noon, and at sunset. Temple services always began with the singing of the Great Hymn, followed by a communal prayer towards the Sun. Temple serviced involved the shaking of a sacred instrument known as the sistrum, usually during the singing of the Geat Hymn. After the prayers were completed, offerings of bread and beer would be made at the various altars that adorned every sun-temple. The sun-temple was to serve as the center of the community. Not only was it to be a place of worship, but it was also where food was stored and important decisions were made, as well as where children were educated[2]. Tutankhaten would continue to refine the religion that his father had founded throughout his reign, and it was through his efforts that the Aten went from the god of one man and his immediate family to the national god of Egypt and eventually the universal god of a world religion.






[1]” The Aten is Foremost”

[2]Said education would be purely religious

 

[Merovingian]

Who will be rival of Aten? Buddhism?

Probably Phoenician/Canaanite polytheism. It is yet long time even to Buddha's birth.

Right now, Atenism’s biggest rival is the traditional Egyptian religion, particularly the local village gods. Atenism will also have to compete with Canaanite and Hurricanes polytheism as it spreads throughout Egypt’s empire. In the long run, Atenism’s biggest rival will most likely be some variation of Zoroastrianism. Exactly when Zoroaster lived is disputed with some putting him even before Akhenaten and others putting him around the same time as Cyrus and Darius, with somewhere in between being most likely. Regardless of whether or not Zoroaster himself exists ITTL, a religions similar to Zoroastrianism will likely still arise, since its likely that Zoroaster IOTL simply codified a pre-existing religious tradition. Both Atenism and Zoroastrianism are monotheistic religions based around a cosmic struggle in which mankind plays a key role, however for Zoroastrians this struggle is seen as beetween good(asha) and evil(druj), while for Atenists this struggle is between order(Ma’at) and chaos(Isfet). I suspect Atenist and *Zoroastrian theologians will be very interested in each other’s ideas, viewing them with a mix of fascination and disgust simply due to being both too similar and too different.

Another major rival to Atenism will be whatever emerges in the aftermath of the Greek Dark Ages. OTL Hellenistic civilization will be butterflied away, but a major civilization will still arise in Greece. A major factor for what happens in Greece will be whether or not the Phoenicians become Atenists. If they do, than they will likely introduce Atenism to Greece alongside their alphabet(which ITTL would be hieratic). If the Phoenicians remain pagan, than Greece probably will as well. It’s also possible that the Egyptians could be the ones to most strongly influence Greece ITTL, however. In the event that post-Dark Age Greece doesn’t fall into the Atenist cultural sphere, it will likely create its own religious or philosophical worldview that could compete with Atenism. An idea I’ve considered is that the Greeks could create their own monotheistic or at least henotheistic religion under Egyptian influence similar to Zoroastrianism’s influence on Judaism IOTL, but I don’t think this is particularly likely.

Judaism and its offshoots are definitely butterflied away; by the time of the Bronze Age Collapse, Canaan will be fully Atenized and Yahweh will be some forgotten Pre-Atenist Canaanite storm god. Moving beyond the Near East, you mentioned Buddhism as a potential rival to Atenism. Sorry to disapoint you, but depending on how long the butterflies take to reach India, Buddhism is probably butterflied away. That said, the same flourishing of religious ideas in India that created the Buddha IOTL will still happen, just with different characters and ideas involved. The Vedas have already been composed by this point, as have some of the earlier Upanishads. Something akin to the shramana movement that produced Buddhism and Jainism(as well as heavily influencing modern Hinduism) IOTL will still probably happen as a reaction against the previous Vedic religion.

In China, the Shang will still be replaced by the Zhou, but nothing after that is certain. OTL Chinese religions like Daoism and Confucianism are likely butterflied away, but something else will arise in their place. The precedent of the Mandate of Heaven has already been established by the overthrow of the Shang by the Zhou, so it will still play a role in whatever comes out of China ITTL. The worship of Shangdi will likely continue ITTL, and some variation upon Shangdi-worship will be practiced in China ITTL. Much like IOTL, you will have various philosophers trying to find out what the best way to gain the Mandate of Heaven is. I could see a system emerging in which Shangdi grants the Mandate of Heaven based on personal piety.

Across the ocean, I’m putting a butterfly net around the Americas until contact is established. As a result similar religious traditions will develop as IOTL. Mesoamerican religion by the time of the Aztecs had a unique form of dualism called dialectical monism in which the world is ultimately a unified whole, but that whole manifests itself in parts. This unified whole was called Teotl(pronounced “ta-ot”), personified as the pantheistic god of duality Ometeotl. In this worldview, the individual’s goal in life was to find balance within the constantly shifting Teotl. The Andean peoples, meanwhile, saw the world as a series of different natural forces competing for power, with change being seen as the result of asymmetries in these power dynamics. Pacha, or balance, was to be achieved through ayni, or reciprocal exchange. Therefore, mutual cooperation and harmony was seen as the highest value. This worldview was also animistic, with ancestors and various nature spirits being worshipped. However, neither of these belief systems will enter the scene until centuries later.

 

[Merovingian]

“All people, herds and flocks,
all on Earth that walk on legs,
all on high that fly with their wings.
And in the foreign lands of Khar and Kush, in the land of Egypt,
you place every man in his place,
you make what they need,
so that everyone has his food,
his lifespan counted.”
—From the Great Hymn to the Aten

The rise of Atenism will have significant effects both within and beyond Egypt. That much is self-evident. However, the sheer scale of the changes to world history that a successful Akhenaten would bring about are almost unfathomable. In Akhenaten’s Great Hymn, the Aten is specifically framed as a universal god rather than a particular god of Egypt; Khar and Kush, or respectively Syria and Nubia, are mentioned as being more-or-less equals to Egypt in the eyes of the Aten. Sure, Egypt is a bit closer to his heart than other countries, but that just means that it’s the duty of every good Atenist to help the Aten spread his rays to all the corners of the world. This is significant because it means the development of a universal religion centuries before any universal religions appeared IOTL. IOTL, the spread of religions like Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Daoism, Confucianism, etc. would have profound effects on the civilizations that adopted them. ITTL, that same process will occur, only centuries earlier.

While the Axial Age theory has its flaws(Akhenaten himself and possibly Zoroaster showed up before the so-called Axial Age, while those trivial footnotes Jesus and Muhammad were centuries after), I still think it’s useful enough as a descriptive term that I will be using it. However, the Axial Age had the potential to occur centuries earlier, with Akhenaten himself being evidence for this. Outside Egypt, the language in the Gathas seems to indicate that Zoroaster may have even lived before Akhenaten[1], while in India the Vedas and earlier Upanishads were being composed and in China the cult of Shangdi was being developed into a fairly coherent worldview. However, this raises another question; if the potential for Axial Age thought existed in the late Bronze Age, than why didn’t it happen? To which I would respond that it arguably did, but the traditions that developed were just overshadowed.

In Egypt, Akhenaten’s religious reforms would be reversed after his death, while in China the replacement of the Shang by the Zhou led to Shangdi falling out of favor and replaced with Tian, ultimately leading to the development of Daoism and Confucianism. In India the Brahmanical tradition would survive and ultimately give rise to Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, while in Iran Zoroastrianism would fully take off. ITTL, however, Alhenaten’s reforms were successful, while alternate migration patterns may lead to divergences in India and China. Within the context of the Near East, Atenism will spread into Canaan and Syria, and from their throughout the Mediterranean. TTL’s residents will most certainly view the rise of Atenism as one of the most important events in history.






[1]Although I am somewhat skeptical of this theory

 

[Merovingian]

“I have conquered Sapinuwa, home of the once-great Nesili.”
—Victory Stella erected by Uhha-Ziti of Arzawa

Once, the Hittite Empire had been great. The ancestors of the Hittites, the Nesili, had conquered their empire from the Haitians and Lucian’s who had once inherited their land. The language of the Nesili would become the new lingua franca, and the gods of the Nesili such as Tarhunta and Arinniti would grow to become more prominent than the old gods of Hatti. And yet, the language of Hatti would still be spoken, the gods of Hatti still worshipped, and the Nesili would base their capital in Hattusa and be known to other peoples as “Haitians.” Under the rule of the Nesili, Hatti had become a great power worthy of respect.

The Hittite Empire had been great, but those days had long gone. Mismanagement by the incompetent kings Tudhaliya II and Tudhaliya III had resulted in the collapse of Hittite power. Their once-illustrious capital of Hattusa had fallen to the barbarian Kaskians, whose endless looting and plundering had reduced it to a shadow of its former self. The Hittites had failed to secure their border against the minor Kingdom of Hayasa-Azzi. The once-great Hittite Empire had been reduced to a minor regional kingdom based out of Sapinuwa. It seemed that the Nesili had lost the favor of Arinniti, that the hadantatar[1] of the world had been upended. However, nature abhors a vacuum, and in the Hittites’ absence it was only inevitable that a new empire would rise.

To the north of the old Hittite Empire lay the Kingdom of Arzawa. The Arzawans had long lived in the shadow of the Hittites, but with the collapse of Hittite power, King Uhha-Ziti of Arzawa saw an opportunity. The Arzawans began to expand southwards, the petty kings of Anatolia falling before them. It would not be soon before the Arzawans would come into conflict with the declining Hittite “Empire.” However, no such conflict happened. An Aging Tudhaliya III was eager to ally with the rising power of Arzawa in exchange for Arzawans assistance against the Hayasans or Kaskians. And thus, the Hittite Empire had finally fallen not with a bang but a whimper. The Hittites could no longer be called an empire, and what was left would become the Kingdom of Sapinuwa, a vassal of the King of Arzawa in Apasa[Ephesos][2]. Once, the Hittite Empire had been great. Now, they had fallen from greatness into obscurity just as so many empires had before, and so many would in the future.





[1]Hadantatar was a Hittite concept roughly equivalent to the Egyptian Ma’at

[2]As the Arzawans expand into central Anatolia, they’ll probably move their capital further inland simply due to Bronze Age logistics

 

[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

 

[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.

 

[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