Egypt's most famous revolutionary: Akhenaten

American minimalist composer Philip Glass based his 1983 opera "Akhnaten" on the life of Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten (photo: the 2018 staging of the work in Bonn). Like "Einstein on the Beach" about Albert Einstein and "Satyagraha" about Mahatma Gandhi, Glass's third biographical opera focuses on a historical figure whose radical vision revolutionized his era.

Before adopting the name Akhenaten, the ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty was initially known as Amenhotep IV. Akhenaten ruled Egypt for 17 years — taking over from his father, Amenhotep III, circa in 1353 BC. He devoted a major part of his regime to establishing a monotheistic religious system, making him one of the most controversial and fascinating figures in Egyptian history.

Egyptian civilization's long-established worship of thousands of gods was rejected by Akhenaten, who centered his religion on Aten, "the disk of the sun" from ancient Egyptian mythology. Another radical feature of his cult was that human depictions of the god — and idolatry — were banned. The religion known as Atenism is widely considered to be one of the first instances of monotheism in history.

The era of Egyptian history under Akhenaten's reign is known as the Amarna Period, Amarna being the archaeological site where the pharaoh established his royal residence and the main site of worship to Aten. The Amarna style of art also featured a radical break from what had previously been done, often depicting the Aten and its rays of sun ending in tiny hands.

Akhenaten married "the Mona Lisa of Ancient Egypt," Nefertiti. Her bust, part of the collection at Berlin's Neues Museum, is the most famous of all Amarna works. Little is known about Nefertiti, whose name means "the beautiful one has come forth." Some experts believe that Akhenaten's wife also ruled briefly, following her husband's death and before the accession of Tutankhamun.

Many scholars agree that Nefertiti had an elevated title and was named the co-regent of her husband. The couple had six known daughters. Their worship of Aten is depicted here, along with three of their children. Akhenaten would have a final son, known as Tutankhamun. While it remains unclear, some believe Nefertiti to be the mother of the legendary boy king.

The jury is out on whether this image depicts Tutankhamun and his half-sister and wife Ankhesenanun, or his sister Meritaten and her pharaoh husband Smenkhkare. Tutankhamun would ascend to the throne in 1333 BC as a young boy, counseled by the powerful general Horemheb.

The general took over when Tutankhamun died, about 18 years old. Horemheb erased all traces of Akhenaten, Nefertiti and Tutankhamun from history, and razed Amarna, the capital built by Akhenaten (picture). Horemheb's own reign was one of relative peace and stability in Egypt. His death signaled the end of the 18th dynasty and the beginning of another under the reign of his grandson Ramesses I.

Akhenaten's condemnation from official history might be a reason why Tutankhamun's tomb long escaped looting in the Valley of Kings. It was discovered in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter, reigniting interest in the largely forgotten 18th dynasty. Resplendent artifacts found in the lavish tomb further intrigued Egyptologists and the general public.

While Egyptology was popularized with Carter's historic discovery, the study of ancient Egypt — and its infinite mysteries — has been the obsession of many for centuries. Frenchman Jean-Francois Champollion deciphered the hieroglyphs on the Rosetta Stone in 1822, and Venetian explorer Giovanni Battista Belzoni pioneered the exploration of the second pyramid of Giza in the early 19th century.

Believed to contain hidden chambers, King Tutankhamun's burial chamber is being scanned anew. The current investigation was launched in 2015, based on British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves' theories. He believes that a concealed space might contain the tomb of Queen Nefertiti. Previous tests have been inconclusive, but proving the theory would be like "winning the lottery," say archaeologists.