Amenhotep IV was a very controversial pharaoh. He had weakened all of Egypt while he was its leader from 1369 to 1353 BC. He is well known today for being the first king to believe in one god, or monotheism. Amenhotep had physically destroyed many things in Egypt due to his beliefs. Amenhotep also try to change all of Egypt's religion to conform to his own beliefs.
Amenhotep was supposedly born with a genetic disease known as Marfan's Syndrome. This disorder affects connective tissue in the body. We have come to the conclusion that this is the case by statues and drawings that were discovered of Amenhotep. Amenhotep was always shown with large hips, a long face and fingers, and a large chest. These are the symptoms of Marfan's Syndrome. His mother and his father, Queen Tiye and Amenhotep III, raised him in the Egyptian royalty. While growing up he was taught to worship the primary Egyptian god, named Amen, as his parents and the rest of Egypt did.
A "house altar" (c. 1350 BC) depicting Akhenaten, ...
Pharaoh Akhenaten and his family adoring the Aten,...
Bureau of Correspondence of PharaohLater on in Amenhotep's life, he became pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. With the help of his mother's influence it had been assured that he would inherit the throne.
Amenhotep's great empire began to weaken and fall apart. He died in the 18th year of his reign. Some believe this could have been caused by his disorder. His successor, Horemhab, had taken over his reign. Since he did not believe in the religious ideas that Amenhotep had, Horemhab had tried to wipe out and erase all of Amenhotep's work out of Egyptian history and start over.
Instead of worshiping the god Amen, one of many important Egyptian gods, he began to worship Aten the sun god only. He began to worship this god even more and had even changed...