Akhenaten died c. 1336 BC. After a short reign or two, a boy of about eight or nine came to the throne as Tutankhaten, "living image of the Aten". Within a few years he had become Tutankhamun, "living image of Amun", and the old religion was back.
Key idea
The Restoration Stela
A stela set up at Karnak in Tutankhamun's name describes the land he inherited: temples abandoned from Elephantine to the Delta, their shrines in ruins and overgrown, and the gods turning away from Egypt. It then lists the king's works: new cult images, priests appointed, temple estates restored. It is official propaganda, painting the time before as a disaster, but it shows plainly what the new government wanted to be seen doing.
The men behind the throne
- Tutankhamun was a boy, and officials governed for him: the courtier Ay and the general Horemheb.
- The court moved back to Memphis; Akhetaten was abandoned.
- Tutankhamun died at about eighteen or nineteen. Ay became king for a few years, then Horemheb (c. 1323–1295 BC).
- Horemheb pulled down Akhenaten's buildings and reused their blocks as fill inside new pylons at Karnak.
Why it works
Worked example: Why is Tutankhamun famous?
- In 1922 Howard Carter found his tomb in the Valley of the Kings, KV62, almost intact.
- Most royal tombs had been robbed in antiquity; his treasures survived.
- His fame comes from his tomb, not from his reign.
Answer: Because his nearly intact tomb was found in 1922.
Common mistake