Great Hymn to the Aten

At a glance

History, context & interpretation

The text and its story

A hymn to the sun disk Aten, written during Akhenaten's religious revolution. Its praise of a single creator who cares for every creature is often compared with Psalm 104.

Traditional attribution

Composed by Pharaoh Akhenaten.

Historical scholarship

Attributed to Akhenaten; preserved in the tomb of the official Ay at Amarna.

Context and curiosity

After Akhenaten died, his successors tried to erase his name from history.

Chronology and transmission

This text belongs to Ancient Egypt (Amarna Egypt). The catalogue gives its approximate dating as c. 1350 BCE and original language or script as Late Egyptian. The dated manuscript witnesses and traditional claims may not refer to the same historical event.

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Sources and further reading

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Hymn_to_the_Aten

Historical descriptions are educational summaries. Religious traditions, scholarly interpretations and unverified claims are distinguished where possible; imagery may be illustrative rather than an artifact photograph.