Myths about Pharaohs

This myth describes the pivotal transition in Egyptian cosmology from a time when gods physically walked the Earth to the era of human pharaohs. After a period of direct rule and human rebellion, the sun god Ra chose to ascend to the heavens on the back of the celestial cow, Nut, establishing the boundaries between the mortal world and the divine realm. The subsequent reigns of Osiris and...

During the mid-14th century BCE, Pharaoh Akhenaten initiated a revolutionary religious shift in Ancient Egypt, abandoning the traditional polytheistic pantheon headed by Amun in favor of the exclusive worship of the Aten, the radiant sun disk. He established a new capital at Akhetaten and introduced a naturalistic style of art that broke from centuries of rigid tradition. This era, known as...