The sun cult in Nubia during Akhenaten’s reign

Pharaoh Akhenaten, known as the ‘heretic king’ for abolishing polytheism (ca. 1352-1336 BCE), built several temples in Nubia, which served religious, economic as well as political purposes: not only were they involved in day-to-day administration of economic activities, they also served as enduring reminders of Egyptian dominion. At least one rebellion erupted in Nubia during Akhenaten’s twelfth regnal year, demonstrating that some communities still openly opposed Egyptian occupation in his time. One of Akhenaten's temples was built at Sesebi, near key gold mines. The main temple there was established before Akhenaten abolished polytheism in favor of a single god, the sun disk (Aten), and thus was dedicated to the 'canonical' ram-headed god Amun. However, it was later converted to an Atenist temple by the king. Like his father Amenhotep III, Akhenaten strongly identified with the sun cult in Nubia, which played an important role in the development of the Atenist dogma.