s obliterated. Without the inscription naming the individual or god, it was believed that the spirit cannot live, for the glyphs were believed to have more power and weight than the images that illustrate their meaning. Until this point in time, temple life was the center of Egyptian life, and Akhenaten's reforms did not go over well with the people.
In 1340 BCE, Akhenaten decided to find a virgin site for the cult of Aten and thus chose Amarna as the seat of the Cult of the Sun-God in the form of Aten (Weigall 92). Here, the king intended to build a new royal residence, center of state and capital of the Egyptian Empire. As the king's residence, the royal city had symbolic and functional aspects incorporated into its planning. Amarna was a planned community, a completely inorganic city whose conception and creation can be traced to one man's will. That it developed, even for a short time, into the seat of a powerful empire is valuable in any discussion of ancient urbanism. Unlike other i
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