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In the year 1880, near the Egyptian village of Tell el-Amarna, various tablets with Asiatic texts were found which, when deciphered, proved to be important historical documents disclosing certain facts of Egyptian history—particularly those concerning King Amenhotep IV and his reign—hitherto unknown. On the basis of these "Amarna-tablets" and some hieroglyphic texts of that period previously known, we are able to draw a rather full picture of the personality of the king. Various reference books and histories of Ancient Egypt containing an abundance of valuable information on the period in question have furnished the basic data for the considerations which follow. The works of Breasted and Weigall's excellent monograph on the life of Amenhotep IV1 deserve particular mention in this connection.
The marked interest, even enthusiasm, Egyptologists have shown in the "Heretic King" who gave himself the name Ikhnaton—a title we will later explain—might appear strange, even incomprehensible, to the uninitiated. Three thousand and some hundred odd years do separate us from the Amarna period! But when an authority of Breasted's caliber characterizes the king as the most remarkable figure in early oriental history and is even inclined to accord him a unique place in the history of the world, our curiosity is aroused and we