ded with "Aten," whilst the
courtiers found it advisable to strike out "Amen," if this chanced to form
part of their own names, and to substitute for it "Ra," as having more or
less the same significance as "Aten." "The doctrine," as the new dogmas
were called in inscriptions at Tell el Amarna, was regarded as so entirely
a matter of home politics in Egypt, that the officials of Syria and
Palestine--all foreigners--do not seem to have received any formal
information regarding it. Most of them continue to refer to Amon in
perfect innocence, and only a few who were better informed began rather
later to take the change into account. Thus Yitia of Ashkelon, Pu-Adda of
Wurza, and a certain Addudaian correct the name of the Egyptian
commissioner "Amanappa" into "Rianappa." Abimilki of Tyre apparently even
tried to give himself out as one initiated into "the doctrine," and to
represent his city as a servant of Aten. If this were the case he must
have received a severe rebuff, for after his one attempt he falls back
into the old style. Neither the royal nor the national pride of Egypt
would suffer any such familiarities.

The new capital received the significant name of "Akhet-Aten" ("Horizon of
the Sun") and was solemnly consecrated long before it was half finished.
The widow of Amenophis III., the queen-mother Teye, came occasionally to
visit the new capital, and was received with all honour; evidently she had
paid timely respect to her son's opinions. How far the Aten dogma
represented real progress in religious thought can be gathered only from
the contents of a few hymns remaining on the walls of some of the tombs.
In these the expression of devout feeling seems to have become richer and
more spontaneous, and the monotheistic tendency is evident. This
characteristic, however, may often be observed by a sympathetic reader in
the hymns to Amon, and even to less important deities: the deity adopted
as a special object of worship by any individual is always favourably
represented by him. The Aten dogma, being based on natural phenomena and
not on mythology, was, of course, heretical.

Those of his officials who had accepted "the doctrine" were regarded by
Akhenaten as deserving men, and on this ground alone, Ai, called Haya in
the Amarna letters, received golden honours to the full. This Haya, who
was entitled "beloved royal scribe," was probably a secretary of state,
and was once sent as a special ambassador to Babylonia. Dud