[Akhenaton--pharaoh and heretic]

Akhenaten has been called the first individualist in history. As the eldest son of the pharaoh Amenhotep III and queen Tiy he grew up between a weak and sick father and an ambitious and intelligent mother at a time when Egypt was at the peak of its power. At court they led a life in luxury; however, the pharaoh went out hunting while his wife was ruling the strongest empire of the ancient world. The gifted young pharaoh to be was a philosopher with great interests in the arts. He took over his parents' scepticism against the powerful priesthood. Later, as Akhenaten, he created a monotheistic religion with a good-natured God symbolized by the disc of the life-giving sun. He appointed himself high priest, thus dethroning the numerous priests serving the many animal-shaped gods of ancient Egypt. His introduction of one single deity might, from a psychoanalytic point of view, be interpreted as an extension of his needs for a warm mother. The physiognomy of Akhenaten was peculiar; statues of him convey the impression of a man with acromegaly. His reluctance in defending the borders of his country was perhaps also a result of an endocrine development, making him lethargic.